Homemade Hot Pockets

Every time my son goes grocery shopping with me he asks to buy Hot Pockets. Once in a while I give in, but usually I'm not so nice. I can make them myself. At least that has been my reasoning. And I have tried a couple of times but I have never been quite satisfied with the results. The bread doesn't taste flavorful, it looks like a lumpy bag, or it just is a flop.

But I didn't give up. I tried again. And succeeded.



I came across a roll recipe that I just love {after a few minor changes}. These rolls are fluffy and buttery and just GOOD. I decided to use the dough recipe for another version of homemade hot pockets, and it worked deliciously. Now my boy can have his hot pocket for lunch just about anytime he wants.

This technique works for keeping the filling inside the pocket:
Fold the dough ends over. . .



then the sides. . .



flip pocket over, tuck and shape.



I was pleased. And to get rid of the lumpy appearance I have had with past pockets, I let the dough sit while preheating the oven, about 10 minutes. While baking, the pockets round a bit and are fluffy when eaten. Below you can find the full recipe and instructions.



Homemade Hot Pockets
For the bread dough:
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 c sugar + 1 tbsp sugar
1/2 c butter
1 egg
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp yeast
2 c warm water
10-13 c flour

For the filling:
2 lb ham, cut into pieces
3 c shredded cheese
4 tbsp melted butter for brushing tops of pockets

Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine milk and 3/4 cup sugar in saucepan. Add 1/2 c butter, cut into tablespoon slices. Heat til butter begins to melt and milk is about 105F. Pour hot milk mixture into bowl of stand mixer; add egg and salt. Mix well with paddle attachment. Add 2 cups of flour and mix well; add 2 more cups of flour and mix. Let sit.

In separate bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of sugar into warm water. Measure temperature of water, it should be between 100-110F. Add yeast and stir. Let proof til it is nice and foamy, about 2-5 minutes.

Add 1/2 of yeast~water mixture to milk~flour mixture in bowl of stand mixer. Combine well. Add 1 cup of flour and stir well; add remainder of yeast mixture and another cup of flour. Mix well. Continue to add flour, one cup at a time, stirring with paddle attachment after each addition, until dough begins to thicken. Add remainder of dough, until it is pulling from sides of bowl, using hands or wooden spoon.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead til smooth and lightly sticky. Allow to rise in greased large bowl covered with plastic wrap in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Divide dough into four balls trying to get the same size. Roll each ball into a large square, roughly 18"x18". Use a pizza cutter to divide dough into six equal pieces. Top each piece with a small handful of ham and a handful of shredded cheese. Fold ends over, then fold sides, then flip, tuck and shape. Place on well buttered cookie sheet. Continue, filling two cookie sheets, each with 12 pockets. Let sit and rise while oven is preheating, about 10 minutes.

Bake pockets for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Let cool at least five minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely and wrap in wax paper, then place in plastic freezer bag to store for lunches. Reheat in microwave for one minute and thirty seconds. Alternately, keep in refrigerator up to three days and enjoy cold or room temperature as well.



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