Description
This flaky puff pastry recipe yields a buttery, crisp, and tender dough perfect for savory and sweet dishes. Made with simple ingredients like all-purpose flour, salt, cold unsalted butter, and ice water, the process involves layering and rolling to create the signature flakiness. Ideal for pies, tarts, and pastries, it requires chilling intervals to keep the butter cold and ensure maximum puff.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup ice water
Instructions
- Combine flour and salt: In a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 teaspoon of salt to distribute the seasoning evenly within the flour base.
- Incorporate butter: Add the cold, cubed unsalted butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with small pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. This is essential for creating layers.
- Add ice water gradually: Slowly add the 1/2 cup of ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently after each addition until the dough begins to clump together but is not too wet or sticky.
- Form the dough and chill: Gather the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax and keep the butter chilled.
- Roll out the dough: Lightly flour a clean surface. Roll the chilled dough into a large rectangular shape, keeping the thickness even for proper layering.
- Fold like a letter: Fold the dough into thirds by bringing one short side towards the center and then folding the opposite side over it, resembling a folded letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees.
- Repeat rolling and folding: Roll the dough out again into a rectangle and fold into thirds once more. Repeat this rolling and folding process two additional times, chilling the dough between rolls if it becomes too warm to maintain the butter’s cold temperature.
- Final chill before use: After the last fold, wrap the puff pastry tightly in plastic wrap again and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using it in your desired recipe to ensure maximum flakiness.
Notes
- Keep the butter and water cold at all times to prevent it from melting into the flour, which preserves the flaky texture.
- If the dough becomes too sticky or soft, chill it before continuing to roll and fold.
- This puff pastry can be frozen for up to 2 weeks; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before use.
- Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to portion the dough without compressing the layers.
- Chilling times are crucial for achieving optimal puff and texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Category: Pastry
- Method: Rolled and folded puff pastry dough
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe (approx. 1/8 of 9x13 sheet)
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 0.2g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Keywords: puff pastry, flaky pastry, homemade pastry dough, buttery pastry, French pastry
