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–+ servings

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Sourdough Pop Tarts

Flaky sourdough pop tarts made with a discard pie crust, a brown sugar cinnamon filling, and a cinnamon vanilla frosting. Uses 200g of sourdough discard and makes 12. Better than the box.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
chill time - (4 to 48 hours recommended) 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 pop tarts, approximately 3 by 5 inches before baking

Equipment

  • Box grater
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Rolling Pin
  • Ruler and pizza cutter or bench scraper
  • Baking sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • Pastry brush
  • Fork
  • Wire cooling rack

Ingredients
  

Crust

  • 250 g all-purpose flour plus a little for rolling
  • 226 g unsalted butter very cold (1 cup / 2 US sticks)
  • 200 g sourdough discard cold, at 100% hydration
  • 10 g granulated sugar 2 teaspoons
  • 5 g fine salt
  • 10 g white or apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons
  • Ice water only as needed, added 1 teaspoon at a time
  • Egg wash
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon water

Brown sugar cinnamon filling

  • 100 g light brown sugar about 1/2 cup packed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 10 g all-purpose flour

Cinnamon vanilla icing

  • 100 g powdered sugar sifted if lumpy
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 –3 teaspoons milk added gradually

Instructions
 

  • Whisk 250g flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Grate the cold butter into the bowl and toss to coat. Keep visible butter pieces; chill if they soften.
  • Add the cold discard and vinegar. Mix gently, then press together by hand. If a handful won't hold together and loose flour remains, add ice water 1 teaspoon at a time, checking after each addition. Do not knead smooth.
  • Divide into two equal portions and flatten into rectangles. Wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.
  • Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and the 10g flour. Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water separately.
  • Roll one dough portion on a lightly floured surface large enough to trim to 10 by 12 inches, approximately 1/8 inch thick. Cut the 10-inch side in half and the 12-inch side into four sections to make eight 3-by-5-inch rectangles. Transfer to parchment-lined sheets, 1 inch apart. Refrigerate while rolling and cutting the second portion into eight matching tops.
  • Brush the bases lightly with egg wash. Divide the filling among them, about 14g or roughly 1 tablespoon each. Spread thinly, leaving a clean 1/2-inch border.
  • Add the tops, gently press out trapped air, and press the borders together. Crimp with a fork, then poke each top in three or four places. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C), conventional setting.
  • Brush chilled tops lightly with egg wash. Bake 25–30 minutes, checking at 22 minutes, until golden on top and lightly browned underneath. If using two racks, rotate and swap pans after about 18 minutes.
  • Rest on the pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely, about another 30–45 minutes.
  • Stir powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons milk until smooth. Add more milk a few drops at a time, up to about 3 teaspoons total, for a spreadable icing. Ice the cooled pastries. Allow an additional 30–60 minutes to firm before stacking if needed.

Notes

Weights are the reference measurements. Discard volume changes with air content, so weigh the 200g.
Active starter can substitute at the same hydration and weight; stir down and chill first.
Strawberry: Cook 225g strawberry jam with a slurry of 8g cornstarch and 15g cold water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Cool fully; use 1 level tablespoon per pastry. Leftover filling is possible. Omit cinnamon from the icing.
Blueberry lemon: Use blueberry jam in the cooked filling above. For icing, mix 100g powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons lemon juice, adding more drops as needed; omit milk, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Chocolate hazelnut: Replace the cinnamon filling with 1 level tablespoon chocolate hazelnut spread per pastry. Leave plain or drizzle with chocolate after cooling.
Apple butter: Replace the cinnamon filling with 1 level tablespoon thick, cool apple butter per pastry. Use cinnamon icing.
Every alternative replaces the main filling. Keep the 1/2-inch border and don't use extra filling to finish a jar.
Main-recipe storage: airtight at cool room temperature up to 2 days. Freeze baked, uniced pastries up to 3 months for best quality. Warm thawed pastries at 350°F for about 8–10 minutes, checking the center. Use a tray in an oven or toaster oven, not a slot toaster.
Longer dough refrigeration and icing setting extend the listed total. Kitchen and oven conditions affect the estimates.
Keyword brown sugar cinnamon sourdough pop tarts, homemade brown sugar pop tarts, sourdough discard pop tarts, sourdough pop tarts
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