Flaky hand pies filled with a flavourful savoury filling. These cheddar, caramelised onions and prosciutto hand pies are perfect to have on hand for a quick lunch or a snack!
Cheddar, Caramelised Onions and Prosciutto Hand Pies Ingredients
Mature Cheddar Cheese: I have used a grated mature cheddar cheese for a sharper and tangier flavour. However, you can easily use normal cheddar or other low moisture cheese. Try to avoid using high moisture cheese such as fresh mozzarella as this might make the pies soggy.
Onions: White brown onion is the onion I go for. However I have also done this recipe with a mix of brown and red onion.
Prosciutto: Italian prosciutto gives the exact saltiness these pies need. However, you can easily substitute it with bacon or other types of cured meat.
How to caramelise the onions?
To caramelise the onions, the most important thing that you need is patience. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, add the sliced onions and season with salt. Let the onions cook over medium heat. Do not stir until they start browning. Stir and let them cook until they are all browned and caramelised. Once done, let cool and set aside until ready to use.
How to make the flaky dough for these pies?
For these hand pies, I opted to go with a flaky pie dough as I adore how crumbly this type of dough gets, and personally I just love picking up the fallen crumbs from the plate. Besides, this dough is so easy to make that it was a no brainer.
To get a successful flaky dough, the secret is to keep everything really cold and to work as fast as you can. We don’t want the butter to melt while we’re forming and shaping the dough. If this happens, we will loose all the flakiness of the dough. Therefore, while making this dough make sure to use your hands the least as possible and to work on a cold surface, such as your kitchen countertop. Another important tip: Please leave the dough rest for at least an hour before working with it! This definitely makes a huge difference on the outcome of your baked goods.
The recipe for this flaky pie dough can be used also for a full sized pie and not just for these mini ones.
FAQs
Can I prepare the pies in advance?
Most definitely, you can prepare the pies beforehand! If you prepare them and cook them, you can store them in the fridge or freeze them. If uncooked, you can store them in the freezer. You can also prepare the dough a day before and store it in the fridge. The caramelised onions can also easily be prepared beforehand and stored in the fridge.
How to store these hand pies?
Uncooked pies can be stored in the freezer. Whilst, cooked pies can be stored in the fridge or in the freezer. Pies in the fridge are best kept in an airtight container for not more than 3 days. Whereas, pies stored in the freezer can be stored for about 2 months.
Other hand pie recipes?
Leek, Mushroom and Feta Hand Pies
Traditional Maltese Apple Pies
Cheddar, Caramelised onions and Prosciutto Hand Pies
Ingredients
Pie Filling
- 300 g onions sliced
- 80 g prosciutto
- 100 g mature cheddar cheese grated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- Egg wash – 1 egg yolk + water
Pie Dough
- 350 g plain flour
- 230 g cold butter cubed
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp cold water 75 ml
Optional
- nigella seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, etc.
Instructions
Pie Dough
- In a large bowl mix together the flour and salt.
- Add the cubed cold butter and work into the flour. You can either use a pastry cutter or work with your hands. If you're using your hands, you have to work fast so as not to melt the butter. Rub in all the butter in the flour until you have a coarse mixture with small pebbles of butter. This process can also be done in a food processor.
- Slowly start adding a tablespoon at a time of cold water, while forming a smooth dough. Your dough might require less or more water.
- Once the dough is ready, wrap into some cling film and store in the fridge for at least an hour or two.
Caramelised onions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, add the sliced onions and season with salt.
- Let the onions cook over medium heat. Do not stir until they start browning. Stir and let them cook until they are all browned and caramelised.
- Once done, let cool and set aside until ready to use.
Assembly
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- On a floured surface open the pie dough into a large circle of about 5mm thickness. From the circle cut equal sized rectangles. The recommended size of each rectangle should be 15cm x 9cm.
- Fill half of the rectangle with the a tablespoon of caramelised onions, a piece of prosciutto and sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Make sure to leave space around the edges of the filling.
- With a pastry brush, paint the edges of the dough around the filling with the egg wash. This will help you achieve a secure closing of the pies. Fold over the other half of the dough and press the ends together around the filling with your finger. You can either leave them as such or else press them down further with a fork. On the top part of the pies, slit two small cuts with a sharp knife.
- Place the pies on the lined baking tray and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. This step helps the dough to remain closed while baking, although no worries if some of the juices ooze out while baking. Preheat the oven to 220°C or 430°F.**
- Once ready to bake, brush the top and sides of the pies with the egg wash, and sprinkle with some seeds of your choice.
- Bake the pies for about 20 minutes or until they have a nice golden brown colour.
- Let the pies cool slightly before serving and enjoy!
If you have any questions, feedback or comments on this recipe, please leave a comment below. Please also rate this recipe by double clicking on the stars below. If you did make this recipe, tag @apronandwhisk and hashtag #apronandwhisk, as I’m curious to see what you create!
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