Tuesday, September 15, 2009

TWD: Flaky Apple Turnovers

Do you believe it? This week is actually MY pick! Woo hoo! I perused the book many times over the past year wondering what I would pick when it was my turn. I knew it would depend on the season. I knew it would depend on what other people were picking. I also wanted to make a friendly recipe -- one that could be halved or quartered easily. I narrowed down my choices. It was almost fall, it had to have apple in it. After a bit more scrutiny, I chose the apple turnovers.

I love fall. I love apple season. I love these turnovers! They were flaky bites of deliciousness. There are two components to this treat. Each was easy to make, so I give this a low rating on the Dorie fuss factor. First I made the dough. Other recipes I have seen call for puff pastry. This was a different dough. It called for sour cream. Dorie credits the acidity in the sour cream for the tenderness of the dough. It came together easily for me. It needed a rest in the fridge for about an hour. At that point it gets rolled out and then folded like an envelope. Back into the fridge for an overnight rest. The next morning was part two. First I mixed up the apple filling. Then the dough got another roll out. This one was a bit harder. It took some elbow grease to get it to the right thickness. I got eight rounds out of the first roll. The remaining dough went back into the fridge.

I overfilled the turnovers a bit, and the dough didn't want to seal very well and developed a few holes. Totally user error. I brushed with the egg wash and used sparkling sugar for a finishing touch. They smelled amazing while baking. They came out a litter sooner then they should have, and the crust wasn't as golden as I would have liked. Second batch was rolled out, and I cut it into rectangles so I could use all the dough with no waste. I hate waste. These were filled with a homemade blueberry/rhubarb jam. Again, they smelled amazing. I let these go a bit longer, and they got that gorgeous golden color on them.

These were a huge hit at my house. They were NOT pretty. But who cares about pretty when they tasted so so good. They will definitely be back at my house. I really love that they can be formed ahead of time and frozen. That makes it really easy to put together an impressive breakfast. Or after school snack. Or midnight snack. Or... snack.

Ok, so not so golden brown. But delicious! And a little hole because I pulled the dough.

Here's the blueberry/rhubarb version. I let this one bake longer. And a little less filling helped.

Here's a lovely display of both versions.


Here's the recipe so that you can have this deliciousness in your own house.

Flaky Apple Turnovers

For the dough: 1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small
pieces

For the filling: 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Fuji or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small bits

1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
sugar, for dusting

To make the dough:
Stir the sour cream and sugar together; set aside.

Whisk the four and salt together in a large bowl, then toss the butter bits over the flour. Working with a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers, cut the butter into the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Don't worry about being thorough - it's better to have an uneven mix than an overworked dough. Switch to a fork and, using a lifting and tossing motion, gently stir in the sour cream. The dough will be very soft.

Divide the dough in half. Put each half in a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to shape each piece into a rectangle (don't worry about size or precision). Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, or for up to 2 days.

Remove one piece of dough from the fridge and roll it into a rectangle about 9 x 18 inches. The dough is easiest to work with if you roll it between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap - if you want to roll it traditionally, make sure to flour the rolling surface. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter, wrap it and refrigerate it. Repeat with the second piece of dough, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

To make the filling:
Whisk the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the apples and toss to coat.

Getting ready to bake:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicon mats.

Roll out one piece of dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch, and cut out 4 1/2 inch rounds with a large cutter or the edge of a tartlet pan. Repeat with the second piece of dough. If you'd like, you can gather the scraps together, chill them, and make additional turnovers. (The turnovers made from scraps will taste good, but they won't be as pretty and light as the first rounders.) You'll get 7 or 8 rounds from each piece of dough.

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons apples in the center of each round and dot with the butter. Moisten the edges of each round with a little water and fold the turnovers in half, sealing the edges by pressing them together with the tines of a for. Use the fork to poke steam holes in each turnover, and transfer the turnovers to the baking sheets. (At this point, the turnovers can be frozen; wrap them airtight when they are firm and store them for up to 2 months. Bake them without defrosting, adding a few minutes to their time in the oven)

Brush the tops of the turnovers with a little of the egg wash and sprinkle each one with a pinch of sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 10 minutes. When done, the turnovers will be puffed, firm to the touch, and golden. Gently transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.



64 comments:

mike said...

Julie - thank you thank you thank you for choosing this recipe! They turned out fantastic. And blueberry rhubarb... wow, what a great combination. They all look fantastic - and I love your sugary crust!

betty geek said...

