I remember having pop tarts occasionally growing up, but rarely ever bought them for our kids. Have you ever read the ingredient label on a box of pop tarts? Be brave and check out the ingredients next time your at the store.
I figure by the time I get tired of making the same ol' thing for my daughter, she must be tired of eating it. So when I stumbled on a recipe for homemade pop tarts at Heavenly Homemakers, I got excited! This is a very versatile recipe. I have used it for fruit filled pop tarts, and pizza pockets.
3 1/2 cup flour* (I use a 2:1 blend of garbanzo flour & arrowroot starch)
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1 cup melted butter* (can use a mix of 1/2 oil and 1/2 butter)
1 cup plain greek-style yogurt (or kefir)
filling - 5 oz jam, fruit, apple sauce. Or pizza toppings for a savory option.
Original recipe called for whole wheat flour. If using any type of wheat flour or gluten free baking blends, omit the arrowroot starch. I had to adapt for my daughter's intolerances and garbanzo flour was the only thing she could tolerate at the time. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour works well also.
I have also used virgin coconut oil mixed with butter with some success.
Mix first 4 ingredients and knead. Dough should be pliable like pie crust dough. If to wet or sticky, add 1/4 cup arrowroot starch and work it in the dough. Roll out between 2 pieces of parchment paper (about 1/4 inch thick) and square up edges. Cut into rectangles. Fill 1/2 the rectangles with 1/2 tsp jam and spread. Top with a plain pop tart. Seal by pressing the edges with a floured fork. Can mix an egg and some raw honey together and brush the top to add a little sweet to the pastry. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack and enjoy.
Troubleshooting:
dough breaks apart when moving pieces, covering filling, rolling for "hot pockets",
or baking → dough rolled to thin
dough is crumbly → knead in 1/2 tsp arrowroot starch at a time til it becomes more pliable
dough is too dry → wet hands and work dough.
Store in fridge or freezer.
The original recipe can be found at: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-healthy-poptarts
