Homemade Pop-Tarts

     I've had my eye on this recipe for almost a year.  Last year for Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law gave me this cookbook and I became obsessed with everything homemade.  Last Christmas was almost a year ago and 350 some odd days have passed where I hoped and waited for a pop-tart.  I was crazy to put it off for this long, but time, money, and life seemed to get in the way.  In my mind, pop-tarts are not vital for survival, but so many other groceries are actual necessities.  One Saturday I declared no more!  J.T. and I had just finished paying off a $40,000 student loan and I thought pop-tarts were the proper way to celebrate this financial accomplishment.  I sent J.T. to the grocery store and he purchased the $5.00 jar of organic strawberry preserves I needed to make my highly anticipated pop-tarts.  The pop-tarts were wonderful - better than I ever hoped or imagined.  Flaky, buttery, gooey strawberry filled bliss on a plate - gluten and dairy free.  

recipe adapted from The Homemade Pantry

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups multi-grain flour blend, plus additional for rolling out dough
• ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 cup coconut oil, chilled and diced into chunks
• 2 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons cold water
• 2 eggs, divided
• 1 tablespoon room temperature water
• 7 tablespoons organic strawberry preserves
• pure cane sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. In the bowl of mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix together the flour and salt on low speed for 2 minutes.  Drop the chilled coconut oil chunks into the flour and use a spoon to toss the flour and oil together.  In a small liquid measuring cup, whisk together 1 egg, the vinegar, and cold water.  Place both the flour mixture and egg mixture into the freezer for 10 minutes.  
2. Remove the flour mixture from the freezer and assemble the mixer with a paddle attachment.  Turn the mixer on low speed and beat the flour and oil until it begins to resemble a coarse meal.  Remove the liquid ingredients from the freezer and whisk again.  Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl.  Mix on low until the dough comes together, forming a large ball (you will still see large white chunks of coconut oil in the dough).  Dump the dough onto a board and divide in half.  Shape each half into disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.  
3. Whisk together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water and set aside.  Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and flour a dough board or the countertop.  Flour 1 disk and gently roll out the dough into a large circle.  If the dough begins to crumble, continue working with it until it softens, applying flour as needed to keep it from sticking.  Use a large biscuit cutter and cut 7 rounds, placing the rounds on the prepared baking sheet.  Brush the dough with the prepared egg wash and spoon 1 tablespoon of preserves into the center of each round.  
4. While you are rolling out the remaining dough disk, place the baking sheet into the freezer.  Roll out 7 more rounds.  Gently lay these rounds on top of the preserve filling.  Use a fork to seal the corners all the way around each pastry.  Poke each pastry three times, going down the center, and brush the tops and sealed edges with the egg wash.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Place the prepared pop-tarts back into the freezer for 10 minutes and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  
5. Bake for 24 minutes, or until golden brown.  Rest on the baking sheet for 1 hour before removing.

Make ahead:  Prepare the pop-tarts as instructed above and refrigerate or freeze.  If refrigerating, arrange the pop-tarts in one single layer.  To reheat, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and reheat for 5 minutes.  If freezing, arrange the pop-tarts on a large baking sheet, in one single layer.  Freeze for 1 hour.  Stack the frozen pop-tarts in a freezer safe plastic bag.  Reheat in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.  

Multi-Grain Flour Blend

Ingredients

• 350 grams whole grain oat flour
• 350 grams sweet white sorghum flour
• 300 grams arrowroot starch

Directions

1. Whisk together the oat flour, sorghum flour, and arrowroot starch.  Store in a large (5 pound capacity) container in the refrigerator.  Use in place of whole wheat flour or whole white wheat flour.  

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