Apple and Blackberry Hand Pie Recipe

For the dough

1. Sift flour into a medium bowl. Whisk in sugar and salt. Cut butter into 1 cm (1/2-inch) cubes, no smaller, and toss with flour to bark up the pieces. Roughly smash each cube flat. Stir in cold water and knead until the dough comes together in a ball. With a dough temperature at or below 21 ºC (70 ºF), it will feel dry to the touch.
2. Transfer to a generously floured work space, sprinkle with more flour, and roll into a 25 x 38 cm (10-by-15-inch sheet). Fold each 25 cm (10-inch) side toward the middle, and close the packet like a thick book. Fold top to bottom to make a thick block, then cut in half.
3. Roll each portion of dough into a large rectangle with 2 mm (1/16-inch) thick, using much flour as needed to prevent sticking. Stack on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with a sheet of parchment between them, cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or up to 24.
4. Cut each chilled sheet into two 18 cm (7-inches) circles. Gather scraps, and repeat the process. At the end you should have 8 circle with 18 cm (7-inches) each. Arrange on two parchment-lined baking sheets and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

For the pies

1. Combine freeze-dried apples, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Cover with a sheet of plastic to contain the dust, and grind until powdery and fine, about 1 minute.
2. Peel, core, and dice the apples into 6 mm (1/4-inch) cubes. Measure exactly 340 g (12 ounces) into a large bowl, and set scraps aside for snacking. Even if it's a very small amount, do not add any extra apples to the filling. Toss apples, and apple-cinnamon powder together with a flexible spatula, then add blackberries, melted butter, molasses, and lemon juice (this cannot be done in advance).
3. Take on portion of dough and place 3 tablespoons of apple filling in the center. Lightly brush the right site of the the dough with water, and then fold dough over filling, leaving about 1 cm (1/2 inch) of dough on the bottom side visible below the top side. Gently press dough closed around filling, using your fingertips.
4. Fold the overhanging bottom part of the dough up over the top edge, working your way around the crust, and pinch the overhang tightly to the top part of the crust.
5. Crimp the edge tightly closed, pinching a little bit of dough with the thumb and forefinger of one hand and using your index finger on the other hand to push a small notch into the pinched dough. Continue pinching and notching all the way around until the crust is tightly crimped together. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Transfer pies onto prepared baking sheet.
6. Refrigerate pies until firm, about 45 minutes, or up to 4 hours.
7. Adjust oven racks to the upper-and lower-middle positions and preheat to 200 ºC (400 ºF). Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
8. Lighty brush pies with water and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Snip a few decorative slits across each with a pair of scissors.
9. Bake until the pies are puffed, crisp, and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.
10. To keep the pastry crisp, store leftover pies at room temperature under a cake dome or upturned bowl, and rewarm in a hot oven before serving.