I highly recommend having these on hand. You can put just about anything that you can think of inside of them. (veggies, pulled pork, leftover ground beef). The dough whips up fast, is fool-proof and your teens with think you are some kind of kitchen wizard and perhaps even pick up their pile of shoes by the back door without being asked. (I lied, that last part will not happen, ever!)
Ingredients: For the Dough -
Ingredients:
2 c. very warm water (110 degrees)
3 tsp. salt.
4 TBS. honey
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
4 1/2 C. flour
3 tsp. instant yeast
1/4 c. olive oil, divided in the bowls to grease as they rise.
Fillings:
2 cups of shredded cheese - I used pepper jack here
2 cups of cubed ham
Instructions:
Place all ingredients in a mixer except oil.
Mix on high for 8 minutes.
Place each dough in a greased each with 1/4 c. oil.
Let rise about 20-30 minutes.
after it has risen, dump it out and cut it into small sections. I cut it just like a pie and I try and get 10-12 sections. You may want to only get 8 if you plan on making them a little bigger in size.
take each section and shape it into a rectangle short of shape. As you can see above, some of mine were very oval and some got a little thin in spots. I have learned to let go of how "pretty" they are going to look. and not over handle the dough. shaping and re-shaping to get them to look right, does not make them taste any better.
once you have your dough shaped, go ahead and add your fillings and then fold the top over and press the edges to seal.
Bake the pockets for 20 in a 400 degree oven, or until the tops are golden brown.
To make them extra perfect you can rotate the baking sheet once or twice during bake time.
Remove pockets from the oven and allow to cool on the pan until ready to handle and serve.
Make ahead tip: After the pockets cool, wrap them individually in aluminum foil and freeze. Or you can wrap them in a small sheet of freezer paper and then a tight layer of plastic wrap.
To ReHeat them -- microwave for 2-3 minutes on high or bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes.
