Jump to recipeThese pies are as close as I’ve been able to come to replicating my grandmother’s recipe, which always used dried apples. The pastry is like a combination of biscuit and pie doughs. The vinegar in the dough makes it easier to roll and keeps it from turning gray as it rests. These are pan-fried rather than deep-fried, so the crust stays tender. Old-fashioned Appalachian hand pie recipes called for using lard in the dough and in the skillet, but these days, I usually do a mix of shortening, oil, and butter, though if you can find leaf lard, it’s delicious and works well, too.