How many elegant savory and sweet tart recipes have you seen with puff pastry? It produces a cloud-like, buttery, puffy crust used in tarts, strudels, pies, and the list goes on. Puff pastry is incredibly versatile. The traditional, very-time consuming method of making a regular puff pastry requires at least 73 layers (says Julia Child) but often 700 or so layers. However, I’m sharing a much simpler homemade version with lots of layers thanks to shortcuts. While not to French perfection, this recipe certainly fits the bill for flavor and flake.
Puff Pastry Origins
I love the French, especially for their perfection of the puff pastry known as pâte feuilletée. The oldest known recipe of this fancy dough dates back to 14th century France. Puff pastry is a simple flour dough layer topped with a solid layer of fat like butter, margarine, or shortening and then rolled and folded over and over. This technique is called “lamination” as the continued folding and rolling of fat in the dough creates layers of flakiness once baked. As a homebaker, I opted for a less intensive version that works well in puff pastry dishes without all the effort.
700 Layers in a Puff Pastry? Seriously? How?
Yes, a traditional puff pastry will easily consist of 700 layers. The traditional method of making puff pastry requires placing a very cold large layer of solid fat over a large layer of dough made of flour, water, and salt. These 2 layers are then rolled and folded into each other. Using this traditional method, it only takes 6-8 rolls and folds to achieve this enormous amount of layering.
Keeping the dough and fat cold until hitting them with a blast of heat in the oven causes the fat to melt more slowing resulting in pockets (or layers) as the dough bakes. This is why you should refrigerate your fat and use ice water when making pie dough AND why scones are often placed in the freezer just before baking. Puff pastry rises at a rate of 8 times its original height when it hits the heat. It is suggested that around 400˚F (204˚C) is the temperature at which puff pastry successfully rises and reaches it rise potential.
How Can You Roll & Fold Less to Achieve Similar Results?
The key to less work with similar results lies in 2 areas…
1. super cold ingredients including the utensils and bowl,
2. and cold butter diced into very small ¼-inch pieces.
As a homebaker, I opted for a less intensive version that works well in puff pastry dishes without all the effort. In this post, I’m sharing the easier version of rolling and folding in half the number of times that a professional baker would do.
The Easy Puff Pastry KEYS Explained
“Very cold” is the key phrase in this simple recipe. There are 2 VERY important elements in this recipe that make it much easier than a traditional layered version. First, start with VERY small pieces of butter to speed up the lamination process. Using small pieces of butter allows you to roll more easily and the butter disperses through the flour quickly as though you’ve been rolling and folding for hours. Secondly, ALL the ingredients and utensils need to be VERY cold. Starting with and maintaining cold ingredients and utensils ensures cold dough throughout the process until the dough hits the oven heat. That’s pretty much it!
Easy Puff Pastry Ingredients
For making this puff pastry recipe, you only need 4 ingredients plus water. They are all-purpose flour, water, granulated sugar, salt, and unsalted butter. Yes, unsalted butter… not my go-to, but I wouldn’t stray from that in this recipe.
Prepare Ingredients & Place in the Fridge
Start by dicing 282.5 grams (10 ounces / 2½ sticks) of unsalted butter into small ¼-inch pieces. Place diced butter in the refrigerator. Measure out 240 grams (2 cups) of all-purpose flour and place that in the fridge. Whatever bowl and mixing utensil you intend to use to make the dough also needs to go into the fridge or freezer. I prefer to use a stand mixer bowl and paddle attachment. To a measuring cup, pour in 118 milliliters (½ cup) of water. Add 13 grams (1 tablespoon) of granulated sugar (superfine is best since it breaks down easily). However, you can use any size granulated sugar you have on hand as it will eventually dissolve in the water. Add 6 grams (1 teaspoon) of salt. Stir the sugar and salt in the water until they have dissolved. Place it in refrigerator as well. The ingredients, bowl, and utensil that are in the fridge should remain there for at least 30 minutes to get VERY cold.
TIP: I prefer to place my bowl and utensils in the freezer. You can prep and leave the ingredients, bowl, and utensil in their respective cold areas for days, if need be, I have.
Combine Ingredients
Once very cold, add flour and butter to the cold stand mixer bowl. Toss the butter and flour with your hands to disperse the butter and ensure that each piece is lightly coated with flour. With the bowl and paddle attached to the stand mixer, beat on low speed for about 30 seconds to break up the butter. Pour in the water and increase the speed to medium. Beat only a few seconds until the dough comes together in chunks and turn off the machine. Careful not to overmix the dough. The gluten should not develop, and the butter needs to remain in small chunks for the lamination process.
