Puff Pastry Recipe

Puff Pastry

What is puff pastry?

Puff pastry consists of butter, sugar, salt, and flour. It is known as a staple of pastry and baking, and can be used in sweet or savory dishes.

Storage

Once cooked, it has a short shelf-life and is better eaten the same day it was baked. You can keep it uncooked for up to 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator, or for a month in the freezer.

Ingredients 

White vinegar ¾ teaspoon

Cold water ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon

Sea salt 1¾ teaspoons

All-purpose flour 3½ cups plus 2 tablespoons

Butter, at room temperature 12 ounces

Directions

Step one: Making the Detrempe 

In a small bow mix the flour with the salt, make a well and add the water, vinegar and soften butter. Mix the ingredients with you hand or a spatula until the dough has just come together into a mass. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 2: Making a butter block

The butter block is made as the dough chills in the refrigerator. Using a rolling pin and between parchment paper, flatten the butter out into a wide square measuring about 6 inches. Spread the butter gently, and smooth out the edges with a broad spatula.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 3: Combine Butter and Dough

The flaky consistency of puff pastry comes from layering butter and dough quite thinly, the puff pastry being done correctly would have several thin layers.

Start by pressing the dough with a rolling pin into a square about 1/2 an inch thick and 14 inches long let it rest about half an hour in plastic wrap in the fridge.

Place the butter diagonally in the dough, over the butter, fold the edges of the dough and press gently.

Place the dough in a lightly floured work surface and start rolling it gently and evenly until you make a 17 by 7 inch rectangle.

Mark lightly the dough into thirds and fold it into a square by alternating one third of the rectangle with the other. Do not press hard down. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes in plastic wrap.

Repeat the directions for the next turn.

Continue until you have made all 6 turns.

Let it rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours up to 48 hours.

Step 4: Baking

Preheat the oven to 400 ° F and line a baking pan with parchment paper, cut the puff pastry to the desired shape, bake for 30 minutes, turn the oven to 250 degrees. Continue to bake the pastry, until golden brown, for another 30 minutes.