mixed mushroom and garlic confit stuffing hand pies

wrapped in a flaky cheddar pastry

a few weeks ago i had the opportunity to pop-up for a second time at my favorite bakery in berlin. this time around, instead of the saucy and spicy italian american sandwiches i made at my pop-up there in july, we took inspiration from the time of year (aka american thanksgiving) and seasonal ingredients to collaborate on a series of pies. the menu was so much fun and it was a real treat to see how many pie crazy people we could summon on a brisk and rainy sunday afternoon in berlin.

a few days after the pop-up, i ran a poll on my instagram to see what pie recipe people would be most interested in for darn good, and the clear winner was the confit mushroom and garlic stuffing pies. to be honest i was a little surprised by the outcome, i thought the apple or potato would offer more of a challenge, but the mushroom pies were secretly my favorite (which tracks because stuffing is one of my favorite holiday dishes of all time) so i was more than happy for the excuse to make them again so soon!

since i had already done a few rounds of testing in the development of the recipe for the pop-up, it was easy enough to scale the same recipe down to one that makes about 8 rectangular hand pies that would each feed a hungry person for lunch or even dinner with a side salad. for the pop-up, we did circular hand pies with a light poppyseed sprinkle, so i hope it goes without saying you can adjust the recipe below to form and finish the pies however you want. a large format pie would be fun for a party. i also tested this as a galette which worked well, too.

if you have a lot of dough scraps as you trim up and form your pies into your chosen shape, don’t throw them away! they make delicious little cheddar crackers, just spread them into an even layer and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 200°C/400°F for 7-10 minutes.

the mushroom pies for the sofi pop-up

for the pastry, i made a full batch of this recipe and halved the dough. i added shredded cheddar to the half i wanted to use for these pies and saved the other half in the freezer for a future pie/tart/etc. to keep things easy and very clear however, i already halved the recipe and outlined it below so you don’t have to do it yourself or go back and forth between recipes. even if you’ve never made pastry before, i highly encourage you to try your hand at it with this recipe; not just because the result with a homemade pastry is definitely worth it, but because it always feels just that much more satisfying when you make it yourself. i did my best to make the recipe as easy as possible to follow, but if you have questions let me know in the comments or send me a message, i’d be happy to help. if you want to save some time, you can also use store-bought puff pastry; you will need two sheets, thawed in the fridge overnight.

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this time last year:

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mushroom confit stuffing hand pies

makes eight 4x5-inch / 10x12 cm pies

for the pastry; can be made up to 4 days in advance

315 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

170 grams unsalted butter, cold

170 grams freshly grated cheddar cheese, cold

100 - 130 grams cold water

for the filling; must be made at least one day in advance

450 grams mixed mushrooms (i like the mix of oyster and button here, but you can use any mix you like)

10 cloves garlic

150 grams olive oil

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

3 stalks celery

1/2 large yellow onion or 2 shallots

10 leaves fresh sage (substitute: 1 tablespoon rubbed sage or 1/2 tablespoon dried sage)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large egg

70 grams sourdough bread

to finish

1 large egg (substitute: 2 tablespoons milk, heavy cream or water)

poppyseeds for sprinkling, optional

the cheddar pastry:

1. to make the pastry, add 315 grams flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt to a large mixing bowl and combine. carefully grate 170 grams cold butter (or cube it up with a knife or bench scraper) on a large box grater directly into the flour mixture; once you can’t grate it anymore because you might get your fingers, just break up the end butter nub as much as possible and add it in.

2. gently toss the grated or cubed butter and 170 grams grated cheddar into the flour with your hands, until the everything is well coated. if you grated the butter, no need to press or squeeze the mixture, just let it run through your fingers; if you cubed the butter, squeeze each piece once or twice between your thumb and forefinger just to flatten and break it up a little bit. if you feel like the butter is getting too soft at this point, put the whole bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes before continuing.

3. pour some of the 100 ml of water into the bowl and use your hands again to gently and loosely toss the mixture together. repeat until you use all the water and have a crumbly but moistened dough that holds together when you squeeze it gently in your fist; you may need up to 30 ml in addition.

4. turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap up, then use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough into a square within the plastic wrap; if you want to make a galette, form it into a disc instead of a square. chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to 4 days.

the filling:

1. preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. brush any visible dirt off 450 grams mixed mushrooms then add to a roasting pan. peel 10 garlic cloves and add to the pan, then drizzle with 150 grams olive oil; there should be enough oil to coat everything generously but there’s no need for the oil to fully cover the mushrooms. season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and roast for about 45 minutes, or until the mushrooms are deeply brown and have some crispy edges and the garlic is soft. i like to check on the mushrooms halfway through and give them a little shake or toss.

2. in the meantime, use a food processor (or a cutting board and knife) to finely mince 3 celery stalks, 1/2 a large onion (or 2 shallots) and 10 leaves sage. melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small frying pan over medium heat, then add the vegetables and sage and season with salt. let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often and reducing the heat as necessary to keep the mixture from getting any color; you just want to soften the vegetables. once tender, remove from the heat and let cool.

3. at this point the mushrooms and garlic should be done, so remove and let cool completely, but keep the oven on. slice or tear up 70 grams sourdough bread into small pieces, about 1/4-inch / 65 mm. transfer to a baking sheet and toast in the oven until very dry and lightly golden brown.

4. once the mushrooms are cool enough to handle, chop into slightly smaller than bite-size pieces and add to a bowl with the dried bread and the cooled vegetables. use your hands or a knife and cutting board to smush up the confit garlic and add to the mixture, then mix well to combine. taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed (this will be the last time to make sure the seasoning is as you want it!) then let cool completely.

5. once completely cooled to room temperature, whisk up the egg and mix it in until well combined. transfer to an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight.

shaping and baking the pies:

1. preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F, convection or fan if you have it. line a baking sheet with parchment paper. whisk up one egg in a small bowl. add some water to another small bowl. lightly flour a work surface, then remove the chilled pastry from the plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll it to about 1/8-inch / 3 mm in thickness with about a 16 inch / 40 cm width and 20 inch / 50 cm height.

2. use a knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 16 4x5-inch / 10x12 cm rectangles. use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to place a heaping tablespoon of mushroom filling into the center of half of the pastry rectangles. dip your fingertip or a pastry brush in the water, then run it around the four edges of each of the filled rectangles (dipping again as necessary to keep it wet). lift up an unfilled rectangle and set it atop one with the mushroom filling, using your fingers to press the edges firmly together over the filling. repeat to form all 8 pies.

3. use the tines of a fork to seal all of the edges of each pie, then use a knife to slice off a very thin sliver from each edge for a cleaner appearance; this is optional but makes the pies look so perfect, plus you will have some thin little scraps to make crackers with. use the tip of the knife to a poke a few smalls holes into the top of each pie to let steam escape, then transfer to the lined baking sheet; your pies may not all fit, so keep the ones that don’t in the fridge while the others bake.

4. brush the tops of each pie with the egg wash for a shiny golden finish and sprinkle with poppyseeds, if desired. bake for about 25 minutes, or until both the tops and bottoms are golden brown. if your pies are looking too brown too quickly, turn off the fan or reduce the heat by to 180°C/350°F.

5. let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. keep leftovers loosely wrapped in the fridge and reheat by placing unwrapped in a cool oven, turning it to 180°C/350°F, and setting a timer for 10 minutes or until the filling is hot all the way through.