Puff Pastry Recipe
Making your own puff pastry at home may seem daunting, but with this quick and easy recipe, you'll be able to create flaky and buttery pastry that is sure to impress.
Ingredients
- Butter at room temperature
- Plain/all-purpose flour sieved
- Salt
- Cold water
- Sugar if making a sweet dish
- Puff Pastry Preparation
Instructions
- Mix the sieved flour and salt together in a bowl.
- Incorporate the butter into the flour mixture using your fingers or a pastry cutter until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add cold water gradually and mix until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently to form a smooth ball.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape.
- Spread a layer of butter onto two-thirds of the dough, leaving one-third without butter.
- Fold the unbuttered third over the center, then fold the remaining buttered third over the top.
- Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the folding process.
- Repeat the folding and rotating steps for a total of 6 times.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until firm.
- After chilling, remove the dough from the refrigerator and lightly flour your work surface again to prevent sticking.
- Roll out the dough into a larger rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Make sure to keep the edges even and avoid pressing down too hard on the edges to maintain the layers.
- If you notice any cracks while rolling, gently press them together with your fingers. This ensures that the layers remain intact for better puffing during baking.
- Once rolled out, you can use the dough immediately or re-wrap it in plastic wrap and return it to the refrigerator for later use. Puff pastry can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to a month.
- When ready to use, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). If you're making pastries, cut the rolled puff pastry into your desired shapes—squares, circles, or triangles.
- For a shiny finish, brush the tops of your shaped pastries with an egg wash (a mixture of beaten egg and a splash of water or milk).
- Place the pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, ensuring they are spaced apart to allow for rising.
- Bake them in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and puffed up beautifully.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy your delicious homemade puff pastry creations!