These Sourdough Apple Hand Pies are made with an extra flaky sourdough discard cinnamon pie dough and filled with tender, spiced apples.<\/p>\n
While Sourdough Apple Pie<\/a> steals the spotlight, hand pies are a perfect grab-and-go pie with a higher crust-to-filling ratio, which is always welcome to me!<\/p>\n The flaky pastry<\/a> is spiced with cinnamon for warmth, and I use a pre-cooked apple pie filling, so you always get perfectly tender apple bites throughout the pie.<\/p>\n I shape the hand pies into half moons like apple turnovers, but you can also cut them into rectangles like Sourdough Pop Tarts<\/a> so they look like the famous McDonald\u2019s baked apple pies.<\/p>\n See below for my ingredient recommendations and possible substitutions.<\/p>\n Follow this detailed recipe guide as you make the best sourdough apple hand pies.<\/p>\n Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.<\/p>\n Toss in the cold, cubed butter and use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut it into pea-sized pieces.<\/p>\n Then, pour in the sourdough discard and toss it all with a fork to start forming clumps. Drizzle in the ice water until larger clumps form, but the dough is still shaggy and dry.<\/p>\n Dump the pie dough out onto a work surface and use a bench scraper to chop the dough, which will distribute the liquid. <\/p>\n Then, use your hands and bench scraper to gather the dough together and gently knead it a few times to bring it together (image 1). <\/p>\n Add any dry bits on top to incorporate, and only add more ice water if it\u2019s not hydrating.<\/p>\n To create the flaky layers, divide the dough into quarters (image 2). Then, stack the quarters on top of each other (image 3) and press down into another disc. Repeat this step twice more.<\/p>\n This step is called \u201clamination\u201d, which brings this dough together and will create the stacks of buttery, flaky layers.<\/p>\n Divide the dough in half and bring each together into cohesive discs, and wrap them in plastic wrap (image 4). Press the dough to the edges of the plastic wrap to shape it.<\/p>\n Chill the sourdough pie doughs for at least two hours and up to 3 days.<\/p>\n Make-Ahead Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0Store the sourdough cinnamon pie dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking, or freeze it for later use.<\/span> Thaw in the refrigerator for a day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Pre-cooking the apple pie filling ensures that the filling sets by activating the flour, cooks down some of the juices to make it less runny, and reduces the overall baking time in the oven.<\/p>\n Peel, core, and chop the apples into \u00bd\u201d pieces. Add the apples to a medium pot or skillet and stir in the cinnamon, sugar, flour, butter, and lemon juice.<\/p>\n Stirring constantly, cook the apples over medium heat until fork-tender, about 5-10 minutes depending on their ripeness. The liquid mixture will thicken as it cooks.<\/p>\n Remove from the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature.<\/p>\n Make Ahead:<\/strong> Store the pre-cooked apple hand pie filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in advance. You can also freeze and thaw the filling beforehand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Remove one chilled disc from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes to become pliable. Then, use a rolling pin to roll out into a thin slab. While rolling out, rotate and flip the dough, flouring between turns as needed to prevent sticking.<\/p>\n Use a floured 4.5-5\u2033 cookie cutter to cut out circles, re-rolling the scraps and cutting out more rounds.<\/p>\n Transfer the rounds to a large plate or baking sheet and chill them in the refrigerator while you roll out the second crust and repeat the same process.<\/p>\n Chill the rounds on a large plate or baking sheet until ready to assemble.<\/p>\n To Make Different Shapes<\/strong>, cut the dough into rectangles, squares, or other shapes that can be placed on top of each other after filling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Preheat the oven to 375\u00baF (191\u00baC) and line a couple of sheet pans with parchment paper.<\/p>\n Beat an egg with a splash of water in a small bowl to make the egg wash.<\/p>\n Place the chilled rounds of pie dough on the sheet pans and brush an egg wash around the edges to help seal the hand pies and prevent leaking (save the rest for just before baking).<\/p>\n Dollop two tablespoons of cooled apple pie filling into the centers.<\/p>\n Then, fold the rounds in half to create half-moons and seal the edges with the tines of a fork. Cut two or three slits in the top for steam to escape.<\/p>\n Finally, freeze the sourdough hand pies for at least 15 minutes while your oven preheats. The dough needs to chill and rest to create the flakiest crust.<\/p>\n Freeze Ahead:<\/strong> At this point, you can freeze the sourdough hand pies for a few hours until solid and then place them in a freezer-safe bag to bake at a later time straight from frozen!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Just before baking, brush the tops of the hand pies with more egg wash and sprinkle with raw or turbinado sugar for a sparkly, crunchy topping.<\/p>\n Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until the hand pies are flaky, golden brown, and some juices are bubbling or escaping the slits.<\/p>\n Let the hand pies cool for at least 30 minutes.<\/p>\n The sourdough apple hand pies are best served at room temperature for the first couple of days or refrigerated for up to five days.<\/p>\n The crust will become more soggy over time, but you can reheat it for a couple of minutes in a toaster oven to re-crisp the top crust.<\/p>\n To freeze the unbaked hand pies, store them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, but add a few more minutes of baking time.<\/p>\n![\"Up](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/close-up-of-flaky-sourdough-apple-hand-pies.jpg\")
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\n\ud83d\udc4d Why You\u2019ll Love This Recipe<\/h2>\n
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![\"Hand](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Carrying-bag-of-apples.jpg\")
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\n\ud83d\udd0d Top Tips for Making Sourdough Apple Hand Pies<\/h2>\n
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![\"Baked](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sourdough-apple-cinnamon-hand-pies.jpg\")
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\n\ud83d\uded2 Ingredients Needed<\/h2>\n
![\"Labeled](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Ingredients-needed-for-sourdough-apple-hand-pies.jpg\")
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\n\ud83e\udd67 How to Make Sourdough Apple Hand Pies<\/h2>\n
1. Make the Sourdough Cinnamon Pie Dough<\/h3>\n
![\"Collage](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/how-to-laminate-sourdough-pie-dough.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n2. Cook the Apple Hand Pie Filling<\/h3>\n
![\"Cooking](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cooking-sourdough-apple-hand-pie-filling.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Cooked](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sourdough-apple-hand-pie-filling-in-pan.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n3. Cut Out the Pie Dough<\/h3>\n
![\"Cutting](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cutting-out-sourdough-hand-pies.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n4. Assemble the Sourdough Apple Hand Pies<\/h3>\n
![\"Filling](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sourdough-hand-pies-filled-with-apple-filling.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Unbaked](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/unbaked-sourdough-apple-hand-pies.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n5. Bake<\/h3>\n
![\"Baked](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/baked-sourdough-apple-hand-pie-on-sheet-pan.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Sourdough](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sourdough-apple-hand-pie-on-a-plate.jpg\")
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\nHow to Store and Serve<\/h2>\n
![\"Sourdough](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sourdough-apple-hand-pies-on-plate.jpg\")
![\"Flaky](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sourdough-apple-hand-pies.jpg\")