These Homemade Sourdough Pop Tarts put a fresh, tangy twist on a breakfast classic. Made with a tender sourdough biscuit crust and a fresh strawberry filling with a delicious glaze. This quick and easy recipe is ready in 45 minutes, the perfect breakfast, snack or lunchbox treat.
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This recipe is another collaboration with Mimi! Each month we come up with creative ways to add sourdough twist to our favorite baked goods, like Sourdough Carrot Cake, Sourdough Ice Cream Sandwiches, Sourdough Pumpkin Cupcakes and Sourdough Irish Soda Bread. This month, we wanted to recreate a nostalgic fave, pop tarts!
What makes these pop tarts special?
These homemade pop tarts are the REAL DEAL! Many pop tart recipes online are just made with puff pastry (more like a toaster strudel). Mimi and I are purists, so we wanted to mimic the texture of the OG ones from the store.
These Sourdough Pop Tarts have a crisp melt-in-your-mouth crust reminiscent of a delicious buttery shortbread cookie and really do taste like pop tarts - only better! Don’t get me wrong puff pastry plus filling is great - but that’s more like a toaster strudel in our book and you didn’t type “pop tarts” in your search box looking for those.
Since we made a homemade strawberry filling, these have more of a delicious natural flavor and aren’t overly sweet or cloying, like the store-bought version.
Ingredients and substitutions
All-purpose flour: The protein content of all-purpose flour results in a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crust. Don’t substitute bread flour or whole wheat flour in this recipe or your crust will be too dry and crumbly.
Sourdough discard: Both sourdough discard and active sourdough starter will work in this recipe. If you don’t have a sourdough starter, add 28 grams of flour and 28 grams of water to your dough.
Strawberries: Both fresh and frozen strawberries work for this recipe. I used frozen in my tests and my filling was delicious. Substitute Blueberry Preserves, Cranberry Jam or Raspberry Preserves.
Butter: I used unsalted butter in my test, if you opt for salted butter (like Mimi does) there’s no need to add salt to the dough.
Natural decorating sugars: These impart a delicious crunch and are essential for these pop tarts. You can purchase them on Amazon!
Tip
You can use store-bought jam or spreads like Nutella or peanut butter if you don’t want to make your own filling.
Step-by-step instructions
STEP 1: Make the filling
Toss strawberries in cane sugar and lemon juice. Heat until the strawberries break down and the mixture thickens. Store the filling in a jar and let it cool before using.
Tip
You can make the strawberry filling up to 2 weeks in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
STEP 2: Make the crust
Stir the sugars, butter, and vanilla extract together until no chunks of butter remain. Combine the egg yolk and sourdough discard. Fold the discard mixture and dry ingredients into the butter until a coarse mixture forms. Add water in gradually just until the dough comes together. Bring the dough together into a cohesive mass.
Tip
Don’t add too much water to your pop tarts may turn out hard instead of crisp and buttery.
STEP 3: Roll out the crust
Roll the dough out into a rough square that’s at least 14-inches. Trim the edges until you end up with a 12-inch square. Cut out twelve 4 by 3 inch rectangles.
STEP 4: Assemble the sourdough pop tarts
Place 6 rectangles on a prepared baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of filling to the center of the dough. Dab water on the edges of the dough and place another rectangle on top. Crimp the edges with a fork. Poke holes on top of the dough.
STEP 5: Bake and glaze
Bake at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the pop tarts cool completely on the baking sheet. Top with glaze and decorating sugars.
Baker's Tips
- Weigh your ingredients. Measuring with a scale is much more accurate than using tablespoons and cups and will better guarantee your chances of success.
- Both active sourdough starter and discard will work for this recipe. No starter? Just add 28 grams of flour and 28 grams of water to your dough.
- Don’t overwork your dough or your crust will turn out tough and rubbery.
- Store any leftover filling in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Let the pop tarts cool completely before glazing, otherwise the glaze will melt and simply slide off your tarts.
How to store pop tarts
Homemade Sourdough Pop Tarts will store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
The sourdough flavor will depend on the unique flavor of your sourdough discard. Discard that’s been kept in the fridge for longer will have built up more acidity and will have a more intense flavor. Discard from a freshly fed starter will have a sweeter, milder flavor.
Absolutely! Simply use the same proportion of freshly fed sourdough starter in the recipe. Your starter won’t add a strong tangy flavor to your pop tarts, but it will still work.
If you don’t have a starter, but still want to try out this recipe, simply add 28 grams of all-purpose flour and 28 grams of water to your dough. The recipe will still turn out delicious, but you won’t have the tangy flavor of sourdough.
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Homemade Sourdough Pop Tarts
Equipment
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Ingredients
Strawberry Preserves
- 226 grams strawberries fresh or frozen
- 57 grams cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Dough
- 57 grams unsalted butter softened
- 57 grams cane sugar
- 35 grams powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 57 grams sourdough discard
- 1 large egg yolk
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
Filling
- 88 grams strawberry preserves
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 to 3 tablespoon water
Glaze
- 106 grams powdered sugar sifted
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Topping
- natural decorating sugars
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Make the strawberry preserves: Remove stems and finely chop strawberries. (Skip if you're using frozen.)226 grams strawberries
- Add strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a medium pot. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat to high and boil for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to cook your preserves for a few minutes longer if you use frozen strawberries.57 grams cane sugar, ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- Turn the heat back down to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the strawberries have completely broken down and the consistency is thick.
- Transfer to a glass jar and let cool to room temperature. Store extra in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the dough: Stir the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract with a stiff spatula until combined and there’s no butter chunks.57 grams unsalted butter, 57 grams cane sugar, 35 grams powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a small bowl, add the sourdough discard and egg yolk and stir together.57 grams sourdough discard, 1 large egg yolk
- Add the flour to the butter mixture and add the egg yolk mixture on top. Mix on low until combined into a crumbly dough. Add in water as needed just until the dough comes together.255 grams all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons water
- Bring the dough together with your hands until a cohesive dough forms.
- On a floured surface or a piece of parchment paper, roll out the dough to a 14-inch square about ⅛-inch to ¼-inch thick, the thinner the better!
- Trim the rough edges into a 12-inch rectangle. Cut out twelve 4 by 3-inch rectangles.
- Place 6 of the rectangles onto the prepared baking sheet.
- To make the filling: Add the strawberry preserves and cornstarch to a bowl and mix together.88 grams strawberry preserves, 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Assemble the tarts: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling onto the middle of each rectangle. Dab water around the edges of each filled rectangle. Top each with another rectangle of dough.2 to 3 tablespoon water
- Using a fork, crimp the edges. Then poke holes all over the top of the dough or make two slits with a sharp knife.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown on the bottoms. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and milk and whisk together until a smooth glaze forms. The glaze should be quite thick.106 grams powdered sugar sifted, 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- Frost each pop tart with glaze and top with the decorating sugars.natural decorating sugars
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
- Both active sourdough starter and discard will work for this recipe. No starter? Just add 28 grams of flour and 28 grams of water to your dough.
- Don’t overwork your dough or your crust will turn out tough and rubbery.
- Store any leftover filling in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Let the pop tarts cool completely before glazing, otherwise the glaze will melt and simply slide off your tarts.
Nutrition
Nutrition info provided are estimates.
Heather
Delicious! Turn out great every time!!!
Hannah Dela Cruz
I'm so happy you loved it!
Desi
have you tried freezing these? either before or after baking?
Hannah Dela Cruz
I haven't tried freezing these! But I would freeze them after baking so you can just pop them right into the toaster oven. You may want to skip the glaze if you're afraid of the sugar burning in your toaster.