APPLE PIE POCKETS (Step-by-Step Recipe)

 

Wholesome, healthy and bursting with the flavors of apple pie, apple pie pockets is the best way to use those leftover apples lying on the counter which no one wants to eat.  Infused with the spicy scent of saffron, cinnamon and cardamom in every bite, your kids are sure to love these golden brown bundles of cinnamony apples (I know mine did!), and as an added bonus, they would have had their fruit of the day!

This is one recipe I have made umpteen times when my kids were around. Of course, then I used to make them with all-purpose flour or maida. Now it is whole wheat all the way.

Sorting out my collection of cookbooks, handwritten books as well as bundles of paper scribbled with recipes from all over, I came across this one and was so excited. I had some apples I had bought recently and they were not crisp enough to enjoy as a fruit. This was the best time to use this recipe again! Since then, I have been able to source it but not sure where my original recipe came from.

 It had been a long time since I had made these amazingly soft, golden brown bundles of apple pockets. I could not even recollect from where I had jotted them down; there was no internet then, just recipes popping out of magazines, newspapers and cookbooks.

It was the first time I was making them with whole wheat flour. I know whole wheat makes any baked good dense and tough. Browsing the net for ideas to make these bundles soft and crusty, I came across some tips that assured me that whole wheat pockets will turn out good.

All I had to do was add some of the flour and rest the dough for 10 to 15 minutes before adding the rest of the whole wheat flour and kneading them. This allowed for the whole wheat grains to absorb the water and swell up before adding more flour. Sure enough, the resultant dough was so soft and tender;  it started to break apart while forming the bundles. Nevertheless, I was all ready to make them; health before beauty!

For added flavor, color and essence, I indulged in some exotic saffron strands and aromatic cardamom powder in the dough. In addition to the heavenly aroma of cinnamon which goes well with apples, I wanted the dough encasing the apple deliciousness to also have some layers of flavor and essence not to mention the gorgeous color saffron lends to anything it touches!

Rolling them was a synch, but be extra gentle when making the pockets as the dough is soft and tender and try not to roll it too thin. If you are not that wary about using all-purpose flour or maida, go ahead and use it; they turn out great too.

Chop the peeled apples to small pieces and mix them with sugar and cinnamon powder. Resting these will release some moisture, but make sure you do not fill the pockets with the liquid; you just need the apple pieces.

Updated October 17, 2018:

If you are not comfortable using whole wheat flour (tends to make any bake crumbly and a bit dense), you can use all-purpose flour instead. I had just been to a local apple picking orchard and came back with a huge basket of fresh apples!

So I used maida/all-purpose flour and came up with these beauties!

The toughest part is waiting for the apple bundles to rise and bake! The unusual combination of saffron, cardamom and cinnamon creates different layers of flavors and aroma in these soft, pillowy bundles of apple pie in a pocket!

Once the apple pockets were out of the oven, it was very difficult to keep my hands away from them. Nevertheless, I did manage to break off a small piece of the crust; I was not disappointed; the flavor, texture and taste was amazing, not to mention the aroma!

Warm spices and fluffy dough make this worth the effort! Do try these the next time you have apples lying around or just go and get some to bake these!

Enjoy and Happy Baking!

 

Let's fill our kitchen with the aroma of apples and cinnamon!

How to make Whole Wheat Apple Pie Pockets with step-by-step method:

• Place yeast and sugar in a bowl or measuring cup.

• In a saucepan, heat water with some saffron strands, until just hot to the touch (120 degrees to 130 degrees F).

• Pour saffron infused hot water (you should be able to comfortably hold your finger in the water for several seconds) over the yeast and mix until yeast is dissolved. Keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes; once you see bubbles forming, you know the yeast is active and is ready to be used; or else discard and start again.

• In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of whole wheat flour along with cardamom powder, melted butter and the proofed yeast mixture. Mix with a spoon or silicone spatula to form soft dough; keep this aside for about 10 to 15 minutes covered to allow for the wheat to absorb the liquid and swell up.

• Now, stir in more whole wheat flour to form soft and pliable dough. Knead the dough for about 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.

• Cover and let rest for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the apples, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and keep aside.

• Divide dough into 2 parts. Dust the work surface with flour and roll each part to a 10-inch square and then cut each square into 4 pieces.

• Place a little filling in each square.

• Bring corners gently over the filling; pinch the ends to seal.

• Continue with the rest of the dough in a similar manner. Place the prepared apple pockets on a greased baking sheet. Cover lightly and allow these apple filled pockets to rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 degrees Centigrade.
• Once the dough has risen, brush each apple bundle with some melted butter (you can use milk or egg too) and sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over them.

• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pockets turn golden brown and be prepared to waft in the aroma of exotic aromas of saffron, cardamom and cinnamon!

• Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

• Serve saffron infused, cardamom and cinnamon flavored whole wheat apple bundles warm or at room temperature.

• Enjoy!!

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For other similar desserts, try:

Easy Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls

Eggless Super Moist Carrot and Apple Cake

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