Southern fried pies are a treat some folks have long remembered being made at home. Here in Texas, we’ve done so using homemade pie crust, biscuit dough, and even tortillas. But you can also use pastry sheets from the store or even canned biscuits. Either way, it’s the texture of the pastry you’re going for, be it flaky pie crust, or tender biscuit dough.
Making these Southern fried pies will require your pastry of choice to be rolled out nice and thin. You’ll want roughly 12 four-inch rounds. Although the generations that came before us may have been troubled with spending and the storage of preserves (having possibly only used dried fruits at one time), we can go ahead and use fresh apples, even peaches, or whatever fruit we so choose. A Southern fried pie recipe from Deep South Dish makes use of the former, in particular, Granny Smith. Approximately two cups of chopped apples are stewed in butter and sugar for 15–20 minutes. From there, they’re removed from the heat, after which brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg are added. Then they’re set aside to cool. If you’re wondering about consistency, they should resemble chunky applesauce. Other recipes for this traditional southern delicacy can easily be found online.
