Mom’s Hand Pie: Crispy & Sweet Homemade Palmiers
The Allure of Layered Pastry! Making Mom’s Hand Pies (Palmiers) at Home
Hello everyone! Today, I’m sharing how to make ‘Mom’s Hand Pie,’ also known as ‘Palmiers,’ a dessert famous for its wonderfully crispy, layered pastry. The delightful nutty and sweet flavor that fills your mouth, along with its delightfully crisp texture, is truly charming. The key to perfect palmiers lies in the harmony of butter and sugar. Using a generous amount of sugar is essential, as it will beautifully caramelize in the oven, leading to a deeper flavor and enhanced crispiness. While the process might seem complex, if you follow step-by-step, you’ll find it’s surprisingly achievable! Enjoy a wonderful baking session as you experience the delicate layers created by repeatedly folding and rolling the butter into the dough.
Pie Dough Ingredients- 125g Bread flour
- 125g Cake flour
- 200g Cold unsalted butter
- 125g Ice cold water
- 5g Salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the pie dough. In a clean bowl, combine 125g of bread flour and 125g of cake flour. Sift them together to ensure a smooth dough without any lumps.
Step 2
Cut the 200g of cold unsalted butter into approximately 1cm cubes. Sprinkle the cubed butter evenly over the flour mixture. Use a scraper or your hands to lightly incorporate the butter. It’s important not to break down the butter too much; aim for pea-sized pieces to remain visible.
Step 3
Dissolve 5g of salt in 125g of ice-cold water to create a salt solution. Gradually pour this salt water into the flour and butter mixture.
Step 4
Using a spatula or scraper, quickly mix until no dry flour is visible. Avoid overmixing, as this can melt the butter and prevent the development of flaky pastry layers. Mix just enough to incorporate the ingredients.
Step 5
Transfer the dough to your work surface and bring it together into a single mass. Initially, it might look messy with butter pieces sticking out, but this is perfectly normal. Gently gather the dough so it holds together.
Step 6
Lightly dust your work surface with extra flour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle, making sure the length is about three times its width. It’s crucial that you can still see distinct butter streaks or marbled patterns in the dough – this indicates it’s being rolled correctly.
Step 7
Fold the dough into thirds, bringing one edge to meet the center and then folding the other edge over it, creating three layers. This is known as a ‘letter fold’ or ‘three-fold.’
Step 8
Rotate the folded dough by 90 degrees. This step helps to create finer layers in the pastry.
Step 9
Roll out the dough again into a long rectangle, approximately three times as long as it is wide. Then, perform another three-fold, just like in step 6.
Step 10
Repeat this three-fold process a total of four times. After the second, third, and fourth folds, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. This chilling period helps the butter firm up again, which is crucial for creating distinct pastry layers.
Step 11
Now, for the final series of folds. We will perform a total of five three-fold steps. Starting from the fifth fold, instead of using flour as a dusting agent, we will use granulated sugar to coat the dough. This is the secret to achieving the signature crispy, caramelized texture of palmiers.
Step 12
Generously sprinkle a good amount of the 120g of granulated sugar onto your work surface. Using plenty of sugar ensures proper caramelization later.
Step 13
Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator, place it on the sugared work surface, and sprinkle more sugar evenly over the top of the dough.
Step 14
Gently roll out the dough with a rolling pin. The idea here is to press the surface sugar into the dough as you roll. Continue rolling and sprinkling sugar; the thinner the dough becomes, the deeper the sugar penetrates, which will help form a crispy caramel layer when baked.
Step 15
After completing the final three-fold (the fifth one), wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and return it to the refrigerator for another 30-minute chill. Chilled dough is easier to cut cleanly in the next step.
Step 16
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place it on a work surface generously sprinkled with more sugar. It’s time to shape the palmiers.
Step 17
Roll the dough into a rectangle, aiming for a thickness of about 3mm. The thinner you roll it, the more layers will form, resulting in a crispier cookie.
Step 18
For a neater appearance, you can trim the edges of the dough with a knife. I simply trimmed to ensure straight sides. Leave a gap of about two middle fingers’ width from one end of the dough, then fold the dough over twice, like closing a book. You’re essentially folding it in half twice.
Step 19
These double folds create a thick, stacked dough that will result in a rich texture. Ensure the folded edges look neat.
Step 20
Now, fold the twice-folded dough in half one more time. This final fold will create the signature heart shape of the palmier! To ensure it holds its shape and cuts well, re-wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
Step 21
Take the chilled dough out and slice it into uniform pieces, about 1cm thick. Slicing them to an even thickness ensures they bake uniformly in the oven.
Step 22
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sliced palmier dough onto the baking sheet, ensuring there is ample space between each piece so they don’t stick together as they spread. Brush the tops of the dough pieces evenly with the prepared egg wash. This will give them a beautiful golden-brown color as they bake.
Step 23
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for approximately 20 minutes. Baking time and temperature may vary depending on your oven, so adjust as needed. Once they are beautifully golden brown, your delicious Mom’s Hand Pies (Palmiers) are ready!
