These apple puff pastry turnovers are a classic delight! The layers of buttery puff take some skill and patience, but are worth it (better yet, the dough freezes well so you can store until you want to use it!).
For the puff pastry, in a stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix dry ingredients and add the chilled cubed butter on low speed. Mix for 30 seconds, until part of butter is starting to mix into the dry ingredients.
Trickle in water evenly and quickly, mixing for 20 more seconds only on medium-low speed. Pour the loose dough out onto parchment paper and using a bowl scraper and your hands, press gently into a ~6”x9” rectangle. If the dough is very dry, sprinkle +/- 2T cold water into it so it comes together loosely.
Use a rolling pin and the flat side of the bowl scraper to press dough into a flat rectangle, and using the parchment paper, fold the left side over toward the middle, then the right side over that as though you are folding a business letter, keeping it evenly stacked. The dough will be loose but press it together as best you can. This is one fold.
Then roll the dough out so the open edges are on either short end, till it is about 6”x16”. Use the bowl scraper to keep all edges pushed together and squared off. Fold dough in thirds again, the ‘open’ edges of the letter facing inward.
Proceed with three more folds, for a total of five, chilling as needed between folds. This should lead to a smooth, cohesive dough. After the final fold, roll the block of dough evenly across till it is no more than 2” thick. Wrap in plastic well and chill until firm.
While the puff is resting, make your filling. Bring apple cider, sugars, vanilla bean, and salt to a simmer in a wide-bottomed saucepot. Add 4 quarts of the apples and cook till they’re translucent, adding a dash of cider as needed if they become too dry.
Pour cooked apples over remaining raw apples in a bowl, toss together, and let cool. Finish filling once cool by folding in cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, and flour. Chill.
To assemble the 8 turnovers, cut the dough block evenly in half. Chill the other half for use within two days, or freeze well-wrapped for up to a month. Roll out dough block, keeping the rolling even across the whole surface area of the dough so the layers stay ‘stacked' on top of each other, until it is just over 10” by 20”, and let it rest for a couple minutes. Roll it once more to ensure the proper size, then cut eight squares of 5” by 5”.
Dust off excess flour and place dough squares on a baking tray. Scoop about a half cup filling onto each dough square. Brush the dough’s edges with egg wash, fold one side over the other and pinch edges down to form seal. Use the tines of a fork to seal the dough. Trim the edges with a chef knife, and let the assembled turnovers rest in fridge.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Brush the turnovers with egg wash and prick the surfaces a couple of times with a fork. Bake in the bottom third of the oven until golden brown all over, 20-25 minutes, rotating as necessary.
Use a small offset spatula to release from baking tray and cool on a cooling rack. Serve while still warm with ice cream.
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 6 quarts medium Tart Green Apples peeled and diced ¼-inch to yield 2packed
- 2 cup Apple Cider
- 0.5 cups Light Brown Sugar
- 0.25 cup Organic Sugar
- 1 whole Vanilla Bean seeded
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 2 whole Lemons zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
Puff Pastry
- 4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1.5 teaspoons Salt
- 26 ounces Butter cut into ½” cubes and chilled
- 1 cup Water cold, +/- 2T as needed
- 1 cup Water cold, +/- 2T as needed
Instructions
Puff Pastry
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix dry ingredients and add butter on low speed. Mix for 30 seconds, until part of butter is starting to mix into the dry ingredients.
- Trickle in water evenly and quickly, mixing for 20 more seconds.
- Pour loose dough out onto parchment paper and using a bowl scraper and your hands, press gently into a ~6”x9” rectangle. If the dough is very dry, sprinkle +/- 2T cold water into it so it comes together loosely.
- Fold the left side over toward the middle, then the right side over that. The dough will be loose but press it together as best you can. This is the first fold.
- Then roll the dough out so the open edges are on either short end, till it is about 6”x16”. Use the bowl scraper to keep all edges pushed together and squared off. Fold dough in thirds again, the ‘open’ edges of the letter facing inward. This is the second fold.
- Proceed with three more folds like this, for a total of five.
- After the final fold, wrap dough in plastic well and chill until firm.
Apple Filling
- Meanwhile, make your filling. Bring apple cider, sugars, vanilla bean, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepot.
- Add 4 quarts of the apples, reserving 2 quarts raw in a bowl, and cook till they’re translucent and the juices are reduced.
- Pour cooked apples over remaining raw apples in a bowl, toss together, and let cool. Finish filling once cool by folding in cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, and flour. Cool.
Turnovers
- To make 8 turnovers, cut the dough block evenly in half.
- Roll the half block out on a well-floured surface until it is just over 10” by 20”, and let rest.
- Roll it once more to ensure the proper size, then cut eight squares of 5” by 5”.
- Dust off excess flour and place dough squares on a baking tray. Scoop about a half cup cooled filling onto each dough square.
- Brush the dough’s edges with egg wash, seal edges.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Brush with egg wash, bake until golden brown all over, 20-25 minutes.
- Serve while still warm with ice cream.
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