Savory Mushroom Hand Pies with a Cheddar Crust
Savory mushrooms, spinach and carmelized onions topped with gruyere cheese all wrapped in a flaky cheddar crust.
Ingredients
for the cheddar pie crust
- 1 1/4 cup (154g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (95g) whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter cold, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 egg yolk (optional) lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup (79ml) water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vingar
- 1 cup (83g) cheddar cheese finely grated, 1/4 cup reserved for filling
for the savory filling
- 2 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms finely diced
- 1 cup yellow onion finely diced
- 2.5 cups spinach roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp thyme
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small egg lightly beaten
Instructions
for the cheddar pie crust
- In a medium bowl, add the all-purpose, whole wheat flour, cheddar cheese, salt and cubed butter. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingers, until all the butter is coated in flour and are no larger than almonds or peas.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl, and add water, apple cider vinegar, and egg, if using. Stir the liquids with your finger tips gradually adding in flour. Knead the dough until no clumps of dry flour remain, and the dough holds together easily. You should be able to press an indent into the dough with your finger.
- Tip the dough out onto a flat surface, and shape into a disc approximately 1/2 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, but no longer than 2 hours.
make the savory filling
- While the dough is chilling make the filling by first caramelizing the onions. In a small pot over medium heat, sauté the diced onion until it is translucent. Then add 2-3 teaspoons of water, cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the onions are brown, wet, and in a homogenous mass. Approximately 15 minutes.
- While the onions caramelized, in another pan on medium heat, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil before adding in the diced mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms down until reduced by more than half in size and are browned. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted and all their water has been released. Remove the pan from the heat and strained the mixture. Pressing or squeezing with your hands to get out all the water.
- It is important to release all the water now, or else it will escape while baking and the pie crust will be soggy.
- Toss the mushroom spinach mixture in a bowl with the carmelized mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. Cover and set aside to cool until room temperature.
cut out pie crusts
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge, and roll out on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Use a 3 inch round cutter to cut out 24 circles. Place the cut-out circles at least 1/2 inch apart onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
assemble & bake
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Make the egg wash by lightly whisking one small egg.
- Using a small tea spoon, spoon filling into the center of each cut-out pie circle, leaving a border of 1/4 inch. Sprinkle with grated cheddar before brushing the border edge with egg wash. Top each hand pie with another cut-out disc and press the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.
- Brush all the hand pies with egg wash, before baking for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-12 minutes before enjoying!
Notes
Substitutions:
- Whole and all-purpose flour can be substituted or used interchangeably for the other. I have not tried using gluten-free flour, but if you have a recipe, then you are more than welcome to try it.
- Cheddar can be subbed for any dairy-free version.
- Egg wash can be subbed for a vegan version as well.