How To Make Puff Pastry
Capture the essence of tender, flaky pastry with this recipe that requires just a handful of basic ingredients. The key lies in the delicate balance of rubbing butter into flour and gently folding the dough to create those signature layers. Once chilled, this versatile pastry is ready to be shaped into pies, pasties, or any delightful creation you desire. A golden, crisp finish awaits after a bit of patient chilling before baking – a step that ensures a perfect puff every time.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 225g/8oz plain flour
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 250g/9oz unsalted butterbutter
- 150ml/¼ pint ice-cold water
Instructions
- Place the flour, salt and butter in a large bowl. Rub the butter gently through the flour, make sure that chunks of butter remain in the mixture. Gradually add the cold water and lemon juice. Use your hands to bring the ingredients together into a rough dough.
- Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a scraggy ball. Place in an air-tight box and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Tip the pastry out onto a lightly floured work surface, and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1cm/½in thick and three times as long as it is wide. Brush any excess flour off.
- Fold the top third of the pastry down and the bottom third up over that to create a block. Turn 90 degrees and roll out to the same size rectangle as before.
- Fold into a block as before. Wrap in baking paper and chill for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the fridge and repeat the rolling and folding twice (so it has been rolled and folded four times all together). Wrap in baking paper and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
- When you use the pastry for a pie, cut one-third off for the lid. Roll the larger piece out to about 3mm thick and transfer to your pie dish. Trim the pastry, and roll the trimmings with the remaining pastry to form a lid. You can use the pastry for pasties as well. Simply roll and cut into circles. Chilling the filled pastry before baking is a good idea to ensure you get the maximum puff.
Cook Time
30M
Prep Time
PT2H
Yield
Makes 500g/1lb 2oz pastry
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