Flaky Apple Turnovers

Flaky Apple Turnovers - as seen on Tuesdays with Dorie

Flaky Apple Turnovers

For the dough:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 Fuji or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
• 3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small bits

For baking:

• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
• sugar, for dusting

To make the dough:

Stir the sour cream and sugar together; set aside.

Whisk the four and salt together in a large bowl, then toss the butter bits over the flour. Working with a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers, cut the butter into the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Don't worry about being thorough - it's better to have an uneven mix than an overworked dough. Switch to a fork and, using a lifting and tossing motion, gently stir in the sour cream. The dough will be very soft.

Divide the dough in half. Put each half in a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to shape each piece into a rectangle (don't worry about size or precision). Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, or for up to 2 days.

Remove one piece of dough from the fridge and roll it into a rectangle about 9 x 18 inches. The dough is easiest to work with if you roll it between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap (I used parchment paper and it was really easy to work with!) - if you want to roll it traditionally, make sure to flour the rolling surface. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter, wrap it and refrigerate it. Repeat with the second piece of dough, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

To make the filling:
Whisk the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the apples and toss to coat.

Getting ready to bake:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicon mats.

Roll out one piece of dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch, and cut out 4 1/2 inch rounds with a large cutter or the edge of a tartlet pan. Repeat with the second piece of dough. If you'd like, you can gather the scraps together, chill them, and make additional turnovers. (The turnovers made from scraps will taste good, but they won't be as pretty and light as the first rounders.) You'll get 7 or 8 rounds from each piece of dough.

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons apples in the center of each round and dot with the butter. Moisten the edges of each round with a little water and fold the turnovers in half, sealing the edges by pressing them together with the tines of a for. Use the fork to poke steam holes in each turnover, and transfer the turnovers to the baking sheets. (At this point, the turnovers can be frozen; wrap them airtight when they are firm and store them for up to 2 months. Bake them without defrosting, adding a few minutes to their time in the oven)

Brush the tops of the turnovers with a little of the egg wash and sprinkle each one with a pinch of sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 10 minutes. When done, the turnovers will be puffed, firm to the touch, and golden. Gently transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.

Julie's verdict:
This is one of the best doughs I've ever tasted. It took all of my self control not to eat more of it while working with the dough. Hubby loved these! I made half of the batch immediately, and then kept half frozen in individual portions so I can make them "on demand" for him. This recipe takes a bit of time to make (you have to let the dough refrigerate for two long periods of time), but if you make a half of a batch at a time, and freeze the other half, I think it's more than worth it!