Gluten Free Apple Turnovers

First Attempt:
I've had a box of Orgran gluten free puff pastry mix sitting in the cabinet for months now, waiting to be used.  While the weather was so hot, I didn't even want to think about playing with a temperamental dough that MUST be cold to function.  Just the last few days have been beautiful early fall days here in New York, which inspired me, I bought a small bag of apples at the store the other day and it all came together for me, apple turnovers.  We had a family dinner date tonight, and I almost always bring dessert, so it was perfect, Tim was home all day to take care of Ceci while I devoted my time to handling the puff pastry.  It took me about 4 hours total to make 8 turnovers, but they were worth it, and it was the first time I have ever made turnovers so I think there is a huge learning curve there.

Second Attempt:
The box comes with good instructions on it, I was able to follow them very easily, and come out with a beautiful dough.  I must admit that the first time I used the mix, I was pretty tired and used poor math to calculate the amount of butter needed for the mix.  Only half the butter made it into the dough and resulted in a rather tough end product.  The second time I made it I used the full correct amount of butter and they were much better tasting, crispy, crunchy on the outside and nice on the inside.  Both times I made them it looked like Frankenstein had tried to make the turnovers, but it didn't hurt the taste at all.  I would advise you eat them as soon as possible, as the dough does get tougher over time, but 30 seconds in the microwave and a little ice cream never hurt anything either right??

Again I will warn you they are A LOT of work, for only a few turnovers.  I did make mine pretty big, maybe next time I will chop my apples smaller so I can make smaller turnovers.

Box of mix, with instructions on the back

This is the box I purchased at the store.  The instructions on the back are good, but you should read them a few times to get a good understanding of what they are saying before you dive into the project.  It also offers a Vegan Option for making the dough on the box.


Gluten Free Apple Turnovers

1 Box of Orgran All Purpose Pastry Mix
2+1/4 Sticks of Unsalted Butter
8.2 oz Soda Water

2 Medium Apples diced small
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon, ground
1/8 tsp Cloves, ground
dash of salt

Mix Diced Apples, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a bowl and allow to rest while working the dough.

(Directions from back of Orgran Box)

1.  Cut 1 oz of butter into Pastry mix with pastry cutter

2.  Make a well and pour in the 8.2 oz of soda water

3.  Mix until well developed dough is formed.

4.  Cover dough and allow to rest for 10 min

5.  Roll out the dough to a rectangle shape so that it is 3 times as long as it is wide and approximately 1/4 inch thick.

6.  Thaw the 2 sticks of butter so it can be easily smeared over the dough, do not melt it, just soften it slightly.  (The instructions say to roll out the butter between two sheets of wax paper, I found this step really difficult and decided the second time around to soften the butter instead.)

7.  Smear the butter on 2/3 of the dough.

8.  Fold the remaining 1/3 of the dough over the butter and then fold again to completely cover the butter.  This is #1 half turn.

9.  Rotate the dough so the seam is on your right.  Repeat the folding process by rolling out the dough into a rectangle again.  This is now #2 half turn.

10.  Give the dough a total of 6 half turns.  cove and rest the pastry in the freezer for 15 minutes after every 2nd turn.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).

After you have rolled out the dough for the last time, cut it into 8 equal squares (I still can't master this step, that's why mine are not pretty.)  Place a small amount of the apple mix in the middle of the square and fold one corner over to the opposite, on the diagonal.

Pinch the seam closed with fingers or a fork if you like, just make sure it is tightly sealed so the juices won't leak out.  Repeat until all 8 are made, placing them on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet after they are sealed.

Cut a few tiny slits in the top of each turn over to let steam out so they don't explode in the oven.  Place baking sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 20 min.


Allow to sit on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  You can eat them when they are still warm, just be careful not to burn your mouth.  Enjoy!