Stephanie's Egg & Sausage American Hand Pies
Stephanie Chen creates this comfort food staple that she refers to as "All-American." "The Egg & Sausage American Hand Pies" boasts a cheese party crust that she washes over with egg-wash in order to encourage the golden brown hue that radiates when they are done hibernating. She also surprises the judges with the admission that she uses dried herbs to flavor her mixture for the pastries as opposed to fresh herbs. Stephanie is determined to make sure that her pastries are cooked thoroughly with the right level of crispiness and fluff. Watch the full episode of "Finals Week" from The Great American Baking Show Season 2 Episode 8.
INGREDIENTS:
Cheese Short crust:
• 168 grams very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 3 cups of all-purpose King Arthur flour
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of caster sugar
• 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening - Crisco
• 1 cup of shredded medium yellow cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of water of ice water (watch as you add it)
Breakfast Sausage:
• 1 lb of ground pork
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
Egg Sausage Filling:
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1/4 yellow onion finely chopped
• 1/2 large green chile rellenos, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs, scrambled, slightly underdone
• 1 tablespoon of whole milk
• 1/2 lb of breakfast sausage (recipe above), cooked
• 1 bottle of Cholula Mexican Original Hot Sauce
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
Other:
• Lawry's seasoning salt to top each pastry
• 3 tablespoons of whole milk (to seal the dough)
• Egg Wash (1 egg, 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon of milk)
• Extra flour for dusting/rolling
METHOD:
Cheese Crust:
1. Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup water and drop ice cubs into it and set aside.
2. Cut the cold butter and cold shortening into cubes and place into the freezer while you start to prepare the flour.
3. Put flour, salt, garlic granules and sugar into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse to mix together all the dry elements.
4. Add in butter and shortening into the processor and pulse 10-12 times or until the butter comes out to pea sizes. Add cheese, then with the processor running, add in the ice water until the dough turns into a ball. Do not over add water!
5. Remove dough onto a floured surface and form into 2 flat discs.
6. Wrap in plastic wrap and place into the freezer for at least 10-15 minutes, or the fridge for 30 mins until you're ready to roll out.
Eggs & Sausage Filling:
1. Make breakfast sausage by mixing spices with pork then cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge. Then finely chop onions and green chili. (Reserve ½ of the chopped onions for Filling #2)
2. In a small non-stick frying pan, heat with 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. About 6 minutes. Add in green chilies and sauté together. Place aside in a medium bowl.
3. In the same pan add some vegetable oil and heat until pan is hot. Add breakfast sausage and sauté until mean is no longer pink. Then place meat on a paper towel lined plate to get rid of the extra grease.
4. Scramble eggs with 1 tablespoon of milk. Place eggs in the pan and lower heat to low. Make sure to place on heat and remove from heat as needed when scrambling to avoid over cooking. When eats are 70% done, add in sausage, onions and green chilies and sauté together. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Remove from heat before eggs are fully set.
5. Place filling in a bowl and into the fridge to cool completely. Add on hot sauce liberally once filling is cool.
Assembling / Baking EGGS & SAUSAGE PIES:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F / 232°C. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper. When dough is chilled, set it on a floured workspace and roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. If kitchen is too hot, roll to ¼ inch thickness and place back in the freezer/fridge while you continue to cut others.
2. Cut dough into 4 inch squares. Place 1-2 tablespoons of egg mixture on each. Add a little milk on the edges then place another piece of dough on top and press down to secure with a fork.
3. Brush the tops of the pies with egg wash then sprinkle with seasoning salt. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.