The very idea of making a dessert from scratch scares many people. This article will explain, step by step, how to prepare rough puff pastry, a preparation similar, and just as good, to real puff pastry, although much easier to prepare. The actual preparation time will be 15 minutes, but it will take an additional hour for the dough to cool.
Ingrediants
(If you wish you can halve the ingredients of this recipe)
- 200 g of white flour
- 25 g of flour for cakes (do not use self-raising flour)
- 1-2 g of salt
- 220 g and 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, coarsely grated and frozen
- 6 tablespoons of ice water
- 3 tablespoons of sparkling water
Steps
Step 1. Take a large bowl and sift the flour
When done, add the salt and mix thoroughly.
Step 2. Pour the butter into the bowl
Step 3. Mix the ingredients
Step 4. Add the ice water and mix gently with a fork
Step 5. Move the dough from the bowl to a floured surface (your kitchen worktop will do just fine)
Step 6. Work the dough by rolling it out with the palm of your hand until you are sure you have rolled it out in all its parts at least once
This step serves to incorporate the butter into the dough, making it crumbly.
Step 7. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes
Step 8. Use a rolling pin to roll out the ball of dough into a rectangular shaped sheet
Step 9. Fold one third of the dough sheet, starting on the short side closest to you, onto the middle third of dough (as shown in the picture)
Step 10. Now fold the third of the dough sheet, short side and furthest away from you, over the middle third of dough (as shown in the picture)
Step 11. Fold the dough in half and on itself, starting from the left side, make it fit exactly with the right edge
Pinch the two edges well, making them stick together firmly. Help yourself by looking at the figure.
Step 12. Repeat steps 8 to 11 a second time
Step 13. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes
Step 14. Repeat the steps again, from number 8 to number 13
Step 15. The dough is now ready to be rolled out permanently and used in your recipe
Be careful not to use too much force in rolling out the dough, otherwise you could break the layers that make it up.
Normally, after having rolled out the dough, the edges are moistened with a mixture of beaten egg and cold water. After that, the dough is turned upside down and placed in the pan. This way the moist edges will adhere better to the pan during cooking
Advice
- Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg to get a shiny, crunchy finish. Add some chicken broth if you want extra flavor.
- If after a couple of attempts, you are unable to prepare the puff pastry, perhaps it will be better to buy it ready-made, in your local shop or in the nearest supermarket.
- The critical factor in this preparation is to keep the dough cold during processing. The butter must remain compact, if it starts to soften, put the dough back in the freezer for 10-20 minutes, then resume working it.
- The dough, if wrapped in cling film and frozen, can be kept for up to a month. So if you want, double the doses of the recipe and keep half of it in the freezer for the next time you need it.
- With the doses of this recipe, you will prepare about 450 g of puff pastry.
- Eliminate any flour residue from the dough otherwise, during cooking, it will not grow properly.
- A cold marble surface is ideal for working the puff pastry dough.
Warnings
- This is the type of dough you should use to coat a great quiche, or to make a Wellington fillet or to make a tarte tatin. Do not use it to make desserts that contain cinnamon apples or pumpkin puree.
- Try not to overwork the dough, and do it as fast as you can.
