Recipes

Recipes

Hungarian Pastry Pockets

This is the best, flakiest and easiest dough to make. It is very versatile.

The dough can be frozen until you are ready to make the pockets.

Just take equal weights of three items:

Cream cheese, at room temperature

Unsalted butter, at room temperature

All Purpose Flour

For beginners, just take 8 oz. of each. My flour weighs 5 oz/ cup, so I would need

need a little over 1 & 1/2 cups. If you have a scale, weigh your flour...it's much easier.

Cream butter with cream cheese, then mix in the flour. You may incorporates some

first by using a spatula, then using your mixer. Just turn the mixer on and off quickly,

or you will have a "white-out." It doesn't have to be thoroughly mixed, because you

will work it more on the bench.

Have a lightly floured surface ready. Scrape the contents of the bowl onto the surface.

Then, with floured hands, gently pull it all together into one lump.

Work it together so it's not sticky. Add a little flour if necessary.

Divide into manageable amounts to roll, shape into a 1-1.5" thick rectangle, and wrap

in food film. (It rolls out better that way.)

You may store this in the refridgerator for a few days, or in the freezer, in a good

freezer bag. Take it out of the freezer the night before you think you will be using it.

Most recipes say to let it chill before rolling, but unless it is a hot day, you may actually

roll it out right away.

Rolling out the dough:

It may be easier if you spray some cooking spray on your hand, then rub onto rolling

pin to prevent sticking.

Use a piece of canvas or a wooden board and dust it with flour. Roll the dough into

a rectangle, about 1/8" thick.

Cut the dough into squares. I use a piece of wood 2 3/4" wide to use as a guide. You may

make one from cardboard. (You may laminate the guide to use again.) Lay it on the dough

and cut with a knife, or pizza cutter.

Take the scraps and set aside to roll again later. Wrap in film.

Now for the fillings: I buy an apricot butter, a prune butter, and a poppyseed filling to which I

add extra flavor and orange rind. I make my walnut filling with cinnamon, sugar and applesauce.

I don't make the cheese filling---should have farmer's cheese--and I'm not sure how it would

last being mailed.

You may use a teaspoon to drop the filling onto each piece, but it is easier to put the

filling into a pastry bag with just the coupling, no tip, and just press it out.

Put about 1 tsp filling into each piece, wet the edges with water so they'd stick,

fold (see note below) and place on a baking sheet. I put them on baking paper. If you

don't have paper, then lightly grease the sheet.

Brush the tops with either egg yolk, or an egg mixed well, with a little water added.

Folding:

Square pocket, with the four corners brought together and pinched to hold.

(Usually used for apricot, prune lekvar, and cheese fillings which are dropped

to the center of the square.)

Rolled pocket, when filling is piped or dropped in a line, as opposed to a round blob.

This method is used for the walnut and the poppyseed fillings. For one, I place the filling

(piped from a pastry bag) along the center, and for the other, I pipe it diagonally. Then r

oll up. I cut them in half to make more bite sized pieces, but that is not traditional.

Brush with an egg wash (beaten egg with a little milk) and bake at 350 degrees in a

preheated oven till bottoms are golden and hopefully tops will be, too. I have a deck

oven, so the bottoms get darker than the top. In your home oven, you have a better

chance of the tops becoming golden.

(Note: I tried a 375 degree oven and liked it better. They baked faster and with

good color. Ovens are different. You will have to try and see what works best for

you. It helps to have an oven thermometer, but they are not exact either. )