African Vanielje on Mar 17 2008 at 12:55 am | Filed under: baking, how to...
Puff Pastry uses roughly equal quantities of butter and flour. Strong bread flour has a high gluten content which gives added strength to the pastry, which it needs for all that rolling and folding. Lemon juice softens the gluten just enough to make the dough more pliable.
Make sure everything is cold whilst working with this pastry: the butter, the water, the counter. Butter should stand out of the fridge for around 10 minutes before use.
Phase One:
- Sift 2 cups (500ml) of strong bread flour into a bowl with a good pinch of salt.
- Rub in 2 Tablespoons (30ml) of butter until the mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Lay a sheet of clingfilm directly onto your counter.
- Place 200g of butter in the middle and lay another sheet on top.
- Using a rolling pin flatten the butter out (gently) until it is about 15cm x 15cm
- Add 1 Tablespoon (15ml) of lemon juice to 2/3 of a cup (160ml) chilled water.
- Add this to a well in the centre of the flour mix, reserving a few tablespoons.
- Mix to a soft dough with a pastry cutter or a butter knife.
- The dough should not be sticky, but if it is too dry add a little of the reserved lemon water.
- Lightly flour your surface and rolling pin.
- Roll the dough outuntil it is approximately 25cm x 25cm.
- Place the butter diagonally in the centre of this square.
- Fold the pastry in until all corners meet at the centre of the butter square.
Phase Two:
- Roll the dough out until it measures roughly 15cm x 45 cm (3 times as long as it is wide)
- Fold the lower third up, then the upper third down as if folding a letter.
- Seal the edges all around using the edge of your palm or the rolling pin.
- This is the first roll and fold so press 1 fingertip into the edge of the pastry.
- Clean off any extra flour with a pastry brush, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes
Phase Three:
- Repeat phase two 5 more times, pressing an additional fingertip into the dough each time to keep track of the number of folds.
After the last chill the pastry is ready to use. Let it sit for 10 minutes out of the fridge before using.
Make sure the pastry is rolled at least 5mm thick or it will not rise.
