Puff Pastry Turnovers, Gluten-Free

As you know, I am a canning enthusiast.  This means that we always have some sort of homemade jam, jelly, or preserves in the pantry.  And, I have developed a habit of buying jams or chutneys when I travel.  I love to visit farmer’s markets when I’m in new parts of the country–and jam is a nice, portable thing to bring back as a souvenir.  Weird, but there you go.

Because we have so many preserves around, I love recipes that use them.  Like my gluten-free Toaster Tarts recipe.  Or, puff pastry turnovers.  Turnovers are yet another way to use my puff pastry recipe.  They are easy and quick to assemble, and they bake up beautifully.  And, you can assemble them and then pop them in the freezer for later.  The nice thing is that they will bake beautifully straight from the freezer.  So, you can always take a few out for snacks and things.  I like to give them to Girlfriend for after-school snacks.  And they are portable, so you can always pack a few in a lunchbox or a to-go bag.

Puff pastry turnovers are super-easy once you have the puff pastry dough made.  All you do is roll out the dough, cut it into squares, shape the turnovers, and bake.   And they are versatile.  You can put just about anything in the middle.  We like sweet things inside, but you may want to put something like a little chicken pot pie filling inside for a savory snack.  Also, I think apple pie filling would work really well inside.  Use your imagination!

Puff Pastry Turnovers, Gluten-Free

Special Equipment Needed
-rolling pin
-ruler or measuring tape
-sharp knife
-pastry brush

Ingredients
1 recipe of Puff Pastry, Gluten-Free  (you can also use any amount you have)
Jam, preserves, or other filling of your choice
Cold water for sealing the dough
1 large egg mixed with 2 tsp water for egg wash (optional)
Extra tapioca flour for rolling out the dough

Bring your dough to working temperature. Working temperature is cool but not hard. It should be fairly easy to roll out, but not so warm that it sticks to the rolling surface. If you have it in the freezer, already frozen in a sheet, take it out and warm on kitchen counter for about 10 minutes. If your dough is in the refrigerator, in a lump, take it out of the fridge and leave on kitchen counter for 45 minutes-1 hour (or less time if the ambient temperature is hot).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Sprinkle your working surface with tapioca flour. Gently but firmly roll out your puff pastry dough until it is in a rectangle or square that is 1/4 inch thick.   With a sharp knife, cut off the raggedly edges.  Be sure to use a straight down cutting motion–do not move the knife back and forth because it will crimp the layers together and limit the puffing action.

Using your ruler or measuring tape, measure out squares–3″x3″ or 4″x4″ squares work well.

Cut these out.  With your rolling pin, roll out two of the opposing corners of each square.  This will make those 2 corners longer and thinner than the other two.

Place 1 tsp (for 3″ squares) -2 tsp (for 4″squares) filling in the middle of each square.

Using your finger, paint on a line of water around the top edge of one of the long corners.

Now fold over your square from long corner to long corner into a diamond shape.  With you fingers, press down gently along the edges to begin the seal.

Using a fork dipped in tapioca flour, press down along the open 2 edges (not along the fold).  This will complete the seal.  Brush off any extra tapioca flour from your turnovers with a pastry brush.

Place each turnover onto a baking sheet and place into the freezer for 10 minutes.  While you’re waiting, sprinkle another baking sheet with cold water.  Take turnovers out of the freezer and place onto the water-sprinkled baking sheet.  Carefully brush the top of each turnover with egg wash, if using.  Be sure not to let any egg drip down the sides–this will interfere with the puffing action.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.  Watch the turnovers–the thinner edges will cook faster than the middle.  If they are browning too quickly, after about 10 minutes at 425 degrees F, you can reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F to complete baking.

Remove from oven and carefully transfer the turnovers to a rack to cool completely.

Note:  If you use a different gluten-free flour mix, alter the amount of or eliminate the xanthan gum or use a different gluten-replacer, use dairy-free or egg-free substitutes, or change any other ingredients in this recipe, your results may not match my results.

Enjoy!
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