There’s a certain kind of nostalgia baked into every batch of jam tertjies — that unmistakable South African teatime treat that’s graced kitchen counters, church bazaars, and Sunday afternoon visits for generations. Small, flaky, and filled with a spoonful of sweet apricot jam, tertjies are the kind of bake that turns up at every family gathering, usually made from a recipe scribbled on a card and passed down with love.
What makes this pastry so special is the technique: cold, grated butter worked into flour with cream of tartar, then bound together with chilled soda water instead of the usual liquid. That fizzy touch is the secret — it keeps the pastry short and delicate rather than tough, giving you that signature melt-in-the-mouth crumb tertjies are known for. A short rest in the fridge firms everything up, making the dough easy to roll, cut, and fold without fuss.
There’s real comfort in the ritual of making tertjies — cutting neat little circles, tucking in a dollop of smooth apricot jam, folding and crimping each one by hand. This recipe makes a generous batch, roughly five dozen, so there’s plenty to share (or hide away in the freezer for later). Serve them with a strong cup of tea, and you’ve got a proper South African teatime moment.
Ingredients
- 250g butter or margarine cold
- 500g flour
- 0.5 tsp cream of tarter
- 0.3 tsp salt
- 1 cup soda water chilled
- 1 cup smooth apricot jam
- 1 egg beaten (sealing edges
Instructions
- Fire it up — Oven to 180°C. Let it get properly hot.
- Butter magic — Freeze that butter, then grate it straight into the flour, cream of tartar and salt. Rub with your fingertips ’til it’s crumbly and sandy.
- Fizz it together — Splash in the soda water bit by bit, cutting it in with a knife ’til the dough just comes together. Don’t overwork it.
- Chill out — Ball it up, wrap in a cold damp cloth, and let it rest in the fridge for 30.
- Roll, cut, fill — Roll the dough (not paper-thin), stamp out circles, and drop a spoon of apricot jam in the center of each. Keep unused dough chilled while you work.
- Bake to gold — Into the oven ’til golden and gorgeous. Done.
Baked Apricot Jam Hand Pies (Soda Water Pastry Recipe)
Ingredients
- 250g butter or margarine cold
- 500g flour
- 0.5 tsp cream of tarter
- 0.3 tsp salt
- 1 cup soda water chilled
- 1 cup smooth apricot jam
- 1 egg beaten (sealing edges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Cut in the butter: Freeze the 250 grams butter, cold (or margarine) beforehand, then grate it into a bowl with the 500 grams flour, 0.5 teaspoons cream of tartar, and 0.3 teaspoons salt. Rub together with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs.
- Bring the dough together: Add the 1 cups soda water, chilled a little at a time, mixing gently with a knife until the dough just comes together.
- Rest the dough: Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a cold, damp cloth, and chill in the fridge.
- Cut and fill: On a floured surface, roll the dough out (not too thin) and cut circles with a cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps and keep the cut dough chilled between batches. Spoon a small amount of 1 cups smooth apricot jam into the center of each circle.
- Seal the tarts / tertjies: Brush half the rim of each circle with 1 egg, beaten (for sealing edges). Fold over into a half-moon and press the edges with a fork, or prick with a toothpick, to seal and prevent the jam from leaking out during baking.
- Bake until golden: Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown.
Notes
- Makes roughly 5 dozen tarts / tertjies, depending on cutter size. Sealing well with a fork and pricking with a toothpick helps stop the jam from bubbling out during baking. These freeze beautifully unbaked — just bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes.