Puff pastry

In baking, a puff pastry (pate feuilleté) is a light, flaky pastry made from dough of the same name. The dough, which is also called puff paste, contains several layers of butter. Croissants are formed puff pastry. Puff pastry shells used to be filled with crabmeat salad or chicken à la king at ladies' luncheons. An American fashion in the late 1970s was to bake a wedge of Brie in puff pastry and serve warm. Choux pastry, used to make cream puffs is different, using eggs.

Below are several ways to make puff pastries.

Contents

1 Method 1 1.1 Ingredients 1.2 Directions 2 Method 2 2.1 Ingredients 3 Modernisation: Flaky Puff Pastry 3.1 Ingredients 3.2 Method 4 Modernisation: Another Filo Puff Pastry 4.1 Ingredients 4.2 Method

Method 1

Ingredients

• 1 (one) pound of flour
• 1 (one) pound of butter
• water

Directions

1. Sift the flour.
2. Divide the butter into four parts.
3. Cut one part of the butter into the flour with a knife.
4. Make the butter and flour into dough with water.
5. Roll the dough.
6. Flake the dough with part of the butter.
7. Flake until all the butter is in.
8. You have made enough crust for at least ten puffs.
9. Bake with a quick heat for 10 (ten) to 15 (fifteen) minutes.

Method 2

Ingredients

• 2 (two) dry quarts (¼ peck, 2.2 liters) of flour
• 1 (one) pound of butter
• cold water

Take a quarter of peck of flour, and rub it into a pound of butter very fine. Make it up into a light paste with cold water just stiff enough to work it up. Then lay it out about as thick as a silver dollar; put a layer of butter all over, then sprinkle on a little flour, double it up, and roll it out again. Double and roll it with layers of butter three times, and it will be fit for use.

Modernisation: Flaky Puff Pastry

Ingredients

• 460 g butter, divided into four equal portions
• 460 g plain (non–self-raising) flour

Method

1. Sift flour into a bowl
2. Cut one portion of butter into the flour till becomes crumbly.
3. Add cold water, as needed, to make a dough.
4. Lightly dust kneeding board and rolling pin with flour. Roll dough till it is approximately half a centimetre thick.
5. Cut (smear) another portion of butter into the pastry. Fold pastry into quarters. Roll pastry back to a half a centimetre thickness. Repeat this step till there is no butter left.
6. Draw a sheet of plastic food wrap large enough to cover one side of the flattend pastry. Invert the kneeding board.
7. Cover the other side with another sheet of plastic food wrap. Gently roll the pastry into a cylindrical shape.
8. Store in refrigerator until needed for use. Keeps well for a maximum of two days.

Modernisation: Another Filo Puff Pastry

Ingredients

• 2 and 1/3 cups plain (non–self-raising) flour
• Additional flour for dusting
• 450 g butter, diced
• 550 g butter
• chilled water

Method

1. In a bowl, mix the first measure of flour and diced butter, until it becomes a fine crumb.
2. Add to the crumb, a little at a time, ice cold water until it becomes a very stiff dough.
3. Lightly dust the kneading board and rolling pin with flour.
4. Roll the pastry dough to the thickness of parchment paper, or thinner if possible.
5. Coat all of the visible dough with smears of butter. Sprinkle the pastry with a light dusting of flour, then fold in half.

• While coating the dough in butter, keep the rolling pin as cool as possible. Either place a tea towel over the rolling pin, then a cold pack on top, or place the rolling pin in the freezer if near by.

1. Repeat steps #4. and #5. at least another two more times. At most, repeat another six times. Work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
2. Draw a sheet of plastic food wrap large enough to cover one side of the flattend pastry. Invert the kneading board.
3. Cover the other side with another sheet of plastic food wrap. Gently roll the pastry into a cylindrical shape.
4. Store in refrigerator until needed for use. Keeps well for a maximum of one day.