Foldovers

Think of these as homemade Hot Pockets, except actually good. A soft, yeasted dough made with both white and whole wheat flour wraps around a filling of seasoned ground beef, rice, cheddar, and tomato sauce, then bakes until golden.

The dough is straightforward bread dough. Scald your milk, cool it, bloom the yeast, knead for five minutes, and let it double. While it rises, you’ve got time to brown the filling. The beef mixture gets a simmer with tomato sauce, cumin, and garlic powder so the flavors concentrate before they go inside the dough.

Roll the dough thin. If it’s too thick the foldovers end up bready and the filling-to-dough ratio gets thrown off. Seal the edges firmly with a fork so nothing leaks out, and cut a small slit on top to vent steam.

Pro Tips

• Roll the dough as thin as you can manage. Thick dough means doughy foldovers. You want the filling to be the star.
• Drain the beef well. Pour off all excess fat before adding tomato sauce, or the filling will be greasy and soak through the dough.
• Seal edges tightly. Press with a fork and make sure there are no gaps. Loose edges pop open in the oven.
• Butter and wrap after cooling. The butter layer under the foil keeps the crust from drying out during storage or reheating.

Variations

• Turkey version: Swap ground beef for ground turkey and use pepper jack cheese for a kick.
• Breakfast foldovers: Fill with scrambled eggs, sausage, and cheese instead of the beef mixture.
• Freezer stash: Make a double batch. Wrapped in foil, they freeze beautifully and reheat on a grill or in the oven.