Rugelah Style Pastries

It's Friday and I told the maid to take the day off...actually I don't have a maid. I am the maid and I did not take the day off. However I got the opportunity to try out a new recipe using my pie crust recipe. What I made was a play on Rugelah.

Whenever I make homemade pie dough and there is left over dough, I'll roll it out and spread some butter on the dough and generously sprinkle with a cinnamon and white sugar mixture. Roll it, cut it and bake it.

Today I spread this incredible mixed berry preserve on the dough and had a sugar, pecan and cinnamon mixture that went on top of that. Rolled it up and baked it off. They are by far not professional looking. I made a rookie mistake and did not egg wash the tops as most pastry chefs would do to get that golden color. However they do taste really good. And I've shown 2 ways in which you can roll and cut. One is to roll out in a log and cut and the other is to cut into triangles and roll. (I need practice with that!)

I found this product at Home Goods. It is so good. I am fairly certain a job lot store or even regular store might carry it.

After viewing chef after chef and reading cookbook after cookbook I learned the essentials to good pie crust.  You absolutely need ice cold butter and ice cold water and when your pie dough is assembled you need to let it “rest” before attempting to roll it out.  When I begin the process I fill a Pyrex measuring cup with ice cubes and water and put it in the refrigerator.  The next step is taking refrigerated butter and cut it in chunks.  I put the cut up pieces in the freezer and measure my dry ingredients and put the dry ingredients in a food processor.  Due to the fact that I use salted butter, my recipe for pie crust is without salt.

Pie Crust:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 sticks butter
• ½ cup ice cold water

1. In a food processor pulse the flour and butter until a crumbly mixture forms – butter should be about pea size.  Slowly add in ice cold water and keep pulsing and adding water until the dough is wet enough to form into a ball.  Do not overwork (over pulse) the dough OR add too much water.  Otherwise you will end up with tough dough and the pie crust will not be flaky and tender when baked.
2. Remove the dough from the food processor and put it on plastic wrap.  Use the plastic wrap to help form the dough into a round disc.  Refrigerate each wrapped disc.  Allow the dough to rest about 30 minutes.
3. When you are ready, take one of the discs out, wait about 5 minutes then begin rolling your crust on a flour dusted surface.  You should notice that the dough is smooth and silky in texture.  Roll in a circle, from the center outwards. Make sure you keep lightly dusting the surface of the dough and rolling pin.  Rotate the dough and turn it over until you have rolled out the size that you need for your pie plate.

The filling for this recipe - the preserves as I mentioned above. For the topping on the preserves - I made a lot. I am storing what I did not use in an airtight container to use for making more of these or for use in my apple pies.

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup cinnamon
• 1 - 8 oz. bag of pecans

1. In a food processor, pulse together the sugars, cinnamon and nuts until finely chopped.
2. Spread the preserves over the dough.
3. Sprinkle the sugar and nut topping over that.
4. Roll the dough over and seal the edge with a touch of water.
5. Sprinkle extra cinnamon sugar over the top if you wish.
6. Cut into 1/2 inch discs and bake.
7. These baked in a 350° oven for about 40 - 45 minutes until golden brown.