I adore pockets. Those cozy, warm, crusted over pastries with something spectacular hiding inside. One bite, warm steam escapes, the yummy aroma coaxing you to dive into a sea of delicious flavors.
I also love tofu scramble. And nutritional yeasted-cheezy hash browns. Veggies and Daiya pepperjack cheese. AM fare to pull me out of bed. Much like in my Breakfast Burrito. But this time I decided to stuff my fave AM flavors into vegan buttery, flaky-crusted pocket. Total happiness for breakfast in these easier-than-you-think Tofu Scramble Veggie Cheezy Hash Brown Breakfast Pockets!..
Pockets. Like I said. They made me happy. Tofu in a pocket is a wonderful thing. I used to have the Amy’s Kitchen Tofu Scramble pocket for breakfast many mornings when I was in college. And the tofu scramble stuffed pockets I found at the Union Square Greenmarket in NYC were nothing short of amazing. And actually, my first signature recipe was a pocket: Sweet & Sassy Sweet Potato Pockets.
So this is my first attempt at stuffed pockets (where I made the crust from scratch) – some notes..
Tips and Tricks for Pocket Tarts
* The Crust. The goal is to stuff as much filling into the pocket as possible. Otherwise you are really just left with a lot of crust and a few bites of filling. Not good. So here is how I achieved this. First you prepare your dough. Knead well. Place in the freezer for about a half hour or so to chill for easier rolling. Roll out as thin as possible, but don’t go crazy since the next steps will assist you. Cut out a large circle of dough – about 5″ across. Then take that circle and roll out (again) as evenly and thinly as possible. Now you have a perfectly thin piece of circle dough to work with! From here you can stuff and fold into a half circle pocket – or roll out a second slightly larger circle for the top layer. Seal edges with a fork, poke a hole in the top.
* The Filling. The filling should be cooked slightly (in my opinion) – although you could also add in raw marinated tofu. Filling contents will slightly bake in the oven. My tofu came out delicious – but maybe slightly “over cooked” – so next time I’d pre-cook a few minutes less before stuffing into the pocket and baking.
* Whole Circle Pocket. As noted in step one, if doing a two layer circle pocket – you want that top circle of dough to be rolled out slightly larger than the bottom circle, in order to accommodate the enormous lump of filling you have piled on top the first circle.
Here are links to recipes that will help you recreate my tofu hash pockets..
Tofu Hash Breakfast Pockets
makes 4+ pockets (depending on size)
herbed pocket dough (Recipe below)
Tofu Scramble recipe 1 or recipe 2 – see my 5min tofu scramble video here – or my 5-ingredient tofu scramble
Cheezy Hash Browns
Daiya Pepperjack Cheese (or another vegan cheese brand – optional)
Herbed Pocket Dough
1 ¾ cups white flour
½ cup wheat flour
2 tablespoon salt-free seasoning blend (like a Mrs Dash type spice)
¾ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ stick vegan butter, softened
½-1 cup cold water (add in teaspoon increments) note: for a more buttery, rich crust crust you can add in another spoonful vegan butter. Coconut oil can also be used in place of vegan butter – but you will need a pinch more of salt if using all coconut oil)
To Make:
1. Start with the dough. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, pepper and spice to a large mixing bowl. Add in the softened vegan butter. Add the water in teaspoon increments until you have a nice sticky – yet kneadable ball. On a floured surface, knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Place back in bowl and freeze for about 30 minutes.
2. Prepare you filling according to the recipe instructions – see links above. Set aside to cool at least a few minutes. Remember DO NOT overcook your tofu. You want it slightly undercooked so that it doesn’t over cook in the oven. Slightly wet is OK since the filling will dry out a tad when baking in the crusty pocket.
3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
4. Roll out your dough. See tips above. Thinly. Use bowls or cookie cutters to create dough circles. Roll out circles. As thin as possible without compromising strength – dough should be hole free.
5. Add filling to dough (tofu, scoop of hash browns and sprinkle of vegan cheese. Hot sauce or salsa is a nice add-in as well.
6. Add top layer of dough or fold over pocket – top layer dough should be rolled out slightly larger than bottom layer. Crimp edges tightly with fork. Poke hole in top to vent.
7. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18 minutes. Longer if using extra large pockets – shorter if mini pockets.
Cool a few minutes before serving.
