Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
Rustic Rugelach
Makes 6-8 dozen, depending on size
Prep time = 1-2 days Baking time 20-30 minutes
This is a different kind of pastry, made with a lightly fermented whole wheat dough & pastes of various dried & fresh fruit -- nothing else! No butter, no cream cheese, no oils, no refined flour, no sugars, no salt. High in beneficial fiber & resistant starches, antioxidants & flavor!
These rugelach are the perfect accompaniment to a “cuppa” (tea) or a cappuccio. But be prepared, they aren't soft & unctuous like traditional rugelach; they're denser, fruity & slightly chewy. Instead of getting stale quickly like traditional butter pastry, their flavors deepen as the crust absorbs the fruits' moisture if you have leftovers to store in the fridge. Enjoy!
Ingredients
½ tsp dried commercial yeast
1 cup non-chlorinated water, room temp
1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup hi-maize resistant starch (a great prebiotic food for our gut microbes, available online). If you cannot find or don't wish to include, increase your flour ½ cup in its place
1/2 cup dates to create date paste for the dough
½ banana, mashed smooth with a fork
1 cup each of dried dates, apricots, plums, mixed raisins, cooked cranberries or other berries etc, as you like to create
fruit pastes for your fillings
1/2 cup non-chlorinated water & 3-4 tbs date or apricot paste, strained well for pastry glaze
Directions Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C for ½ hour
To create fruit pastes to fill the rugelach, in separate bowls cover each fruit with just enough boiling water to cover. Soak until soft. Alternatively, microwave for 1-1 ½ minutes. Cool. Process with their soaking water in a food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically. If too dense to spread easily, add a little water. Set aside.
A day (or even two) beforehand: In a medium mixing bowl add the water, sprinkling the yeast over its surface. Allow 10 minutes to dissolve completely. Add the flour, resistant starch, mashed banana & date paste, mixing just enough to achieve a wet, sticky dough. Do not knead! Rest the dough for 15 minutes. Remove. On a floured board, flatten the dough & fold in thirds. Repeat a few times in different directions, using your hands or a dough scraper, adding just enough flour as needed to be able to handle this wet, sticky dough.
Replace the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tight-fitting lid & place in the fridge to develop, lightly ferment & expand over 24-36 hours. If you like, you can remove the dough once or twice in the interim. On a floured board, stretch & fold it again to develop its crumb & strengthen the dough. Return to the fridge.
3-4 hours before you'd like to bake, allow the dough - & the fruit pastes - to come to room temperature. Stretch & fold it a few more times. On a well floured board, roll the dough, dusting it with flour on its surfaces to prevent sticking. Roll quite thin (c. 1/16”). With a straight edge, square off the sides & with a knife or pizza cutter. Save the scraps to reroll.
For cylindrical rugelach, using a ruler slice uniform strips 1-2” wide, 6-8” long, depending on the size you'd like to make. A petite rugelach might be 1” x 6”; a medium one might be 1 ½ “ x 7”, etc. Alternatively, you can make rugelach crescents by cutting long, narrow triangles, 2 ½ “ x 7”.
Remove each cut shape to a well floured board, spread on your fruit paste & roll up. For the crescents, begin rolling the wider base of the triangle, finishing with the tip. Press tip lightly to adhere.
Arrange each rugelach on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Strain one of the fruit pastes through a fine strainer or sieve to be as smooth as possible & dissolve in ½ cup water, brush on each rugelach to moisten & create a light glaze when baking.
Bake for 20-40 minutes, depending on the size of your rugelach. Remove when they are firm to the touch & very lightly toasted here & there. Do not overbake. Remove to a cooling rack. Brush on more fruit glaze & allow to cool.
Dig in!