How To Make Pumpkin Pasties from Harry Potter

June 6, 2020 JBS Comments 0 Comment

The Harry Potter series is near and dear to our hearts. For many of us super fans, we long to receive our Hogwarts letter, learn magic, and feast in the Great Hall. To live in a world of wonder making lifelong friends along the way. From the moment Harry first enjoyed treats on the Hogwarts Express, even wizarding food has intrigued us. Thanks to The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, now we can! Today we used this awesome book to show us how to make pumpkin pasties from Harry Potter and are here to share with you!

Among the many sweets offered by the trolley witch on Harry’s first train ride to Hogwarts were pumpkin pasties. Harry bought them along with many other treats to fill his hunger and to spend some of his newly acquired gold weighing down his pockets. As someone who spent pocketfuls of coins on sweets in my youth, I can totally relate to Harry. It might be dating myself at this point, but I can live with that. What’s remarkable is that he is willing to share with his new friend Ron.

Pumpkin pasties became a staple snack for Harry and his classmates throughout the books. As one of the iconic food items from the series, it was a simple choice to be our first recipe made from the unofficial cookbook.

Pumpkin Pasties

Pastry

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
3 tablespoons cold shortening, cubed (if you have a tub of shortening like me, it is easiest to measure when it is at room temperature, then refrigerate so you have just the right amount ready and chilled)
4-6 tablespoons cold water

Remove mixture from food processor into a large mixing bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of cold water. Mix until incorporated into a dough. Add more water a half tablespoon at a time if dough does not all hold together. Roll dough into a ball and flatten into a disc shape. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Filling

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheet by fitting a piece of parchment paper to fit. This will help pasties not stick to the pan. Once dough has chilled, roll out on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 6 inch circles (a bowl lid worked for us, but use a saucer, jar, cookie cutter, or whatever you have to form circles). Dollop 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of dough circles. Dip fingertips in water and wet the edges of the circle. Fold over one side to meet the other edge to make a half moon shape (like Dumbledore’s glasses). Transfer to a baking sheet. Crimp edges closed using a fork. Cut a slit on top of each pastry to vent. Sprinkle with extra granulated sugar if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Now I must say, these didn’t turn out half bad! We did alter the recipe from the one in the book a little to suit our own tastes, and still thought they could have been sweeter. They may not be perfect, for we certainly aren’t the Hogwarts Express Trolley Witch. According to herself in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, her hands have made over six million of the pumpkin-packed pastries. Still, I think she would approve.

Comparing these to the ones found at Honeyduke’s inside Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, ours are better. Has to be the homemade magic of it. But to be sure, we will go back once they reopen to try theirs again. 😉

Another popular pudding (desert for you American muggles) we are keen to make is rice pudding. That is on high demand in this house so that may be the next magical treat we whip up here. Ever since the little man heard it served at Harry’s first welcoming feast in the Sorcerer’s Stone, it’s been requested almost every day.

Recipe

Pastry

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
3 tablespoons cold shortening, cubed (if you have a tub of shortening like me, it is easiest to measure when it is at room temperature, then refrigerate so you have just the right amount ready and chilled)
4-6 tablespoons cold water

Add flour, sugar, salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add butter and shortening. Pulse until a course yellow meal forms with no white powder remaining. About 25 pulses did the trick for us. Remove mixture from food processor into a large mixing bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of cold water. Mix until incorporated into a dough. Add more water a half tablespoon at a time if dough does not all hold together. Roll dough into a ball and flatten into a disc shape. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Filling

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheet by fitting a piece of parchment paper to it. This will help pasties not stick to the pan. Once dough has chilled, roll out on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 6 inch circles (a bowl lid worked for us, but use a saucer, jar, cookie cutter, or whatever you have to form circles. Dollop 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of dough circles. Dip fingertips in water and wet the edges of the circle. Fold over one side to meet the other edge to make a half moon shape (like Dumbledore’s glasses). Transfer to a baking sheet. Crimp edges closed using a fork. Cut a slit on top of each pastry to vent. Sprinkle with extra granulated sugar if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.