Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties Recipe

Pastry:

1. Cool butter: Cut the butter into small cubes, place them in one layer on a plate, and put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes; they should not be frozen but get really cold.
2. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor/stand mixer.
3. Add butter cubes and process shortly, about 10 pulses, but it depends on the machine you are using. The dough should resemble breadcrumbs.
4. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of icy water, and pulse a few times again until the dough comes together. Add the third tablespoon of water if necessary; sometimes I do add it, sometimes not; it depends on how exactly you weigh the flour and sometimes on the brand of the flour itself. The dough should hold together when you press a little bit of it between your fingers.
5. Refrigerate: Form a ball, divide it into two portions, press each piece into a disc and wrap the discs tightly in plastic foil. You will only need one portion to make about 15 pasties. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
6. Alternatively, you can use a ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry.

Filling:

1. If you want to make your pumpkin puree, halve and deseed a small pumpkin. Place the halves on a baking tray and bake at 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35-45 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft. Let cool a little, remove the skin, and puree the pumpkin flesh in the food processor.To make the filling, you will only need about 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ ½ cup of it.
2. Mix 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ ½ cup pumpkin puree with the spices and set aside.

Make the pumpkin pasties:

1. When ready to roll the dough, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Roll dough: Sprinkle the working surface with a bit of flour and roll one of the refrigerated dough discs, about 3 mm / 0.12 inches thick.
3. Cut dough circles using a pastry cutter or the edge of a glass. My circles had a diameter of 8 cm/ 3.1 inches, and the resulting pasties were small. After rolling the remaining scraps a couple of times as well, I had 15 pasties.
4. Fill pasties: Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the filling on one side of the pastry circles, dab the pastry edges with a wet finger and fold the other side over. You will now have the half-moons.
5. Crimp: Press the edges with a fork to crimp and close them.
6. Cut vents: Using a small sharp knife, cut some tiny slits on top to create vents. I cut the vents in the form of Harry's scar, but you don't have to do that; an ordinary X will suffice.
7. Place the pasties on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Bake:

1. Egg wash: Mix the egg yolk with the milk. Brush the pasties.
2. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until nicely golden.
3. Let cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.