No, I cannot believe it's actually your turn either! When is MY turn?!

Thanks for picking this winning recipe. Seems like everyone enjoyed it!

I took the shortcut and didn't make the flaky pastry dough, but it still turned out AWESOME.

Yours look FANTASTIC. Love that sugar! Gimme some of that!

chocolatechic said...

Fabulous pick.

They were totally wonderful!

Tia said...

great pick! perfect for the season. thank you!

Peggy said...

I think yours are beautiful. I'm jealous. It was a great pick!

Romaine said...

Julie, Nice choice. Same experience here with the dough tearing. Like the square shapes--no waste is definitely a better way to go.

Isabelle Lambert said...

merci, merci, merci, Julie pour le choix de cette recette, ça a été un énorme succès chez nous !
les tiens sont très réussis aussi :)

Cakelaw said...

Great choice Julie! I am glad the dough came together easily for you - I had some fuin with it, but in the end it worked and was delicious.

Hindy said...

Thanks for this great choice. It's a keeper!

Nancy/n.o.e said...

I always love when bakers explain their choices. Lets me live vicariously! (My turn isn't until next summer) This was a fun recipe and I love the combinations you used - and so perfect looking with that sparkly sugar. Thanks!

Pamela said...

Wonderful choice, Julie. Your turnovers look so pretty, especially your little square ones. They remind me of the ones from Hostess! Thanks for choosing this so I could try something new. Very good.

dorie said...

I am so, so glad that you chose these and even gladder that you liked them. I don't know that I've ever seen a batch of turnovers in which each one kept its seal, and I actually find that charming. Sweets like these are meant to look like what they are: handmade. I think yours looked lovely.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for choosing these turnovers. I had a great time experimenting with all kinds of fillings!

Kayte said...

Big big hit around here! Thanks for choosing this recipe, and I had a lot of fun making it knowing it was your choice! I was eager to see what you would pick. Yours look very nice and I have never heard of blueberry rhubarb jam, so that's a new one, too...sounds like something I would love. Great pick, great job!

Anonymous said...

I had the same problem, that second chill, made rolling a workout, and I filled mine a little extra too, cause the dough to tear, but yes who cares how they look as long as they taste good!!

Jessica said...

I loved these turnovers so much, and I probably wouldn't have made them on my own. Thank you so much for the great pick this week.
Blueberry rhubarb sounds like a fantastic combo -- I love the little rectangle shape.

Bella Baker said...

Great pick this week!! I absolutely loved these and yours look great -- they ARE pretty!! and yummy!!!

Flourchild said...

Your pick is one of my favorite recipes now..thank you! YOur turnovers look so good and Im glad you liked it. Fall is my favorite time of year and these couldn't be more perfect to start the season! Thanks again Julie!!

Unknown said...

thanks so much for this wonderful pick! i also hate waste, and coated my leftover dough pieces w/butter and cinnamon sugar and they were so yum!!!

Rachelle S said...

I'm sorry I missed these this week, but given the reviews I'll have to come back to them later on. The look great!

Megan said...

This was a terrific choice - even though I didn't use apples!

doughmesstic said...

Great pick! I loved that even though I couldn't get mine "pretty" they still tasted great! Feels weird to have been here long enough to pick, doesn't it? I still can't believe it. We're like, the OLD TIMERS!

steph- whisk/spoon said...

great pick--i'm sure everyone thought this recipe was a winner! yours look delish, and i'm loving the blueberry rhubarb one!!

Katrina said...

Great pick, Julie! And yum to yours. Love the crust, and love how many different things you can stick inside these! I did cherry and banana chocolate chip!

Anonymous said...

Jules - great pick! It was a challenge for me but the pie dough was not as difficult as I imagined it would be. Your flaky apple turnovers look fantastic! The sparkling sugar gives it that extra nice touch to it! The blueberry/rhubarb jam sounds wonderful too!

Soy*Baby said...

Great pick. Loved these.

Cecille Ericta said...

Jules,

Thanks for choosing this recipe--It is my most challenging TWD experience yet, well most challenging baking experience for awhile actually. Very, very humbling, too. Yours look really wonderful. I love rhubarb and blueberries.. those would have knocked me off my feet alright!

Keep baking!

Amber Marie said...

Great pick!!! These were fabulous. Homemade blueberrry rhubarb jam sounds yum - I think I could dig in with a spoon. :)

Stephanie said...

amazing selection!! thank you!

Anonymous said...

