Pumpkin Jam Toaster Strudel

My husband Wayne loves searching out weird and wonderful food items from around the world (as do I, if I must confess). I mean really, we can’t go grocery shopping without returning home with half the supermarket!

So, it’s not surprising that when I went to find some baking inspiration in the cupboard, I was met with a fairly decent selection of inspiring items!

Todays inspiring item is ‘Pumpkin Jam’. It’s an interesting consistency, sort of a cross between a jelly and a paste and has quite an intense sweetness to it; the perfect sweetness to pair with some nutty, short and buttery toaster strudels!

Thus the gluten free Pumpkin Jam Toaster Strudel was born. I hope you enjoy!
*Please note, if you plan on toasting them like pop tarts, add the icing after toasting, as the icing can dry out and flake off when re-toasting them.

PUMPKIN JAM TOASTER STRUDEL
*makes approx. 7 toaster strudels
Ingredients:
Pastry:
1 cup almond meal
1 cup plain gluten free flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg
125g butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp tapioca flour

Filling:
5.5 tbsp pumpkin jam
1 tbsp gluten free corn flour

Glaze:
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
Food colouring (optional)
*Gluten free sprinkles (optional – for decoration only)

Egg Wash:
1 egg
2 tsp water

Method:
1. In a large bowl, combine all items on the pastry ingredient list and mix into a well incorporated dough. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. After an hour, mix the pumpkin jam and cornflour together until a smooth mixture forms. Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius, then take portions of the now cold dough and roll between two pieces of baking paper. I rolled mine until it was about 1cm thick.
4. Using a knife cut out rectangles of dough that are approximately 12cm by 8cm, you will need 14 rectangles to make 7 toaster strudels.
5. Take heaped teaspoonfuls of the pumpkin jam mixture and spread in the middle of 7 of the rectangles, ensuring you leave a small boarder around the edge of the jam (this is where you will brush the egg wash to help seal the pastries).
6. In a small bowl add the egg and water for the egg wash and whisk together. Take a pastry brush and brush the egg wash around the edges of the pastry.

7. Take the pastry rectangles without the jam and position on top of the jam rectangles, sealing the edges, encasing the jam. Using a fork, press the sides of the rectangles, ensuring a good seal is made on the pastries. Prick the tops of the pastries multiple times with a tooth pick, then brush the tops with egg wash.

8. Place the pastries on lined trays and bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.
9. Once the pastries are cooked, put them on cooling racks, then in a bowl combine the icing sugar, milk, vanilla and food colouring (optional) until a smooth and thick paste has formed. Spread or drizzle over the pastries and sprinkle over gluten free sprinkles (optional – this doesn’t add to the flavour, just adds a bit of prettiness).
*Please note, if you plan on toasting them like pop tarts, add the icing after toasting, as the icing can dry out and flake off when re-toasting them.