Wild Grape Sourdough Pop Tart-Style Pastries

It’s hard to beat a Pop Tart-style pastry for a grab-and-go breakfast. The pastries are filled with fruit jam or some other sweet treat, and you can eat one on the go, in the deer stand, the duck blind, or anyplace else where you need a quick bite.

This classic breakfast treat is even better when you make it at home with sourdough. Images by author.

Tasty as they are, you can make better pastries at home, especially if you have some sourdough starter on hand. These are buttery, flaky, tender, delicious, and better than anything you can buy in the store. And they are simple and easy to make.

For the filling, use whatever jam or jelly you prefer, but I used wild grape jelly from this recipe. You can eat them plain or top them with this simple icing. If you go the icing route, sprinkle on some raw sugar crystals for extra crunch.

Start by making the dough (this works well as a pie crust, too, if you ever need one). To a large bowl, add two cups of all purpose flour. Blend in the sugar and salt.

Blend the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Use a grater to grate in two sticks of butter (store them in the freezer for an hour or two before doing this to make this step easier).

Grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture.

Cut the grated butter into the flour. A pastry blender (your Mammaw called it a biscuit cutter) is perfect for the task.

Blend the grated butter into the flour.

Add the sourdough starter or discard and vinegar. Blend well to form a shaggy dough.

Add the sourdough starter.

Move the dough to a floured surface and roll into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge to rest for an hour.

Form the dough into a ball, cover it, then refrigerate to rest for an hour.

After resting, move the dough back to a floured surface. Roll out to about ⅛ of an inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter to square up the crust. (Use the discarded edges to roll out another sheet and make additional pastries).

Roll the dough into a thin sheet, cut it with a pizza cutter or knife, then add your filling to one side.

Cut the sheet into 4 equal rectangles. They should be a bit wider than store bought Pop Tarts. Add a rounded tablespoon of jelly to one half of the pastry strip. Use a spoon to spread it evenly, stopping at least ½ inch from the edges. Fold the unfilled side of the pastry over the filled side. Repeat the process with extra dough from the edges. Don’t worry about size, just use up as much dough as possible.

Use a fork to crimp the edges to seal in the filling. This is why it's important to keep the filling away from the edges, or else they won’t seal well. Poke a few holes in the top to allow steam to escape as the pastries bake. Transfer each sealed pastry to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush beaten egg over the top of each pastry and place the pan into a pre-heated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through and golden and flaky on top.

Fold and crimp the dough, poke a few vent holes in the top, then brush with egg wash.

Transfer the pastries from the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow to cool. You can eat them like this if you prefer unfrosted pastries, or blend the icing ingredients in a bowl and spoon it over the pastries. If you ice the pastries, sprinkle on some course raw sugar for added texture.

Bake until flaky, then add icing, if desired.

Serve immediately while they are warm or store them in a zip top bag in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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