I make - All-Butter Pie Crust and Turkey Ham Hand Pies

As much as I love my olive oil pie crust, I have to admit that nothing beats the flavor of all-butter pastry. I once learned that two parts of flour with one part of butter (or mixed with lard), by weight, is the golden ratio of a flaky pie crust. Below is the recipe based on Food Wishes' buttercrust pastry dough and satisfies my desire perfectly for flaky and flavorful pie crust.

All-butter pie crust

- 2 cups of plain flour (280 g in total)
- 110 g fridge-cold butter, small cubes
- 1 tsp sugar (use 1 tbsp for sweet recipes)
- 1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)
- enough cold water to form the dough (6-8 tablespoons)

Pulse plain flour, butter cubes, sugar and salt in a food processor until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Add two tablespoons of cold water at a time until the mixture stick together when you press between fingers. I sometimes add one egg and just enough water to form a dough.

Tip the dough out to a floured surface. Gather all the crumbs with your hands and lightly knead to shape a thick disk. Cut into two halves (optional) and wrap each one individually with clingfilm. Rest in the fridge for one hour before using. I usually leave it overnight.

Remove the dough from the fridge and rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling.

Turkey Ham Hand Pies

- 2 leeks, sliced
- thyme leaves or tarragon leaves
- splash of white wine
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1/2 cups of milk
- 1/2 cups of cheese (cheddar, gouda, edam, or anything you like)
- 2 cups of roasted turkey meat, in big chunks
- 2 cups of cooked ham, in big chunks
- 1 portion of All-butter pastry dough

I prefer my pie filling on the dry side so this recipe makes a rather thick cheesy Bechamel sauce. If you prefer more saucy pie filling, increase the milk to 1 cup.

I managed to get six hand pies out of the pastry dough (~500g).  I find this video helpful demonstrating the folding and crimping of a hand pie.