Food Gal’s Wrapples with Pazazz
INGREDIENTS
Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and frozen
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Filling
3 large firm-tart apples (about 1 1/2 pounds total), peeled, cored, and cut into very thin (about 1/8-inch thick) slices
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground lemon zest
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Glaze
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
DIRECTIONS
First, make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar until well combined. Sprinkle the butter cubes on top and use your fingers to work them in by rubbing your thumb against your fingertips, smearing the butter as you do. Stop when the mixture looks like wet sand with some pea-sized bits of butter remaining (try to work quickly so the butter doesn’t melt). Sprinkle 1/4 cup ice water on top and stir with a fork until the dough just begins to come together. If needed, add more ice water, one tablespoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just until smooth — three times should do it. Gather the dough into a ball, then divide in half and press each piece into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 50 minutes and up to 2 days.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine apple slices, sugar, lemon juice, and zest, and cinnamon. Stir well, let sit at room temperature until the dough is chilled.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set a rack to the middle position. Remove the first disk of dough from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll out turning and flipping occasionally to prevent sticking, into a rectangle about 16 inches wide, 12 inches long, and 1/8 inch thick (if the dough becomes soft of sticky at any point during this process, put it in the freezer for 5 minutes). The long side should be facing you. Cut the dough from top to bottom into four strips, each about 4 inches wide and 12 inches long.
Now, roll up the wrapples. You’re basically making a jelly roll, only with apples as the filling. Lay four apple slices on the pastry about 4 inches from the bottom of the first strip. Overlap them like shingles. Use a bench scraper to help you fold the bottom 4 inches of dough over the apples. Layer a few more apple slices just above the seam, and fold dough over those slices, creating a roll. Flip the wrapple completely over, so that the remaining loose dough end is once again completely flat on your surface. Layer on a few more apple slices, then fold the remaining length of dough over. Press the edge of the dough on top of the wrapple to seal. The sides of the wrapple are left unsealed just like a jelly roll. Refrigerate uncovered. Repeat with remaining dough strips, then repeat with second disk of dough. You should have eight packets in all.
Arrange the packets on an ungreased baking sheet, put them in the oven, and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the confectioners’ sugar with 2 tablespoons water and whisk until smooth. Remove the wrapples from the oven, transfer to a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet, cool to room temperature, and drizzle with the sugar glaze.
Recipe adapted from Amy Traverso’s “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook” By Carolyn Jung of FoodGal