Pop Tarts for Hippies, Homemakers and Healthy Eaters!

In my fantasy life I own and operate a food cart featuring freshly made cheeses (mozzarella, ricotta, yogurt, paneer, cream cheese and more), and "healthy" junk/comfort food - classic American junk food made from locally-sourced, seasonal, organic ingredients. 

If I were to define my life's calling, I do believe that would be it.  It's a perfect fusion of my life-long love of and addiction to junk food and my recently illuminated passion for local, healthy, sustainable, responsible, seasonal, flavorful food.

All I'd need is a commissary kitchen, a car or truck adapted with refrigeration, an up front investment of at least $10,000 (probably more), I'd have to quit my current job, hire staff, spend way more time on social media, create a side-business of retail versions of my food cart stuff for sale in local grocers, and promote the hell out of myself all over town until I'm burned out and wished for the simplicity of just having a normal full time job like I have now in my real life.

Until I can "stretch myself across like a bridge where fantasy and reality lie too far apart" (to paraphrase Fiona Apple),  I shall continue sharing with you recipes like this:

Homemade Pop Tarts - via 100 Days of Real Food
Ingredients
•    2 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
•    ½ tsp salt
•    1 cup cold, unsalted butter (2 sticks)
•    ½ cup water plus ice
•    1 egg beaten with a splash of water
•    7 – 8 tablespoons jam or jelly

Directions
1.    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.    Put the flour and salt in a food processor with the dough blade and pulse it together briefly.
3.    Meanwhile fill a glass measuring cup with ½ cup water and add a few ice cubes to it.
4.    Take the cold butter straight out of the fridge and cut it into ½ inch chunks. Sprinkle the pieces of butter on top of the flour in the food processor. Be careful to spread out the butter as opposed to letting it all clump together in one piece.
5.    Turn on the food processor and blend until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal. While the food processor is still running add 1/3 cup water through the top. Watch the dough come together and add 2 – 3 more teaspoons of water as needed so a dough ball will form. If some of the dough is in a ball and some is stuck to the sides that is okay…you can fix it with your hands. At this point the dough could be stored in the fridge in plastic wrap for up to 3 days or in the freezer (in a freezer safe container) for up to 6 months.
6.    Remove the dough from the food processor and put it on a lightly floured counter or large cutting board. With a rolling pin (and another sprinkling of flour) flatten out the dough to one big rectangle or square that’s no more than a quarter inch thick. Trim any uneven ends and use those to patch other edges as necessary.
7.    Using a knife cut out 14 to 16 rectangles of dough. Actually you could make them any shape or size that you want at this point  . Lay half of your dough shapes onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon about a tablespoon of jam down the middle of those bottom dough pieces.
8.    Top them with matching dough shapes and seal around the edges by pushing down with a fork. Make a few holes in the top with the fork as well. Lastly, brush the tops of the uncooked toaster pastries with the egg wash.
9.    Bake at 375 degrees F for 18 – 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the cooked pastries on a cooling rack (if you have one) then either eat them right away or store them in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for several months. They can be eaten cold or reheated. Enjoy!