So I got these:
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Dough Press Set
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I just couldn't pass them up. (Get yours here)
They were a birthday present to myself using a coupon and free Discover money and totally an impulse buy (which I never do), but I saw them and I just couldn't resist."Maybe this will make it easier to make all sorts of yummy snack pockets," I excitedly told G, as I unwrapped the package.
"I think it was a great purchase," he responded eagerly, knowing that I was sure to cook up some tasty vittles with them right away.
However, it did not take long before I began to doubt my wisdom in the purchase.
"What was I thinking," I brooded as I washed them before their first use, "I don't need more stuff for the kitchen, especially when a glass and fork could do the same thing for free."
Oh, but I was wrong, dear friends. I was so wrong.
These things really did make a world of difference, and I'm so excited to have an easier way to make our own healthier snack pocket treats. (Get yours here)
I've made snack pockets before, using the aforementioned glass and fork method, but I could never find a glass large enough, or I'd put too much filling in, or I'd just make a mess of the whole process while trying to crimp the edges with a fork. Not to mention how long it would take to fold and crimp all around the darned pocket edge.Using these dough presses makes the process easy-peasy. You just roll out your dough, use the back of the press to cut out your dough circle, dump a spoonful of filling in the middle once you've got it on the press, and close the thing up. The press squishes the filling into all the right places and crimps all the edges nice and tight. Throw the pockets on a baking sheet and then into the oven and you're done!
You can fill them with whatever your little heart desires and even stick them in the freezer after you've baked them to pull out in the future and reheat for a quick snack (if you don't gobble them all up straight out of the oven, that is).
I'm sure I'll be creating new snacks with these presses on a weekly basis, but I'll share my first creation now. I needed to start out with a good dough recipe, then come up with my filling...
Good Whole-Wheat Pastry Dough Recipe Using a Bread Maker (Get one here)
What You Need
1/4 cup water1 extra-large egg
3/4 cup plain yogurt (helps the gluten to relax, since you're using whole wheat)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
What You Do
1. Dump everything into your bread maker, select "dough cycle," and walk away.
2. Punch down the dough when it's finished and let rest for 5 minutes while you mix up the filling.
Broccoli, Onion, Garlic & Cheese Filling (such an original title, right?)
What You Need
1-2 cups broccoli1/2-1 onion
2-10 garlic cloves (we really like garlic)
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (I was so tempted to add more cheese, but was really trying to be good)
What You Do
1. Stick everything in your food processor (get yours here)
and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Roll out your dough, then use the back of the press to cut out the circles.
3. Place a dough circle on the press.
4. Add a spoonful of filling to the center.
5. Close the press and voilà - a perfectly sealed snack pocket.
6. Set your pockets on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Note: The amount of filling ingredients will depend partially on what size pockets you make, so you might have to make a few adjustments. I was also extremely lazy and just dumped frozen broccoli pieces, a frozen chunked-up onion, and 10 frozen whole garlic cloves in the food processor and didn't even thaw anything first. I was worried that the extra moisture would affect the end results, but it all still turned out great!
Also, I found that if I stretched the circles a bit before placing them on the press, the whole process worked better, since the dough begins to shrink a little after you cut it. Not a big deal to do this extra step - and way easier than the glass-and-fork method!
So, are you up for trying these out yourself? What different fillings can you think of? I'd love to hear them! Leave a comment or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
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