Making Fried Pies

Time: 20 - 40 minutes (More if a large group)
Materials:
  • recipe
  • filling and pastry
  • two (2) large bowls
  • foil or plastic wrap
  • lard or Crisco (lard makes better dough)
  • plain flour
  • large frying pan
  • spatula
  • rolling pin and breadboard
  • forks
  • knifes
  • spoons
  • hot water
  • soap
  • cloths for clean up
  • paper napkins
Procedure:

Light a fire in the stove early in the day.  Put on a pot of water to use later for clean up.  Heat a large frying pan and add a dollop of lard.  Have the dough prepared, rolled into one-inch balls.  Let students take turns to flatten a ball of dough with the rolling pin on the floured breadboard.  The dough should be rolled very thin.  Have them spoon a tablespoon of filling onto the dough, then fold the dough over to make a half-moon shape.  Crimp the edges with the fork.  Place the pie into the frying pan of melted lard and cook until well browned on both sides.  Remove pie with the spatula and drain on the brown paper until cool enough to handle.  Let the students eat their pies.  Use the hot water and soap to clean up afterward and return all utensils to their proper places.

Horne Creek Farm's Fried Apple Pie Recipe

Makes 20 pies

Dough:
  • 3 cups plain flour                                        
  • 1 tsp salt                  
  • 1 cup shortening (lard or Crisco)                
  • 10 tbsp ice water
  • 1 egg                                                    
  • 2 tbsp vinegar

Place flour and salt into large mixing bowl.  Cut in shortening with pastry blender.  Stir egg and vinegar into ice water.  Add water mixture to flour a couple tablespoons at a time, mixing well with a fork until dough is stiff.  Roll dough into one-inch size balls.  Store in refrigerator until ready to make pies.

Filling:
  • 2 cups dried apples  
  • water   
  • sugar   
  • cinnamon

Place dried apples in sauce pan.  Cover with water.  Simmer until tender. Chop with a spoon.   Sugar and cinnamon may be added to taste.  Cool.

To make pie:

With rolling pin, roll a ball of dough into a thin circle about 5 inches across.  Place a dollop of apples on center of circle.  Fold one side over and crimp edges with a fork.  Fry in a small amount of oil on medium heat until lightly browned.

Another Fried Pie Recipe:

“Fried pies may be made of any kind of nice fruit, having prepared it in a proper manner, but dried fruit is preferable to green. Stew it tender, mash it fine, and season it to your taste with sugar and spices. Roll out a sheet of plain or standing paste, nearly one-fourth of an inch thick, cut it in as many circular pieces as you wish with pies, making them as large as common sized patty-pan; put your fruit in one-half of each piece, and turn the other half over, in the form of puffs, or half moons; cut them smoothly around the edges, closing the paste together, to keep in the fruit, and crimping or notching them handsomely; lay them in a pan of boiling butter, having plenty to cover the pies without having to turn them over, and fry them until they are a nice brown on both sides; then raise them carefully, drain them in an inverted sieve, grate loaf sugar over them, and send them to table warm. The butter in which they are fried may be used for seasoning brown gravies, &c.”

"Kentucky Housewife," 1839

But don't forget!

Eating Fried Pies

Time: 5  - 10 minutes
Materials:
  • fried Pies, one for each student
  • napkins
Procedure:

Have the children form a line.  Give each child a napkin and a fried pie to eat.