Apple Pastries



The wait is over, Brianne!  I’m finally posting the apple pastry recipe.  But before I tell you how to make them, I have to tell you my apple pastry story.

The first time I made these was just before a business trip.  I thought they would be a nice treat for Michael and Riley while I was gone.  I made plenty to be sure that they would last for the four days that I would be gone.  Halfway through my trip I got a phone call from Riley, “Mom! Michael’s eating all the pastries!”  Michael, who is German and has the most wonderful accent I’ve ever heard, called me about thirty minutes later, “Honey! Riley is eating all zee pastries!”

All I could do was laugh.  I was a thousand miles from home listening to each of them complaining about the other’s excessive pastry consumption.  Needless to say, the pastries did not last four days.  At least there was no bloodshed, right?

Here’s what you’ll need to start your own Family Food Feud:

Dough

6 ½ ounces (3/4 cup + 1tbsp) milk

1 large egg

4 tablespoons butter

3 cups bread flour

3 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons yeast (or 1 ½ teaspoons rapid rise yeast)

Filling

Apples (any kind)

Butter

Cinnamon

Brown sugar

This dough recipe came with my bread machine.  It was meant for cinnamon rolls but can be used for any kind of pastry.  Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order that your machine specifies (either wet first or dry first).  Select the dough cycle and let the machine do it’s thing.

While your dough is . . . . doughing . . . . you want to get started on your apples.  Peel them and chop them into very small pieces.  In a sauce pan, melt your butter.  Don’t ask me how much – I don’t actually measure things unless it’s for the bread machine.  Just use a reasonable amount that seems to make sense with the quantity of apples that you have.  If your apples are small, maybe use a half dozen or so.  That’s the closest thing to a measurement that I can offer you.  Add your chopped apples to the butter.  Then sprinkle in your cinnamon and a generous amount of the brown sugar.  Stir well and let them cook until the dough is ready – on a low setting so that they won’t stick.  They will be really soft and gooey when they’re done.

When the bread machine is finished, put the dough in a large bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen cloth.  Let it rise for another half hour.  Place a large piece of wax paper on your counter.  You are going to roll the dough out into a rectangle, so make sure your wax paper is large enough to be bigger than your dough rectangle.  Once the dough is rolled out, spread your apple mixture evenly leaving an inch or so uncovered on both of the long edges.  Try not to leave a border on the short ends.

When you’re finished, start with one of the long sides and roll the dough tightly.  Wrap the roll tightly in the wax paper and place it in the fridge for at least an hour.  My apple goo always leaks out into the fridge, so you might want an extra layer of wax paper.  When you take the roll from the fridge, remove the wax paper and slice the roll into sections about 1” thick.  Place the pieces into a cake pan or some other pan with a similar depth.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes or until they are just beginning to brown.

If the hubby and kids are fighting over them, then you know you did it right!