How to make healthy Jelly Filled Sourdough Pop tarts
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Pop tarts are one of our kids’ favorite snacks. They’re perfect for quick Sunday mornings, portable for when you have to rush out the door, and delicious on a camping of fishing trip when you’re craving a homemade snack. Even better than that is a warm, flaky, delicious toaster strudel with the sweet self-serve icing dripping off the edges. How could you possibly make this delectable treat into a healthy choice? The simple answer is sourdough! Let me show you how to make sourdough pop tarts or toaster strudel’s.
Sourdough Pie Crust for the Dough
The day before you want to bake your pastries, you will need to make a batch of pie crust and add some sourdough to it. You can prepare it with a host one hour fermentation, but it gets better with time. This recipe is so simple and forgiving because it doesn’t matter what stage your starter is in!
You simply whisk together flour and salt, cut in cold butter, stir in your starter, and let it ferment. If you go for a long ferment the sourdough will do its thing while you sleep and when you’re ready to bake the next day. No matter what, your dough will be flaky and delicious with that depth of flavor that only sourdough can bring!
Starter is starter
This recipe will work just fine with starter at any stage. If you’ve got nice bubbly starter or if you forgot to feed your starter all week, don’t worry. Just go ahead and use it. The tanginess of the sourdough ferment is delicious in these jelly filled pop tarts!
Don’t even worry too much about the amount of starter that you use. If you’re running low, just use what you have. If you find that the dough won’t come together because you didn’t have enough starter to wet the flour, just add water in small increments until the dough forms correctly.
Sourdough is easier to digest
Pop tarts and toaster strudels are definitely a treat with all of the sugar included in the recipe. Adding sourdough and allowing the dough to ferment will neutralize the physic acids and unlock more nutrients. The dough will become more digestible, and cause less of a blood sugar spike, lessening the impact of all that sugar you’ll be consuming.
You could even choose a sugar free jelly for the filling and have a truly healthy snack. Sourdough is an easy way to turn a sugary treat into a semi-healthy product that you can feel good about serving to your family.
Thin dough for the perfect hand size snack
Roll half of your dough out until it’s about 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick. You’re looking for a rectangle shape that’s about 8″ by 12″. Cut the wonky edges to make nice straight lines.
Using a knife, pizza cutter, or bread scraper, cut your rectangle into 4 equal long rectangular strips. Each strip will get a dollop of filling, then fold over the filling to enclose it.
Get your jelly or make your own
Many different flavors of jelly can be found in stores, at farmers markets and online. You could really get creative here and try some funky flavors. Or, you could even make your own quick refrigerator jelly or jam.
You’ll have plenty of time to whip of some sort of jelly filling while your dough rests in the fridge for at least an hour. If you ferment overnight, you have all sorts of time to come up with unique fillings.
Crimp and Egg wash the sourdough pop tarts
Place a spoonful of jelly or jam to one side of each strip of pastry dough that you cut out. Fold the dough in half, over the filling, and line up the three edges. The fourth side will remain closed where the dough folds over. Brush the exposed edges of the dough with egg wash around the perimeter of the filling.
Then press or crimp the two layers of dough together with your fingers or a fork. Brush the top of the pop tart with egg wash. Now all you have to do is bake it at 350 until the pastry puffs up and turns golden brown.
Gift these to a friend with a Sourdough Gift Basket
Sourdough Gift Basket
I put together a tutorial to create a handmade gift basket full of goodies for your favorite baker. Make items off this list to put together for anyone who is interested in sourdough. Find the post and tutorials here:
- How to make a Sourdough gift basket
- Sew a Sourdough Proofing Cover
- Sew a Sourdough Starter Cover
- Sew a sew of hot pads for baking bread
- Sew a waist apron
Jelly Filled Sourdough Pop Tart or Toaster Strudel
Equipment
- 1 bowl to mix and ferment pie crust
- 1 sheet pan
- parchment paper
- 1 pastry brush
- 1 dough scraper or knife
- 1 Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Sourdough Pastry Dough
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
- 2-4 tsp sugar we use coconut sugar sometimes
- 2 tsp salt
- 16 Tbs cold butter, cut into small cubes
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 1-2 tsp water
Filling
- 1 Cup jam or jelly of choice
Glaze/Drizzle
- 1 Cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbs milk, half and half or 2Tbs heavy cream
Instructions
Make the pie crust pastry dough
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the salt and sugar into the flour.
- Place al of the butter into the flour and cut in with a pastry cutter or two butter knives. You can use your hands but be careful not to warm the butter.
- Add in the sourdough starter and stir until the dough comes together. if the dough remains shaggy and dry, add 1 tsp cold water at a time to bring it together. Shape the dough into a puck and leave in the bowl for at least one hour, or leave overnight covered with a damp towel, or wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
- Allow the dough to ferment overnight on the counter, or in the fridge for up to a week.
- Sprinkle your surface with flour. Roll half of your dough out until it's about 1/4" thick. You're looking for a rectangle shape that's about 8" by 12". Cut the wonky edges to make nice straight lines. Using a knife or bread scraper, cut your rectangle into 4 equal strips. Repeat with second half of dough.
- Place a spoonful of filling to one side of each strip of pastry dough that you cut out. Fold the dough in half, over the filling, and line up the three edges. The fourth side will remain closed where the dough folds over. Brush the exposed edges of the dough with egg wash around the perimeter of the filling.
- Then press or crimp the two layers of dough together with your fingers or a fork. Brush the top of the pop tart with egg wash. Now bake it at 350 until the pastry puffs up and turns golden brown.
Make the glaze
- Once cooled, you can glaze these if you desire, or just east them plain. Serve warm with a glass of milk, coffee, or hot tea for a delicious breakfast or snack!
