Puff pastry

-

Puff pastry is the dough that bakeries use to make puffs (veg/chicken/egg). Though they use the unhealthy margarine or shortenings such as dalda, when one makes at home, you can ensure that you use good quality butter. 
 
The trick is to make the puff pastry dough early in the morning or when the temperature is cool as we do not want the butter to soften. As much of the butter should remain in chunks in the dough layers so that as it melts in the oven, steam is produced which puffs up the layers. So even before baking in the oven, it is recommended to freeze the dough with the filling for 5 to 10 minutes. So straight from the freezer to the hot oven! 
 




The components....

All-purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cup

Salt - 3/4 tsp 

Butter, cold - 1/2 cup

Cold water - 1/2 cup

 

 

The strategy....

In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Chop cold butter into 1/4 inch thick pieces and cast it to the center of the flour. Gently rub the butter into the flour. Add cold water slowly in batches. At the same time try to bring the flour together softly. There will be chunks of butter which have not melted. Don't worry. Its meant to be like that. No need to get a smooth dough. We only need to incorporate the flour and butter into a large ball.

 


 

 Cover with cling film or tin foil or baking paper and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Sprinkle flour on the kitchen top or on a baking paper and on the rolling pin. Place the dough on it and roll it gently into a wide circle of even thickness. 

 


 

Fold the part away from you, towards you till the middle of the circle. Fold the part nearest to you towards the center so that an envelope is formed. Rotate the envelope to quarter of a circle.

Roll again into a rectangle of even thickness, with two opposite edges longer than the other two. 

 


 


 

Again repeat the envelope fold.

 

 


 

Rotate the folded envelope ninety degrees (quarter of a circle) so that one of the shorter side is closest to you.


 

Again roll into a rectangle and repeat envelope fold.

Now we have done three folds.

Since butter will start to melt at this stage, wrap the dough tightly in tin foil or baking paper and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Repeat roll and envelope fold 3 times. 

Wrap dough in baking paper and refrigerate for 2 hours if it is going to be used the same day for baking. Else freeze. But remember, once frozen, it has to be placed in fridge for a day to thaw.


Recipe ref :

https://cookingfromheart.com/homemade-puff-pastry/
https://www.nisahomey.com/2014/11/puff-pastry-recipe-homemade-puff-pastry.html
 
 
 

Comments

Post a Comment