Whole-Wheat Toaster Pastries (a.k.a. Pop Tarts)

I've made these Whole Wheat Toaster Pastries (a.k.a. Pop Tarts) several times
 for my family and found that if I used the handle tip of a wooden spoon
 to seal them, they not only stayed sealed better, but they looked really neat! 

This Whole-Wheat Toaster Pastry was made with homemade jelly.

Makes 7 to 8 toaster pastries

Recipe from 100 Days of Real Food 

Adapted from The Homemade Pantry

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Before you make these wonderfully tasty pastries, you must understand that though they are made with whole-wheat flour, they are still dessert!  Make them for a special occasion breakfast or a tea party.  **My husband loves these filled with jelly, but I love them filled with bittersweet chocolate chips.  If you wish, you can sprinkle the chocolate filled ones with some sparkly sugar for a special occasion.

2 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup cold, unsalted butter (2 sticks)

½ cup icy cold water

7 - 8 Tablespoons jam or jelly** (We prefer either homemade jam or an all-fruit spread that’s sweetened with fruit juice concentrate as opposed to sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.)

1 egg beaten with a splash of water

These Whole-Wheat Toaster Pastries were filled with
bittersweet chocolate chips and then sprinkled
with sparkly sugar.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the flour and salt in a food processor with the dough blade and pulse it together briefly.

Take the cold butter straight out of the fridge and cut it into ½ inch chunks. Sprinkle the pieces of butter on top of the flour in the food processor. Be careful to spread out the butter as opposed to letting it all clump together in one piece.

Turn on the food processor and blend until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal. While the food processor is still running drizzle the water in through the top. Watch the dough come together. Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap and flatten it out into a thick square.  Place it in the fridge to chill a bit. (At this point the dough could be stored in the fridge in plastic wrap for up to 3 days or in the freezer (in a freezer safe container) for up to 6 months.)

The trick to getting a flaky, puffy crust is to use cold dough and a hot oven.

Remove the dough from the fridge and put it on a lightly floured counter or large cutting board. With a rolling pin (and another sprinkling of flour) roll out the dough to one big rectangle or square that’s no more than a quarter inch thick. Trim any uneven ends and use those to patch other edges as necessary.

Using a knife or biscuit cutter or large cookie cutter, cut out 14 to 16 pieces of dough. You can make them any shape or size that you want at this point. Lay half of your dough shapes onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon a bit of jam down the middle of those bottom dough pieces.  (Don’t get too happy with the filling as it will spread out during baking and may ooze out of the pastry.)

Top them with matching dough shapes and seal around the edges by pushing down with a fork or the tips of your fingers. Make a few holes in the top with the fork as well. Lastly, brush the tops of the uncooked toaster pastries with the egg wash.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 18 – 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the cooked pastries on a cooling rack (if you have one) then either eat them right away or store them in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for several months. (You can also freeze them unbaked and then thaw them in the fridge before baking.) They can be eaten cold or reheated. Enjoy!

Here we have a special occasion breakfast of scrambled eggs with mushrooms,
fresh apples with plain yogurt and unsweetened granola AND
one Whole-Wheat Toaster Pastry.  YUM!!