Gluten Free Dairy Free Pop Tarts Recipe
Updated Jul 25, 2018, Published Jul 18, 2012
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It is summer time, which means the g-kids are here. Every year they come for a couple months and we cram in as many adventures, big and small, as we can. And every year we do a little gluten free baking together.
This year, the kids suggested gluten free pop tarts. I thought that was pure genius! What an iconic and forbidden (since going gluten free) treat from my childhood. Little did I know that homemade pop tarts burned up the internet last summer; which just goes to prove I really do live under a rock. Nonetheless, homemade gluten free pop tarts? Definite genius!
The crust for these gluten and dairy free pastries is flaky and pretty easy to work with. I made three different versions. The first was with superfine brown rice flour, tapioca starch and sweet rice flour – this was everyone’s favorite, taste-wise, and I was happy with the addition of whole grain, but it was also the most fragile because the edges tended to crumble a bit, especially when they were warm. Next, I subbed the tapioca starch with potato starch; on these, the edges were sturdier. Finally, I used gluten free flour blend. The taste was great but, again, a tad more fragile than with the potato starch. If we weren’t doing a side by side comparison, we would have never noticed any difference, so use what you like.
As with lots of gluten free dough, I find it easier to “extrude” than roll. I place the dough between two pieces of parchment or waxed paper sprinkled with a little sweet rice flour and roll, lifting the top paper occasionally to keep it from sticking. I divided the dough into two equal portions, rolled each portion out into a rectangle a little bit bigger than 12 inches by 8 inches, and trimmed the edges using a ruler for straight lines. I kept the dough on the parchment, cut it into 8 smaller rectangles (3 by 4 inches each) by cutting the 8 inch width in half and the 12 inch width into fourths.
After brushing the bottom rectangles with some beaten egg, I added the filling. We made two kinds – strawberry and almond. For the strawberry, I used some Baker Brand Strawberry Dessert Filling and for the almond, I used the almond flavor. The strawberry was the g-kids’ fav and I liked the almond, as it reminded me of an almond croissant.
Common sense would tell you not to over fill the pop tarts but we agreed that we like lots of filling, so we added about 2 heaping tablespoons of filling per pop tart at the risk of the filling leaking out – but it didn’t. Sometimes ignoring common sense is a good thing! After adding the filling to the bottom rectangles, I just lifted the parchment and folded the top rectangles right over the ones with the filling, easy! Pinch the edges together, make a decorative edge with the tines of a fork, then prick the top of the pop tarts all over with a fork. (If at any time the dough gets too soft or sticky because your kitchen is warm and humid, just pop it into the freezer for a few minutes.)
A little more egg wash on top, a sprinkling of coarse sugar, and sliced almonds for the almond flavor finished them off. From there, refrigerate them for half an hour, then into the oven. I made one batch that I refrigerated overnight and baked first thing in the morning – double genius, as you can have nice hot pop tarts in the time it takes to brew up some coffee, brush your teeth and make the bed!
So there you have it, from the g-kids and me – homemade gluten free, dairy free pop tarts. Enjoy!
Gluten Free Dairy Free Pop Tarts Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup superfine brown rice flour
- ¾ cup tapioca or potato starch
- ¼ cup sweet rice flour, plus more for rolling
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 large eggs, use divided
- 2 rice milk
- 10 ounces Baker Dessert Filling, any flavor you like
- 2 teaspoon coarse sugar
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, tapioca or potato starch, sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add the shortening and work it into the flour mixture with your hands until it is crumbly and the texture of coarse sand with some large pieces about the size of grapes. Add one egg and 2 tablespoons of rice milk. Mix with a spoon until you have a soft dough that is not sticky. You may need to work the dough with your hands to get it to come together. If too dry, add the final tablespoon of rice milk. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and shape into rectangles. Wrap one portion of dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while rolling the first.
- Place a piece of waxed or parchment paper on a work surface, sprinkle with some sweet rice flour, place one piece of the dough on the parchment, sprinkle with a little more sweet rice flour and top with another piece of paper. Roll into a rectangle that is a bit larger than 12 inches by 8 inches. Trim the dough with a knife into a 12 by 8 inch rectangle. Cut the 8 inch side in half and the 12 inch side into fourths to form eight 3 by 4 inch rectangles.
- Beat the remaining egg and brush the bottom 4 rectangles with some of the egg. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of dessert filling on each bottom rectangle and shape it into a rectangle leaving ½ inch border on all sides. Slide your hand under the paper under the top rectangles and flip them so they are directly on top of the filled dough. Press the edges of the dough together and then press with the tines of a fork. Prick the top of each pop tart several times with the tines of a fork. Brush with more egg wash, sprinkle each pop tart with about a ¼ teaspoon of coarse sugar and place on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator and repeat with the final piece of dough. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees while the pop tarts are in the refrigerator. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi, Carol!
These look amazing! But is there any way to substitute for the rice flour? I’m allergic to rice. Do you think superfine sorghum flour would work okay in this recipe instead? Thanks in advance! :)
Liberty, Yea I think so! xo, Carol