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.