Fried Apple Pies (Old-Fashioned, Made With Dried Apples)

In the mountains, apple season did not end when the last apple came off the tree. Families sliced what they could not eat or store, spread the slices on a clean bedsheet on a tin roof, and dried them until they were leathery and brown. In most houses they were kept for one thing: fried pies.

A fried apple pie is a half moon of thin, plain dough folded over a spoonful of dark cinnamon filling, crimped hard with a fork and fried in half an inch of oil until gold and blistered. It is a working pie. It was wrapped in wax paper and carried to work in a coat pocket, because it holds together.

The rule about dried apples is not stubbornness. Fresh apples are full of water. Inside a sealed pie in hot oil, water turns to steam, and steam blows the seam open. Dried apples, simmered soft and sweetened, make a thick filling that stays put.

Why this fried apple pies works

• Dried apples, never fresh. The water is already gone, so the filling cooks down thick as apple butter and nothing steams the pie open in the skillet.
• A completely cold filling. Warm filling softens the shortening in the dough and makes the seam slide. Cold filling lets the edges seal.
• A plain shortening dough. No sugar to burn, no butter to leak. It rolls thin, blisters in the oil and stays crisp for hours.
• Crimp twice, prick once. A wet edge, two passes with the fork and one prick on top for the steam give a pie that stays shut.

Ingredients

Makes about 10 half-moon pies, cut around a 6-inch saucer. US cups with grams in brackets. The filling needs about an hour to cool and can be made the day before.

For the dried apple filling

• 8 ounces dried apples (225g), about 3 packed cups
• 2 cups water (480ml)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g), plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (95g), cold
• About 1/2 cup cold milk (120ml)

For frying and finishing

• About 2 cups vegetable oil or melted shortening (480ml), enough for 1/2 inch in the skillet
• Granulated sugar for sprinkling, or a thin glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar (120g) and 2 tablespoons milk

Look for plain dried apple rings or slices, soft and unsweetened, not crisp apple chips.

How to make fried apple pies

The filling

1. Put the dried apples and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover loosely and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the apples are soft and thick and almost all the water is gone.
2. Mash the apples a little with a fork, leaving some texture. Stir in the sugar and cinnamon and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a clear path. Spread on a plate and cool completely, about 1 hour.

The dough

3. Whisk the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the cold shortening until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Sprinkle in the cold milk a little at a time, stirring with a fork, just until the dough comes together. You may not need the full 1/2 cup.
4. On a floured counter, roll half the dough thin, about 1/8 inch. Cut circles around a 6-inch saucer with the tip of a knife. Gather the scraps, reroll and repeat with the second half, for about 10 circles.

Filling and frying

5. Put 2 tablespoons of cold filling on one half of each circle, keeping a clean 1/2 inch border. Wet the edge with a fingertip dipped in water, fold into a half moon and press out the air.

6. Crimp the curved edge hard with a floured fork, then go around and crimp a second time. Prick the top of each pie once with the fork to let the steam out.

7. Pour 1/2 inch of oil into a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet and heat over medium to 350°F (175°C). A scrap of dough dropped in should sizzle at once.
8. Fry 3 or 4 pies at a time for 2 to 3 minutes a side, turning once, until gold and blistered all over. Bring the oil back to 350°F between batches.
9. Lift the pies onto a wire rack over a baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar while they are hot, or let them cool 10 minutes and brush on the thin glaze.

Tips that make the difference

• Do not overfill. Any more than 2 tablespoons pushes filling into the seam, where it stops the dough from sealing.
• Keep the oil at 350°F. Cooler oil makes a greasy crust, and hotter oil browns the outside while the fold is still raw.
• Drain the pies on a rack, not on paper. Paper traps steam and the bottom goes soft within minutes.
• A pie that opens in the oil spoils the whole skillet with burnt sugar. Lift a leaking pie out at once and skim the oil.

Variations

• Dried peach. Dried peaches, cooked the same way with a pinch of nutmeg in place of the cinnamon, are the other classic fried pie of the South.
• Apple butter shortcut. Stir 1 cup of thick apple butter with 1/2 cup of finely chopped dried apples and use it cold as the filling.
• Baked. Brush the pies with melted butter and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 18 to 20 minutes, turning once. Less blistered but still good.
• Spiced. Add 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg and allspice to the filling.

Storage and make-ahead

Fried pies keep at room temperature for 2 days in a tin lined with wax paper, with the lid slightly open.

To bring back the crisp crust, warm them on a rack in a 350°F oven for 8 minutes. The microwave makes the crust chewy.

Uncooked crimped pies freeze well for 2 months. Freeze them flat, bag them, and fry from frozen at 340°F for about 4 minutes a side.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I use fresh apples?

Fresh apples release water as they cook. In a sealed pie in hot oil that water becomes steam, and the steam forces the seam open. Dried apples make a thick filling with almost no free water and a stronger flavor.

Where can I buy dried apples?

Most supermarkets stock them with the dried fruit, sold as dried apple rings or slices. Choose soft, unsweetened ones, not crisp chips.

Why did my pies open while frying?

Usually too much filling, warm filling, or an edge that was not wet before crimping. Use 2 tablespoons of cold filling, wet the border, crimp twice and prick the top once.

Can I use butter instead of shortening in the dough?

You can, but the dough is softer to handle and browns faster in the oil. Shortening gives the blistered crust.

Wrap two in wax paper and put them in a coat pocket, the way it was done every day of apple season. They will still be good at noon.