Pan-Fried Apple Hand Pies
Appetizing, golden, made from everyday ingredients - for the whole family! Pan-fried apple pies are very easy and quick: the dough is made with kefir, so there’s no need to wait for it to rise. Frying makes them beautifully browned and incredibly tasty.
Updated : 02 March, 2026
Easy
About 45 min.
Ingredients
Dough
480 grams
Wheat flour
200 milliliters
Kefir
2
Eggs
2 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon
Sugar
1 teaspoon
Baking soda
0.5 teaspoon
Salt
Filling
500 grams
Apple
2 tablespoon
Sugar
2 tablespoon
Lemon juice
2 tablespoon
Water
1 teaspoon
Cinnamon
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make pan-fried apple pies? Start with the dough. Prepare the ingredients. Kefir and eggs should be at room temperature, so take them out of the refrigerator in advance. Use olive oil or neutral sunflower oil.
Step 2
In a bowl, combine kefir, eggs, and vegetable oil. Whisk well until smooth.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, sift the flour and mix it with sugar, baking soda, and salt. Sifting is important to aerate the flour so the dough turns out lighter.
Step 4
Add the flour mixture to the kefir mixture in portions and knead a soft, elastic dough. You may need more or less flour depending on flour quality, egg size, and kefir thickness. At first the dough will be very sticky, but it becomes less sticky as you knead. The finished dough is slightly tacky but doesn’t stick to your hands. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or place it in a bag so it doesn’t dry out.
Step 5
Meanwhile, make the filling. Prepare the ingredients. Choose juicy sweet-and-tart apples. Apples with firm flesh work best so they keep their shape while stewing.
Step 6
Wash and dry the apples, peel them, remove seeds and skin, and dice small. To prevent browning, put the cut apples in a bowl right away and drizzle with lemon juice. Add each new batch of diced apples to the bowl and toss with the lemon juice.
Step 7
Add sugar and cinnamon to the apples.
Step 8
Mix everything well.
Step 9
Transfer the apple mixture to a skillet heated over medium heat, add water, and stew, stirring, for 10-12 minutes. Excess liquid should evaporate, but the apples should stay in pieces and not turn into purée.
Step 10
Move the cooked apples to a bowl and let them cool.
Step 11
Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
Step 12
Roll each ball into a small round or oval flatbread. Place 1 tbsp of apple filling in the center.
Step 13
Pinch the edges tightly to form an oblong hand pie. Shape the rest the same way.
Step 14
Heat a little vegetable oil in a skillet - enough to fully cover the bottom. To check if it’s hot enough, dip in a wooden spatula: if bubbles gather around it, you can start frying. Add the pies and fry over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until golden.
Step 15
Flip the pies and fry the other side for 3-4 minutes more.
Step 16
Transfer the pies to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve hot. Enjoy!
Author note
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