This was a great choice. I love it when we discover a recipe that is destined for repeats.

Susan said...

Loved this recipe! Thanks for choosing it. Yours look fabulous and I love the sound of the combination of blueberries and rhubarb.

Joy said...

We loved these! They're perfect for fall. Your blueberry-rhubarb looks gorgeous!

Thanks for the great pick!

Sharon said...

I loved these. Thanks for a great pick.

Melissa said...

Lovely pick! Mine didn't look too photogenic, either, but let me assure you yours look far more tasty than mine! ;)

BAKE-EN said...

Your turnovers look bakeshop pretty, great job! No need to apologize for me not liking them. I can tell you made lots of people happy with this pick. That's the fun of our baking group!

Heather said...

What a great idea to try different kinds of fruits. A lovely pick for this week's TWD too. Thanks.

dharmagirl said...

thanks for selecting these, julie! it was fun baking with you this week!

The Food Librarian said...

Thanks for a fun pick! Yours turned out great. Love the variety of fillings! - mary the food librarian

Cathy said...

Julie, I need to add to the list of thank yous for this incredible pick! We adored these. The dough was beyond incredible. I will make these again and again. My only regret is not making more so that I could have some in the freezer! Yours look beautiful! Thanks for the great pick.

Emily Rose said...

Thank you so much for choosing this wonderful recipe! What a great preview of Fall! I disagree with you- I think your turnovers look delicious! There is nothing wrong with a rustic looking pie!

Unknown said...

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for picking this recipe!!! I learned so much by making these (a few times!) It was a joy and I know it will be one I use alot in the future. Perfect for Autumn!! Gratefully, Nina

margot said...

Thanks for an excellent recipe choice, I thought these were fabulous! They were hard to make look pretty, I guess it's part of the charm.

Tammy said...

yummy choice. your variations sound great. I have left over pastry in the freezer so i will try some of your ideas

Lady Baker said...

THANK YOU FOR SUCH A GREAT PICK!! I know I'll be making them a lot this fall!

Ms. PH said...

I so want to try making them square. It seems like it would be a better use of the dough!

spike. said...

I'm so sorry I didn't get to the recipe yet- I will! It seems like everyone loved them

The Blonde Duck said...

Popped in to say hi! After seeing your pick on everyone's blogs, I'm dying to make my own!

Kelli said...

Great pick! Thanks for choosing something so good for my TWD debut!

Liz said...

This was SUCH a fab pick. They didn't sound super special from the book, but they tasted amazing! Well done!

Jacque said...

I really enjoyed these! Thanks for the awesome pick :)

TeaLady said...

Great Pick Jules. These were really easy and very tasty.

Thanks for this one.

One more year and I can pick. WooHoo

isa said...

Thanks for choosing this recipe!
I really enjoyed these:)) Yours looks fantastic - I love your blueberry/rhubarb jam.

Lainie said...

Julie, these look delicious. I'll have to try these myself! Maybe with those apples I'll be picking this weekend...?

Jeannette said...

yum yum. thank you for choosing this recipe. it took me a few days to post but i did it!! delish.

Sihan said...

thanks julie for picking the recipe. Though mine turned out hideous.. the pastry was still yummy. Yours look excellent though! great job!

Unknown said...

Thanks for this pick - mine weren't pretty either, but they were tasty and that's what matters! I agree that these would be great to freeze for another day. Yours look wonderful with the sugar sparkling on top.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for a great pick! they were delicious. everyone loved them.

Madam Chow said...

Just had a chance to make these and they were absolutely fantastic. One of my new Dorie favorites!

Carol Peterman/TableFare said...

I am playing a little catch-up. I just got my post up. These were great! The large sugar crystals you used as a garnish are so pretty. I grated my apples to have them cook down to more of a jam-like filling and added a bit of lemon zest and coriander for added flavor. Thanks for the great pick. They were much enjoyed!

Jaime said...

great pick! i really enjoyed this recipe. you can't go wrong with apple turnovers really :)

April said...

These were really good, I love the fall and apples too! A great pick indeed!

The Cookbook Apprentice said...

These look great. I have that book and haven't tried any recipes from it yet I really need to get it out!

honeybeecooksjackfruit said...

Made this dough, with a different filling, and it was incredible! Thanks for posting

yuklan said...

If I wanted to use this dough to make turnovers filled with savory fillings like chicken pot pie,curry or beef filling would I still use 1/2 c of sugar to mix with the sour cream? thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe. from lanyuk61@gmail.com