Extra-Quick Homemade Puff Pastry
I've finally found the perfect puff pastry - very simple and quick, beautiful, with clearly defined layers. I've tested it during several months and it was a success each time. To be honest, nobody ever felt the difference between this recipe and the classic puff pastry. I like to think of myself as very patient in the kitchen, so I prepared the classic puff pastry recipe many times. But it required so much effort, that I ended up using the store-bought one again.
The recipe is from a classic book by some French chefs, a very inspired present from my husband. It's a book I really recommend, you can find some pictures below. The recipe in the book had some errors as well, but I made the necessary corrections. Then I tested it several times and now the puff pastry is perfect each time.
I find it a very good idea to use the food processor with the S-blade attached, which makes the whole process become very easy and predictable. If you don't have a food processor, you can work with your hands as well, but you'll have some kneading to do. And the butter might melt in the process. It's not impossible, but it's not as easy as with a food processor. If you buy one, you can use it for other recipes as well.
From the ingredients below I made 2 rectangular sheets, of about 20x30cm, just like a store-bought packet. I baked 2 oven sheets, one with elephant ears and one with pizza rolls. The puff pastry can keep for a long time in the freezer and for a few days in the fridge, so you can make some stocks in advance and use it when you need it!
This is the source of my recipe, it's the exact page in the book. I've made some error corrections so that the puff pastry will be perfect each time.
By the way, I really recommend this book!
The whole roasted cauliflower is also from this book and there is always fight over it whenever I cook it.
Step one - Cool the ingredients.
Measure 100ml water in a measuring cup and add 1 tsp salt.
Mix well until the salt is completely dissolved.
Measure 300g flour and place on a plate or in a bowl.
Keep the flour and the water for 1-2 hours in the fridge or 15 minutes in the freezer - depending on whether you are in a hurry or not.
Cut the butter into 1x1cm cubes, the higher the fat content, the better.
Place the butter cubes in the fridge for 1-2 hours or in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Step 2 - We prepare the pastry.
- Place the cold flour in the bowl of a food processor with the S-blade attachment.
Add 60g cold butter or 6-7 cubes (roughly).
Put the lid on and blend on high speed for 1 minute. Notice how the butter is getting crumbly and it's actually being absorbed by flour.
- Now add the remaining cold butter cubes to the bowl.
Mix on medium speed for 5-7 seconds, no longer than that!
The butter should combine with the flour into pretty large flakes so the crumbles in the mixture shouldn't be too small.
- Pour over the cold water with salt.
Turn on the food processor on medium speed for half a minute, until you notice the dough starts to come together.
Dough is moist now, without traces of dried flour, and it's coarse because of the cold butter.
Dust some flour on the work space and, with a spoon, turn dough onto it.
Carefully bring together with your hands all the crumbs into a smooth ball of dough. Do not knead or press the dough.
Otherwise, butter will begin to melt, will get incorporated into the flour and the pastry will not form the clearly defined thin layers.
With a rolling pin, roll out dough into a rectangle about 30x35cm. It doesn't have to be perfectly straight nor does it have to have equal sides.
Fold the right side over the middle of the rectangle, about 1/3 of the sheet.
Bring the left side and fold it over.
Now roll up this long rectangle.
And we get this snail shaped dough.
Cover it in plastic wrap, press gently with your hands to flatten the snail a bit.
Dough is ready now, refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours before baking it.
Or put it in the freezer right away, if you want to bake it some other time and slowly thaw the dough for 3-4 hours in the fridge before you cook it.
Step 3 - We bake the pastry.
Remove the cool pastry from the fridge. I usually cut into 2 pieces.
Press each piece with your fist or with the rolling pin (dust the work space with some flour) and shape into a small rectangle.
Roll out with the rolling pin into a larger rectangle with the thickness required by the recipe. Of course, dust the work space with some more flour.
Here I baked a sheet with sweet puffy elephant ears, as the kids wanted.
Find the recipe on my website.
I couldn't take photos of the puff pastry layers, but they are, indeed, perfect and exemplary. The pastry is flaky and tasty, it won't lose its shape and it rises evenly!
Here are some ham and cheese pinwheels, made from the other half.
Find the recipe on my website.
In this picture you see clearly the buttery layers in the pastry, which is essential for a perfect puff pastry.
Now you can bake whatever you wish - tarts, pies, salt sticks, croissants etc.
Enjoy!
