YEAST DOUGH HAMANTASCHEN

 

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We love the earthiness and tang of yeast in our family and we are especially fond of rustic breads that abound with this flavor. Dealing with recipes that involve yeast can be daunting. Part of the problem of dealing with yeast doughs is that measurements cannot be exact. Usually, the recipe will say something like “add additional flour” until some criteria is met. In this case, it said to add flour until the dough was no longer sticky. “Sticky” is a very difficult and subjective condition. So I went slowly, adding an eighth of a cup at a time. I wound up adding another whole cup of flour and still felt that the dough was “sticky,” but decided that it was less sticky than my challah dough and I would see what it was like after the long rising period in the refrigerator. I think that I was successful in producing a dough that was workable and tasty.

Yeast Dough Hamantaschen

• 2-1/4 tsp. or one envelope dry yeast
• 1/4 cup lukewarm milk
• 1/2 cup plus 1/4 tsp. sugar, divided
• 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pats
• 1/2 cup whole milk Greek-style yogurt
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• 2 large eggs, well beaten
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• non-stick cooking spray
• Filling or fillings of choice
• Egg/honey wash made by combining 1 Tbsp. honey with one egg

Swirl yeast, milk, 1/4 tsp. of sugar and 1/4 cup flour in a one quart jar with a lid. Let rest for 20 minutes.

Put 2 cups of flour and butter pats into mixer bowl and mix with flat beater at lowest speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add yeast mixture and remaining sugar, yogurt, lemon rind, eggs, and salt. Mix at medium speed until a smooth dough results.

Switch to dough hook and beat in the additional 1 cup of flour. Spray a large clean bowl with cooking spray and transfer dough to it, covering tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Let dough come to room temperature before proceeding.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Roll out dough on a well-floured surface (I use a pastry cloth and stockinette-covered rolling pin) into 1/4-inch thick large rectangle. Fold like a business letter into three layers. Turn 90-degrees and roll out again. Again, fold into thirds, turn, and roll out again. Repeat this process one more time to make three separate folding operations in total. This helps the dough form flaky layers.

After the dough has been folded three times, roll out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut circles close together with a four-, to four-and-a-half-inch-round cookie cutter. The circles will shrink as you work with them.

Place circles on baking sheets.

Place a tablespoonful of filling in the center.

Turn up opposing edges of the circle and overlap at the corner where they meet.

Bring up remaining edge of the circle and overlap at the corners where it meets the first two edges to form a triangle. Make sure filling is completely covered. Flip over.

Re-roll scraps and proceed to cut more circles, etc.

Brush lightly with honey/egg wash. Place baking sheets in a draft-free place and allow the dough to rise for 15 minutes.

Bake at 350°F. for 15-20 minutes, or for 12-15 minutes in a convection oven until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets while still warm.

If desired, cooled hamantaschen can be decorated with a lemon glaze made by combining about 3/4 cup powdered sugar with a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and piping lines with a piping bag. To get the right consistency for the glaze, a ribbon of it dropped across the surface of the glaze should take until the count of ten to disappear. If too thin, or too thick, add small quantities of either sugar or lemon juice until the correct consistency is achieved. Go slowly!

Makes 18-24 hamantaschen. These freeze well, but if you use Lemon Glaze, put on after freezing.