Bean Hand Pies
Bean pies are among the most filling and thrifty Lenten dishes, and we genuinely love them. A yeast dough made with water and oil bakes up soft and fluffy, while beans mashed with golden onion melt in the mouth. The bean soak takes time, but the hands-on work is modest.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 1 h 55 min
- Rest
- 9 h 35 min
- Total
- 12 h 20 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 460 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
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What to use instead
To save time, use 600 g of drained canned white beans: mash them the same way and skip the soaking and cooking.
For brushing
Makes: 16 hand pies
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Soak the beans
Rinse the beans, cover with three times their volume of cold water and leave for 8 hours or overnight, until plump and smooth-skinned with no wrinkles.
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Step 2: Cook the beans
Drain, cover with 1.5 litres of fresh water and simmer gently for 60–80 minutes until the beans are completely soft and crush easily between your fingers. Drain, saving about 100 ml of the cooking liquid.
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Step 3: Make the filling
While the beans cook, fry the finely chopped onions in the oil over medium heat for 10–12 minutes until golden brown. Mash the hot beans with a potato masher, then mix in the onions with their oil, the salt and pepper. If the filling seems dry, add 2–3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Spread it thinly on a plate and cool completely — it will cool while the dough rises.
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Step 4: Make the dough
Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the warm water and oil and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and only slightly tacky.
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Step 5: Let it rise
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for 60–75 minutes until doubled. A fingertip dent should spring back slowly.
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Step 6: Shape the pies
Knock back the dough and divide it into 16 pieces of about 55 g. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each into an 11–12 cm round, place a heaped tablespoon of filling (about 45 g) in the centre and pinch the edges firmly to seal. Arrange seam side down on two baking trays lined with baking paper.
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Step 7: Final proof
Cover the pies with a tea towel and leave for 25 minutes until visibly puffy. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 190 °C.
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Step 8: Bake
Brush the pies with half the oil and bake one tray at a time for 20–25 minutes (keep the second tray covered somewhere cool meanwhile so it does not over-proof) until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. Brush straight away with the remaining oil and cover with a tea towel for 10 minutes to soften the crust.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Make sure the filling is completely cold: warm beans soften the dough, making the pies harder to seal and more likely to split in the oven.
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Variation
Stir 1 teaspoon of dried thyme or a few fried mushrooms into the filling — beans pair beautifully with mushrooms and herbs.
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Swap
To save time, use 600 g of drained canned white beans: mash them the same way and skip the soaking and cooking.
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Storage
The pies keep in a bag at room temperature for 2 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Warm through in a 170 °C oven for 8–10 minutes.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 460 kcal | 3,680 kcal |
| Protein | 13 g | 104 g |
| Fat | 14 g | 112 g |
| Carbohydrates | 68 g | 544 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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