Classic Puff Pastry Dough: A love & hate relationship

What can I say about deliciously sinful puff pastries that most people don't already know?  Well, I can confirm a few things:

Yes, it's loaded with butter.  (But that's a lot better than being filled with shortening like the store bought kind)

Yes, its luscious  flaky layers and sweet fillings are hard to resist 

Yes, they seem complicated to make. 

However, I proved that it's not impossible to make at home.   I decided that I needed some additional practice before taking my last practical for school.  So as soon as I unpacked all the kitchen boxes, I decided to put my small kitchen space to the test.  I'm glad that I practiced because making the dough and baking them in less than 3 hours was extremely stressful.  

If you find yourself with some free time you can save yourself lots of money,  a trip to your local bakery and also impress your friends and family!  The best part is that you can prepare the dough, bake half of it, and then freeze the rest for future use.  Grab your apron and try out the following recipe!  I've included photos to help you through the steps.

Classic Puff Pastry Dough

adapted from Professional Baking 5th ed.

6 oz     Bread Flour

2 oz     Cake Flour

1 oz      Butter, softened

.14 oz   Salt

4.5 oz   Water, cold

2 sticks Butter, sliced

1.  Combine both flours and 1 oz butter into a mixing bowl.  Mix until the butter is incorporated and no large chucks are visible.

2. Dissolve salt into water.  Pour into flour/butter mixture.  Mix until the dough comes together.  This is called the pick-up stage.  

3.  Remove dough from mixing bowl and knead until the dough become smooth.

  Your dough should look like this:

  

5.  Shape dough into a rectangle and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.  The dough is now called the Detrempe.   While the dough is resting, you will now begin working on the butter block, also known as the Beurrage.  Slice butter and lay them out onto a piece of parchment paper.

6.  An important tip when locking in the butter is to ensure that the consistency of the dough and butter are the same.  If the butter is too soft the dough will absorb it and create the wrong texture.  If the butter is to hard, the layers will be uneven and you'll have some ugly puff pastry.  Keep this in mind as you begin the next steps.  If necessary, stop and refrigerate the butter if it becomes too soft.

3-Fold Butter Lock:

Now that the detrempe and beurrage are ready, you will need to lock in the butter.   Follow these steps:

1.  Roll out dough to 1/2" thick.   Ensure that the dough is shaped into a rectangle.  Place the beurrage over the top of the dough so that it covers 2/3 of the dough:

2.  Fold the non-buttered side of the dough 1/3 of the way in.  Then fold the buttered side over so that the  edges meet.   The three fold is like folding a letter. 

Turning the dough

Next roll the dough back out to 1/2" thickness ensuring that it remains in a rectangle.  The dough is ready to begin the folding process.  The method that will be used is called a 4-fold.  

Wrap the dough in parchment paper to prevent it from drying out and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.  After it has rested, you will repeat the 4-fold step (i.e. turn the dough) 3 more times being sure to refrigerate the dough 15-20 minutes after each turn.   This process takes approximately 1 hour and creates the flaky layers.  

Remember, being OCD is okay when making puff pastry dough.  Make sure the dough is 1/2" thick and shaped into a rectangle during each turn.  Once all the turns are complete the dough is ready to be prepped into a variety of puff pastries, refrigerated overnight, or frozen for future use.    

I'm sure by now, you're exhausted and need a break.  So for my next blog post I will demonstrate a the different make-ups for puff pastries.  If you have questions about this recipe, don't hesitate to send me an email at flourbloom@gmail.com.  I'd love to hear from you!  Happy Baking!