Begin the Lamination Process: Rolling & Folding 3 Times
Roll Dough into 1st Rectangle
Remove the dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to shape dough into a rectangle. With the work surface floured well, use a rolling pin to roll dough into a 12 x 18-inch rectangle.
Fold Dough into 1st Letter
Starting at one short side, fold the rectangle into thirds like a letter. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up over the first fold. You should have a narrow rectangle that looks like a long rectangle envelope.
Roll Dough Again into 2nd Rectangle & 2nd Letter
Rotate the folded edge so the seam is on your left side resembling a book. On a floured surface, roll out the dough again to another 12 x 18-inch rectangle. Fold again into a letter.
Roll Dough into 3rd and Final Rectangle and Letter
Repeat rotating the letter so the fold is on the left. Roll out a 3rd time into a 12 x 18-inch rectangle. Fold a 3rd and final time in a letter.
TIP: You should roll and fold 3 times each. If you think the dough is getting warm (particularly during warmer months), then place it in the fridge for ~20 minutes to firm up again and continue where you left off.
Wrap, Seal, & Store Puff Pastry Dough
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap sealing it well to prevent it from drying out. Place folded dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour until firm to overnight or up to 3 days. You can freeze the dough, sealed well, for up to several weeks and thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
How to Use Homemade Puff Pastry Dough in Place of Store-Bought Versions
This homemade puff pastry recipe makes a little more than the store-bought, commercial version. However, you can use all of it in any recipe that calls for a package of store-bought puff pastry. I like using this homemade version in my French Galette des Rois pastry as shown in the following images. You can also use it for my Finnish Pinwheel cookies following more of a traditional puff pastry crust.
Puff Pastry Final Thoughts
Puff pastry may seem intimidating; however, it really isn’t. Keep in mind that this version is not a fancy, time-consuming French bakery version, but it works well in creating a buttery, puffy, flaky crust for your puff pastry needs. I have made this recipe many times and used it as I would with regular commercial versions. This puff pastry consists of lots of layers, looks elegant, and tastes really good. I hope you give this a try and use the dough in all sorts of your favorite sweet and savory pies, tarts, and appetizer recipes.
For visual details of this recipe, check out my YouTube video. “Easy & Incredible Buttery, Flaky Puff Pastry: Less than 30 Active Minutes for ALL Puff Pastry Needs”
Easy & Incredible Tasting Buttery, Flaky Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 282.5 g (10 oz / 2½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 118 ml (½ cup) water
- 13 g (1 tbsp) granulated sugar superfine is best
- 6 g (1 tsp) salt table salt/ fine granules are best
Instructions
- Dice the butter into small ¼-inch pieces and place in the refrigerator along with the measured-out flour, mixing bowl, and paddle attachment or utensil you will use to make the dough. All ingredients should be very cold (at least 30 minutes in fridge) when using them.
- Measure out water and add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to get very cold.TIP: You can place the bowl and utensil in the freezer. All ingredients, bowl, and utensils can be left in their respective cold places for up to several days.
- Once very cold, add flour and butter to the cold stand mixer bowl. Toss butter with flour using your hands to disperse the butter and ensure that each piece is lightly coated with flour.
- With the bowl and paddle attached to the stand mixer, beat on low speed for about 30 seconds to break up the butter.
- Pour in water and increase speed to medium. Beat only a few seconds until the dough comes together in chunks and turn off the machine. Careful not to overmix the dough.TIP: Avoid gluten development and ensure the butter remains in chunks.
- Remove the dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to shape dough into a rectangle. With work surface floured well, use a rolling pin to roll dough into a 12 x 18-inch rectangle.
- Starting at one short side, fold the rectangle into thirds like a letter. Fold the top third down then the bottom third up. You should have a shape that resembles a long rectangle envelope.
- Rotate the folded edge so the seam in on your left side resembling a book. On a floured surface, roll out the dough again to another 12 x 18-inch rectangle. Fold again into a letter. Repeat rotating the letter, so the fold is on the left, roll out 1 more time, and fold again like a letter.TIP: You should roll and fold 3 times each ending with the 3rd fold.
- Wrap the dough well in plastic and place in refrigerator at least 1 hour until firm to overnight up to 3 days. You can freeze the dough, sealed well, for up to several weeks and thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
Video
Check out these other recipes.
3 Simple & Flavorful Pie Crusts
Chinese Shaobing Flatbread Pastry
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes.