Easy Puff Pastry
Apr 27, 2015, Updated May 07, 2023
Easy Puff Pastry Dough which tastes so much better than the store bought stuff and is also easy to make!
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As much as I love baking, I have a different kind of addiction to french pastry. I adore it, I find it magical and can never have enough of it. Whenever I get free time, I try to read about it and absorb as much as I can. Few months back, I did a class in French Pastry at Sur La Table. It was 3 hour class and I had such a great time. I really want to go back and do another class there!
Among all the other things that we were taught, one was this easy puff pastry. Everyone I know loves puff pastry and why not after all it’s so versatile. You can make sweet or savory recipes in minutes if you have some ready to use puff pastry on hands. Well now you can make one at home and honestly it’s very easy. This recipe is from the french cooking class that I took few months back so yeah the credit goes to them, I just halved the recipe since I didn’t want to make a big puff pastry dough.
The recipe asks to do the folding and chilling for a total of 3 times. You can even do this 5 times for extra layers.
Method
In the steel bowl of your stand mixer whisk together flour and salt.
Cut butter into small cubes and transfer it to the mixer bowl.
Toss with your hands until the butter is coated. Cover and chill the bowl for around 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
Fit the bowl into your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and blend on low speed for around 1-1.5 minutes [the butter will break]. You don’t want to overmix here.
With the mixer running on low speed, add the water-vinegar mixture.
In around 15 seconds, you will see that dough starts coming together in large chunks but it will not look smooth. Turn off the mixer at this stage.
Dump the mixture on your work surface that has been dusted with flour.
Bring the dough together, working with your hands. Give a few whacks with your rolling pin, this makes it easier to roll the dough.
Roll the dough into a rectangle [mine looks like a square!!]
Remove any excess flour from the dough. Now make a letter fold by bringing both sides of the dough in the center.
Use your rolling pin to join the two ends and make a smooth surface.
Now fold again to form a log. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 20-25 minutes.
Repeat this rolling and folding step 2 more times, chilling the dough for 20 minutes between each turn. And that’s it! Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 48 hours before using. You can also freeze the dough and it will stay good for around 6 weeks.
* Roll the puff pastry dough thin while making sweet or savory recipes with it. Thinner it is more crisper it will be.
* Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t come together at first, it might not look smooth and uniform in the beginning. Roll and fold even if looks shaggy , by the time you do this folding and turning process for the 3rd time, it will become smooth and you can then trim the edges to make it look all correct.
* I did half the original recipe from Chef Marian Poole @ Sur La Table. Full recipe calls for 3 cups (15 ounceS) flour, 4.5 sticks (18 ounces) cold unsalted butter, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons very cold water and 1.5 teaspoons cider vinegar.
Easy Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 9 ounces cold unsalted butter cut into cubes [2 sticks + 2 tablespoons]
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons water very cold
- ¾ teaspoon cider vinegar
Instructions
- In the steel bowl of your stand mixer whisk together flour and salt.
- Cut butter into small cubes and transfer it to the mixer bowl.
- Toss with your hands until the butter is coated. Cover and chill the bowl for around 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Fit the bowl into your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and blend on low speed for around 1.5 minutes [the butter will break]. You don't want to overmix here.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add the water-vinegar mixture.
- In around 15 seconds, you will see that dough starts coming together in large chunks but it will not look smooth. Turn off the mixer at this stage.
- Dump the mixture on your work surface that has been dusted with flour.
- Bring the dough together, working with your hands. Give a few whacks with your rolling pin, this makes it easier to roll the dough.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle.
- Remove any excess flour from the dough. Now make a letter fold by bringing both sides of the dough in the center.
- Use your rolling pin to join the two ends and make a smooth surface.
- Now fold again to form a log. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 20-25 minutes.
- Repeat this turning and folding step 2 more times, chilling the dough for 20 minutes between each turn.
- Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 48 hours before using. You can also freeze the dough and it will stay good for around 6 weeks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Easy Puff Pastry
