Puff pastry is a French pastry made by folding dough around butter, creating a flaky finished product. It’s used in desserts and savory foods and can be bought frozen. There are two styles to make at home: traditional and rough. The traditional method requires cooling between folds and takes several days, while the rough method is quicker but produces less flaky pastry.
Puff pastry is a type of traditional French pastry that is made by repeatedly folding a dough around a block of butter. As the pastry bakes, the steam trapped within the dough separates the folded layers, creating a puffy, flaky finished product. This pastry is used in a range of French desserts such as croissants and can also be used to wrap hors d’oeuvres and other savory foods. Making pasta from scratch is a little challenging, but it can be a fun project.
If you don’t feel like making your own pastry, most markets sell it, usually in the frozen section. Frozen puff pastry can be kept in the freezer until you’re ready to use it as needed; you can also freeze pasta you make at home. If you decide to freeze your puff pastry, chill it in the refrigerator first and then wrap it tightly in wax paper and then place it in an airtight bag.
There are two styles of puff pastry you can make at home. The first is the traditional one, which can take several days as it requires cooling between the folds of dough. You can also make “raw” puff pastry. Rough pastry is fairly quick and easy to make and produces a flaky result, although it won’t be as flaky as real puff pastry.
To make the classic kind, sift two cups of flour with one-half teaspoon of salt into a large bowl. Add half a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of butter. Mix these ingredients together with a pastry knife, adding a small amount of water to bring the dough together without making it too sticky. Once the dough has come together, chill it; this is the first stage of making the dough and this block of dough is called a detrempe in French.
While the dough cools, soften about a cup of unsalted butter and then roll it out into a rectangular shape on a sheet of plastic wrap. Place another plastic sheet on top and use a rolling pin to roll the butter as evenly as possible. Once you’ve made an even, rectangular block of butter, cool the butter so it’s the same temperature as the dough.
Roll out your dough into a rectangular shape that’s about twice the size of the block of butter, then arrange the block of butter in the middle. Fold all four sides of the dough rectangle around the butter to form an envelope, then turn it sideways and fold the two ends together so they meet in the middle. Roll out the resulting rectangle, twist it and repeat the process three more times. Then, chill the dough for at least eight hours before taking out, folding over the sides, and rolling as directed above. Plan to repeat this process at least one more time and up to six more times before using your desired dough.
If you want to make a textured puff pastry, mix one and a quarter cups of flour with a quarter teaspoon of salt, then cut into a cup of unsalted butter. Add six tablespoons of ice water and then pour the loose dough onto a floured cutting board. Using the heel of your hand, smooth the dough against the cutting board to mix the butter thoroughly, then roll it into a ball and chill for half an hour. Roll out the dough into a rectangle and fold as directed one stage above before using as desired.
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