Don't be afraid to make your own puff pastry. It just requires a little concentration. You may need to make it a few times before you master the technique, but be patient and you will soon be able to produce flaky, light puff pastry. The actual working time is not long, but it seems long because you must allow time for the dough to rest. I usually wait until after the third turn before I clean up the flour on the countertop. There is no use in cleaning it three times! For a particularly flavorful pastry, use butterfat-rich European-style butter.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup ice water
- Flour for dusting
Directions
Combine the flour and salt on a work surface. Scatter the butter cubes over the flour and then toss together until all the cubes are coated with the flour. Shape the mixture into a mound and form a well in the center.
Pour the water into the well. With your fingertips, as though you were tossing a salad, work the water into the flour-butter mixture until a rough dough begins to form. It will look like torn and knotted rags. Gently press the dough together so that all the dry flour is absorbed.
Form the dough into a rectangle about 6 by 8 inches and 1 1/4 inches thick. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 7-by-16-inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. (See Tips for Rolling Out Puff Pastry, facing page.) With a short side of the rectangle facing you, fold the dough as you would a business letter: fold down the top two-thirds toward you and then fold the bottom third over the top. This is a single turn.
Give the dough a quarter turn so that the open seam is on your right and the closed seam is on your left. If necessary, lightly flour the work surface so the dough doesn't stick. Repeat the rolling and folding process; this is another single turn. Wrap and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
Give the dough 2 more single turns, rolling and folding each time and making sure to give it a quarter turn between the 2 turns so the open seam is on your right. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Once more, give the dough 2 single turns, folding and rolling as before, and refrigerate for 1 hour before rolling out as directed in individual recipes.
Tips for Rolling Out Puff Pastry:
Flour the work surface lightly before putting the pastry on it. If you notice the butter breaking through the flour, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before attempting to roll it. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the pastry and roll from the center outward in all 4 directions to the thickness specified. Keep the sides of the puff pastry straight and even as you roll. Occasionally loosen the dough from the work surface with a metal or plastic pastry scraper to prevent sticking and lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough as needed.
When the pastry is the desired size, brush off the excess flour and cut into pieces as needed. When cutting, press the knife down with a rocking motion to make a clean cut. Do not drag the knife through the pastry. Refrigerate or freeze pastry pieces until needed.
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Submitted 3/13/07.
Source: Classic Stars Desserts from Chronicle Books
Submitted By: b smith
Puff Pastry