There are times when slow, methodical work are necessary; care and dedication need apply. Working in the food industry has bestowed a serious appreciation for those who relish this type of work.
In all honesty, there are times when a slapstick breakfast of fruit+bowl+milk+granola= answer to life. There are times however, that that thoughtful, careful production, makes consuming the end result lip smackin’ satisfying.
At Violette this week, we have been product testing for Bob’s Red Mill by using their Gluten Free Pie Crust Blend. This product is perfect for the days when you want the taste of time with none to spare.
Our head baker Jae rolled out dough until her triceps threatened mutiny. Inside the tender, layers of dough a hearty dollop of homemade nutella lay. In case that wasn’t good enough, I drizzled them with 70% organic dark chocolate after they came out of the oven. The USB sized hand pies were then happily delivered to unsuspecting customers at local Market Baskets.
The multi-step methodology of pie making is beautiful; Bob’s Red Mills pie mix offers allergy sufferers the opportunity to sink their teeth into slow and into the satisfaction of delayed gratification. Nothing tastes sweeter than the fruits of your own labor…especially when it’s stuffed with Homemade Nutella!
Piet Mondrian Would be proud of those lines
Nutella Hand Pies
1 Box of Bob’s Red Mill GF Pie Dough or GF Mix of your own blend
2 eggs
Homemade Nutella
2 Cups of Hazelnuts
1 Cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Organic Cane Sugar
Olive Oil
Once out of the oven you can roll off the the skins in a dry towel with a vigorous rub, or freeze them until you are ready to make the dough!
Naked hazelnuts in hand, pop them in a food processor, process them for a minute. Add your sugar and cocoa powder and process for another minute.
Then drizzle the olive oil in until you have your desired consistency. I usually shoot for 2-3 tbs!
Now you have the stuffing for your dough.
Preheat your oven to 325 and place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Make the dough according to the box descriptions and roll it out until its the thickness of a CD case. Then use a circular cutter, or a glass dusted with the GF flour mix to cut the perfect hand pie sized pieces.
Plop a tablespoon of nutella into each hand pie and fold the dough over the filling like a taco. Then take a fork or your fingers and press down the edges (think vacuum packed!)
Now grab your eggs and crack them into a bowl and slightly beat them with a fork. This is your egg wash. The protein in the eggs is what browns up the pies so nicely and makes them look simply irresistible.
Then these guys get popped into the oven for 8-10 minutes. From working both at Flour (where I baked off their homemade poptarts) and at Violette, I have learned that pastry dough needs to be a deep golden brown before its done. You are looking for the color of a paper bag at the edges and a sand color in the middle.
Once they reach their golden glory, take them out and let cool for 5-10 minutes. They will be delicious eaten as such but to go the extra mile, pop them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
While they are chillin’ melt some dark chocolate. 30 second blasts with a strong stir after each one until the chocolate is liquid (duh).
The way you drizzle the chocolate is up to you. Spoon, fork, parchment paper cone.
Grab the hand pies out of the freezer and drizzle to your liking!
Corner-copia (Oh I went there) of hand pies
