Making puff pastry certainly isn’t neuroscience, but it definitely is one hell of a workout.
By Carly DeFilippo
Whether you’re female or simply feeble-armed, this technique will facilitate all the flakiness you need, without the aching wrists and shoulder strain.
The Girl’s Guide to Puff Pastry
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 3 lbs of dough 1x
Description
Making puff pastry certainly isn’t neuroscience, but it definitely is one hell of a workout. Whether you’re female or simply feeble-armed, this technique will facilitate all the flakiness you need, without the aching wrists and shoulder strain.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Gold Medal flour
- 3 cups King Arthur flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 extra large egg
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 pound unsalted butter, slightly softened
Instructions
- Mix flour, salt, and 1/2 stick of softened butter in a KitchenAid or other standing mixer, using the blade attachment.
- Crack an egg into a liquid measuring cup. Fill the cup, still containing the egg, up to 1 1/3 cups of water. Add to Kitchen Aid.
- When dough forms, switch to the dough hook attachment and knead for 5 minutes.
- Shape dough into a ball and let rest, covered, for 15-20 minutes.
- While dough is resting, cut the remaining pound of butter into thin slices (about four lengthwise slices per stick of butter).
- Cut a sheet of wax paper 18 inches long and cover with butter slices. Cover with another 18 inch sheet of wax paper. Roll butter into a 12 x 16 inch rectangle, using rolling pin. Chill.
- Roll out rested dough into a large rectangle. Chilled butter should fill up about 1/2 to 2/3 of the dough.
- Place the butter in the center of the dough and fold into thirds.
- Roll out dough again and fold the dough “book fashion” (fold in ends to touch in the center, then close the “book”). Wrap the dough in wax paper and chill.
- Repeat the rolling out/book fold process four more times, chilling the dough in wax paper for 30 minutes between each rolling. Beware butter oozing out of the dough and fold all corners squarely.
- After last folding, chill at least 3 hours before use.
Notes
Betty Ann, a trained chemist, created a recipe with two different types of flour because the amount of gluten in flour determines the stiffness of the dough. Her recipe allows for a durable but flexible dough.
- Prep Time: 4 hours
