Sourdough Pop Tarts
Sourdough pop tarts are easy to make with your sourdough discard and taste so much better than any store-bought toaster pastry!
The crust is filled with your favorite pop tart flavor, such as strawberry or blueberry, and topped with a sweet glaze.
If you're like me, you love having sourdough discard recipes so that none of your sourdough starter goes to waste!
These homemade pop tarts are made using a sourdough pie crust and the sweet filling of your choice!
It's kind of like a pop-tart and a toaster strudel had a sweet and flaky sourdough baby!
So grab your sourdough starter and let get to baking!
How to make sourdough pop tarts
Homemade pop tarts are simple to make, so let's dive straight into the details!
Prepare the crust
Grate the butter with a cheese grater and then use a bench scraper to cut the butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it forms large crumbles.
Add the sourdough starter discard and vinegar to the bowl. Mix with a fork until it starts to come together.
Press the mixture together with your hands until there are no dry bits. If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of ice water at a time to adjust. (Don't add too much water.)
Press the dough into a small rectangular shape and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to press the dough flat and to smooth the edges.
Let dough chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. (Up to 24 hours.)
Roll the dough and fill
Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangular shape, about ⅛" thick. Trim the edges and cut into 4 long, evenly shaped rectangles.
Lightly beat an egg and brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of your choice of filling onto one side of each piece. Fold the dough over and press the edges with a fork to seal.
Place the unbaked pop tarts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the top of each pop tart with the egg wash.
For these photos I used my homemade strawberry jam and homemade Nutella.
Bake and glaze
Bake in a preheated 350° F (177° C) for 25-30 minutes oven or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool.
Mix ½ cup of powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon of water and glaze each pop tart. (Add more water if the glaze is too thick.)
Sprinkle the top with sugar crystals or sprinkles.
(If you put the glaze on while the pop tarts are still hot, it will melt and become thin.)
Pop tart flavor variations
- Frosted Strawberry - Use 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam per pop tart.
- Frosted Blueberry - Use 2 tablespoons of blueberry jam per pop tart.
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon - Mix ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ tablespoon flour in a bowl. Use 1-2 tablespoons for each pop tart.
- Nutella Pop tarts - Use 1-2 tablespoons of homemade Nutella per pop tart.
- Apple Butter - Use 2 tablespoons of homemade apple butter per pop tart. (fall flavored pop tarts)
How to store and freeze
Store the sourdough pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 6 days. Reheat in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes.
To freeze baked, unglazed, sourdough pop tarts, let cool completely. Wrap tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Easy sourdough recipes to try
- sourdough brownies
- sourdough chocolate chip cookies
- cut out sourdough sugar cookies
- sourdough blueberry muffins
- chocolate chip sourdough scones
Sourdough Pop Tarts Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Crust Ingredients
- 1 cup + 1 teaspoon (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (cold)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough discard
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) white vinegar
Strawberry Filling
- ½ cup strawberry jam (see notes)
- egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten)
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon water
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the crust
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt. Grate the cold butter, using a cheese grater, into the flour mixture. Use a bench scraper or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until it forms large crumbles.
- Add the sourdough starter discard and vinegar to the mixture and use a fork to bring the dough together. Use your hands to bring the mixture into a cohesive ball and press into a rectangular shape. (Add a teaspoon of cold water if the mixture is too dry.)
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough and smooth the edges. Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least one hour. (Up to 24 hours)
Assembly
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle, with a ⅛" thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 4 long strips. Brush the edges with the egg wash.
- Add 2 tablespoons of filling to one side of each rectangle and fold the dough over itself. Use a fork to press and seal the edges. Brush the egg wash over the top of each pop tart.
- Place the pop tarts onto the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the baked pop tarts to a cooling rack.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and water together until thick and smooth. Pour onto each pop tart and sprinkle with coarse sugar or sprinkles.
NOTES
- Frosted Strawberry - Use 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam per pop tart.
- Frosted Blueberry - Use 2 tablespoons of blueberry jam per pop tart.
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon - Mix ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ tablespoon flour in a bowl. Use 1-2 tablespoons for each pop tart.
- Nutella Pop tarts - Use 1-2 tablespoons of homemade Nutella per pop tart.
- Apple Butter - Use 2 tablespoons of homemade apple butter per pop tart.
hi!!!
i’d love to make a hot chocolate poptart. how could I make the dough chocolate? omit flour & add cocoa powder? but how much (ish)? I love your recipe so i’d love to use that as my base. thank you!
Hi Alexa! I would probably just add some cocoa to the ingredients - I would not omit the flour. If you had cocoa powder, you will probably need to adjust the hydration as well. This is not something we've tested, so we're not exactly sure how it would come out though. Please let us know if you test it!
I didn’t have unsalted butter so I just used salted and omitted the salt. It was so yummy!
These are so delicious! Can you freeze (unbaked) and then bake from frozen?
Thank you Elle! Yes you can
Does this really only make 4? How big are they?
Hi Beth, yes this recipe makes 4 pop tarts. You can double or triple the recipe if you want more than 4.We have a video in the recipe card that shows the size, they are a little bigger than store bought ones.
Absolutely delish! I took a warm cinnamon pop tart to friends we met for dinner. On the way home they sent a picture of them empty plate! Thanks for sharing
I put the dough in the fridge overnight to make them the next day. I filled them with fig jam and added some sprinkles on top. My kids loved them. Thank you so much for this recipe!
why can't soft butter be used instead of grated?
Grated butter is what helps make them flaky
It's a pie crust, and like other flaky doughs it needs to be kept cold so that the butter can create those layers as it cooks. Melted butter will make it more dense. Think croissants, biscuits, pies: all made with cold butter, and worked quickly to be kept cold to maintain the flakiness! If you're working in a warm environment, some people will actually chill their flour beforehand to limit the amount of melting that occurs during working.
So good the 1st time I made them, I wanted to make more to put in the freezer! So much better than store bought!!! They are crispy, flaky, and definitely had me at the first bite!! Sublime!!!
Can you use active starter for these?
Yes, that should work