Homemade Sourdough Pop Tarts with Jam Filling

This sourdough pop tarts recipe is so easy to make and brings back the best childhood memories. Made with sourdough discard and filled with strawberry jam, you only need a few pantry staples to make this classic treat in your own kitchen. 

Raise your hand if you have memories of eating Pop Tarts before school or snagging one out of the vending machine for a snack. 

Easy to eat and filled with sugar, how could you not love them?

Of course, now that I know more about whole food and avoiding the long list of ingredients found in pop tarts from the store, you won’t typically find this treat on my grocery list. 

I just couldn’t resist trying to make this childhood favorite at home for my own kiddos. Of course, if it happens in my kitchen, it will likely include my sourdough starter. 

I used my go-to sourdough pie crust recipe that I use to make everything from apple pies to chocolate pies. After letting my dough ferment in the fridge for a couple of days, I filled small rectangles of dough with homemade strawberry jam I canned last season. 

To finish it off, I had to add the all-important glaze on top. 

What I ended up with was a delicious sweet treat that had that extra flavor boost from the sourdough discard. 

My kids loved them. Luke and I loved them, too, honestly. 

So, if you want to enjoy an old-school treat but with more wholesome ingredients, this recipe is for you. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Nostalgic – Many of us remember enjoying Pop Tarts as kids. This recipe brings back all those memories.

Simple ingredients – Made with pantry staples, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had all of the ingredients for this on hand right now. The best part about the homemade version of this iconic snack is there is no high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, or other unwanted ingredients. 

Great way to use discard – If you find yourself with a lot of discard or need to use up some of your starter before you feed it next, this recipe is perfect. It’s a fun treat, and you will most definitely impress your kids with this. 

Tips

• For those that like to prep a lot of food in advance, double this recipe and freeze the unbaked pop tarts. Flash freeze first on a baking sheet before adding to a freezer safe bag. Bake in the oven when ready to enjoy as directed below. 
• If you want to make these extra special, add a few sprinkles on top. These would make a great birthday breakfast or snack. 
• To long ferment, let your dough chill in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Ingredients

For dough

All purpose flour

Sugar

Salt

Butter – The butter needs to be cold in order to get those delicious flaky pastry layers. 

Sourdough starter discard

For Filling

Jam – Use your favorite store bought jam or make your own. We like to use my homemade Strawberry Jam Sweetened with Honey!

Egg – You’ll need to create an egg wash to brush the top layer to ensure you get a beautiful brown color after baking. 

For Glaze

Powdered sugar

Milk 

Tools You May Need

Large Bowl

Cheese Grater or Pastry Cutter – Either of these work well to incorporate the cold butter. 

Rolling Pin

Pizza Cutter – This is optional, but it makes it really easy to cut the dough into perfect rectangles. 

Pastry brush 

Baking sheet

How To Make Sourdough Pop Tarts

Make the Dough

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar with a dough whisk. 

Add in the cold butter to the flour mixture. Use a cheese grater to grate the butter in or add it in chunks and use a pastry cutter until you get about pea-sized chunks of butter. Be careful not to over mix. 

Add in the sourdough discard and mix until just combined. You can use a dough whisk, but I like to use a fork. 

Divide the dough in two. I like to use a bench scraper for this. Shape each section of dough into a disc shape and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days for longer fermentation. 

Make the Filling

If you don’t have any jam on hand, you can make your own while your dough chills. My strawberry jam recipe makes 5 pints, but you can cut down the recipe to make as much as you need. 

A blueberry, raspberry or blackberry jam would also be delicious in these.

Build the Pop Tarts

On a lightly floured surface, take one of the dough discs and roll it out into a large rectangle, approximately 1/8 inch thick.

Trim the edges as necessary and divide the rectangle into 4 equal-sized long rectangles. I like to use a pizza cutter for this, but a sharp knife or bench scraper works, too. 

Fill one end of the rectangles with the jam or filling of choice, leaving some room around the outer edges. 

Take the other end of the dough and fold it over the jam. 

Crimp the edges together using a fork. 

Carefully place each pop tart onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. 

Repeat with the other disc of dough. 

Bake

In a small bowl, whip up one egg to create an egg wash and brush it on top of each pop tart. 

Bake the pop tarts at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. 

Add the Glaze

While the pop tarts are baking, make a glaze by combining the powdered sugar and milk in a medium bowl. 

Allow the pop tarts to cool completely before spooning on the glaze. 

FAQ

How to Store Sourdough Pop Tarts

Store your pop tarts in an airtight container. These are best enjoyed fresh, but will last a couple of days. 

You could also freeze these. I suggest freezing unbaked pop tarts and then when ready to eat, bake according to the directions above. 

Try Some of My Other Sweet Sourdough Recipes

• Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Bread
• Homemade Sourdough Graham Crackers
• Easy Sourdough Blueberry Bread
• Homemade Brioche Donuts with Vanilla Custard Filling
• Sourdough Swedish Cinnamon Buns Recipe

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone

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