Puff Pastry

Puff pastry is the artist's dough. A little bit of creativity goes far in creating a beautiful and unique puff pastry treat. I like to sketch my ideas out before hand because the possibilities can be overwhelming. Whether it's a bear claw or a croissant, there's something magical about watching a flat piece of raw dough puff out into something beautiful and elegant. Because the addition of butter to the dough is fairly straight forward, puff pastry is a great starter crust for novices. Good puff pastry is 90% patience, the rest is just a sturdy rolling pin and a little muscle. If you can leave dough alone in the fridge for a couple of hours, you can make terrific puff pastry.

This recipe can be used for both savory and sweet treats. I love puff pastry baked with a little cheese in the middle, perfect for tea time or breakfast. I also like to whip up some elegant desserts. Try a round base of puff pastry with a small cored apple on top. Place a couple of cinnamon sticks and a little honey in the center of the apple then bake. The cinnamon and honey melt into the apple but don't overwhelm its natural flavor. The crisp flakiness of puff pastry also lends itself well to pie crust. Try it next time you make apple pie, it soaks up the juices quite nicely but still retains a lovely crunch.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 stick of butter sliced into thin pieces
  • 5-10 tbsp ice water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 egg for egg wash (optional)
Instructions: 

Serving: 6-8 small pastries or 1 nine inch covered pie
Prep Time: 2-6 hours (depends on your patience)
Cook Time: 20-60 minutes (less time for smaller pastries)

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Slowly add the ice water, tablespoon by tablespoon until the dough comes together in a nice ball. You can do this by hand or with a food processor. It should come together without sticking to your hand or the bowl.
  2. On a clean dry surface, roll the dough out to a rectangle with half an inch thickness. You may need to sprinkle flour on the surface and on your rolling pin to keep it from sticking. Arrange the sliced butter over the dough in a thin layer, cover 1/3rd of the dough with the butter. Lift the side with no butter and fold it over the center. Fold it again in the same direction, basically rolling it in three so that you have a layer of dough, a layer of butter, a layer of dough, a layer of butter and a final layer of dough.
  3. Now, with a good rolling pin you are going to flatten the dough. This is achieved best by pressing the pin into the dough rather than rolling it. Once flattened to about half an inch, fold the dough in three horizontally then in half vertically. Wrap it in plastic and let the dough rest in the fridge for 20-60 minutes.
  4. Place the dough back on your surface and flatten again. For true puff pastry you need to fold and flatten the dough at least six times. Traditionally, you should let the dough rest in the fridge after every roll but I've gotten away with folding and flattening it twice before resting.
  5. Preheat your oven to 400° before the final roll. Roll your dough and form into desired shapes. Add egg wash if desired; however, avoid getting egg wash on the sides of the dough as it hinders the puff processes. Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Do not open oven while baking.
  6. Serve sooner than later and enjoy.