Note: I’ve had this post “baking” [ha, I’m punny!] for quite awhile now, but as aforementioned, I have not been feeling well at all. Therefore, it is a bit delayed, but pumpkin and 30-minute puff pastry never get old in my book, so I hope you enjoy it all the same. 🙂
You’ve heard of apple turnovers, and chances are you’ve even heard of cherry turnovers. What about pumpkin turnovers? Probably not as common, but they do exist. The idea popped into my head a few weeks ago, after I first learned how to make small-batch, 30-minute puff pastry. I was always under the [very mistaken] assumption that making puff pastry was difficult and definitely not something I’d ever be able to conquer.
That all changed a few weeks ago, when I took a class at Kitchen Conservatory with the Dessert for Two blog author, Christina. In the class, we made homemade apple turnovers, complete with homemade 30-minute puff pastry. I volunteered to help make the puff pastry, as I had never done it and I was obviously intrigued. Immediately I was blown away by how easy it was, and perhaps more importantly, how delicious the turnovers tasted.
Needless to say, I have been absolutely obsessed with quick puff pastry ever since that class. I have officially seen the light: puff pastry is the shiznit [as Snoop Dogg would say], and it’s really not that difficult to make!
I digress. After the class and my new-found puff pastry enlightenment, I made apple turnovers for a friend a few days later. Then the idea for pumpkin turnovers hit me, so I had to do a quick Google search to see if anyone thought of the idea before I did. Of course, someone already thought of it. But that’s okay because the recipe where I found the pumpkin filling (All Recipes) lists store-bought puff pastry as an ingredient, rather than homemade. I’m not snobby enough to tell you to not use store bought puff pastry, but I will just say this: homemade puff pastry is not out of your reach. There’s just something so satisfying about making your own puff pastry. I was seriously blown away, and I still am. I just want to eat puff pastry all the time for every meal, but then I’d probably gain 20 pounds and turn into a stick of butter. 😉
So, with all that to say, you know what to do. Make yourself some turnovers from scratch, and impress everyone with your amazing skillz.
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Small Batch Pumpkin Turnovers.
Yield: Four turnovers.
Ingredients:
For the 30-minute puff pastry:
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. fine salt
- 10 TBSP. high-quality butter, such as Plugara or Kerrygold (5 ounces), cold
- ⅓ cup ice cold water
For the pumpkin filling:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (Just the plain stuff; not the pumpkin pie filling!)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I make my own, but you may also buy it.)
For the turnover topping:
- One large egg, lightly beaten
- Turbinado sugar
- Prepare the puff pastry dough first (you’ll need to prepare it in advance, as it takes some time to chill): In a medium bowl, add the flour and salt. Stir to mix.
- Cube the butter and then add it to the flour bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the dough. It will be very crumbly, and you’re done when the butter is in uniform pieces all about the size of peas.
- Next, make a hole in the center of the dough and pour in all of the water. Using a fork, stir to combine the dough.
- Flour a cutting board, and add the dough. Pat it into a rough square. You will still see chunks of butter and it will seem too dry, but do not add extra water. The dough will come together with each roll.
- Flour the rolling pin, and roll the dough out in front of you into a rectangle about 10″ long. No need to be too precise here.
- Fold the bottom third of the dough over the middle of the dough. Fold the upper third of the dough on top of the middle too. Rotate the dough one-quarter turn, and repeat. Use additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Roll out, fold, and turn the dough at least 6 or 7 times.
- When done, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour, or overnight. Dough may be frozen, too.
- When you’re about ready to roll out the dough and bake, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- For the pumpkin filling: Simply mix together all four ingredients in a medium bowl until combined, and set aside until ready to fill the turnover dough. {Note: You’ll probably have extra pumpkin filling. Stir the leftovers into some oatmeal or just eat it with a spoon. :)}
- To make roll out and shape the turnovers: Roll out the chilled dough into a 12-inch square. Use flour as you go to prevent sticking.
- Divide the pumpkin mixture into four piles in the corners of the dough, but leave about ¾” of border. Cut the dough into four equal squares. Fold the edges of the dough over each of the pumpkin filling piles. You will have four triangular turnovers.
- Press the edges closed with your fingers (feel free to use a bit of the beaten egg as a “glue” to seal the turnovers closed), and crimp with the tines of a fork. Carefully transfer the turnovers to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- Brush each turnover generously with the beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.
- Bake the turnovers for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy on the outside. Allow to cool for a bit on a cooling rack, then dig in!
+ 30-minute puff pastry recipe and original apple turnover recipe from Dessert for Two.
+ Pumpkin filling recipe from All Recipes.
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