GoldenDelights

Puff pastry

This is one of those recipes that nobody in Italy would even consider to attempt as you can buy puff pastry already rolled and ready to use. I will not lie, it is not easy to make. It takes 3 days (although most of the time is for resting the dough), but the taste is nothing like what you buy in the store.

NOTES:

  • Don’t be tempted to skip the resting time, it is crucial for the dough to relax and fold.
  • Make sure you use a high quality butter, it truly makes a difference. The best is European-style butter, as it has a higher percentage of fat than American-style.

Ingredients

Dough

Butter block

  • All-purpose flour 230g
  • Unsalted butter 30g, at room temperature
  • Water 120g, cold
  • Salt 6g
  • Butter 140g, cold

Procedure

Dough

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, butter (cut into small pieces) and slowly add the water while mixing with the flat beater attachment.
  2. Mix until the dough comes together (it will not be a smooth dough, that’s ok), then transfer it to a flat surface and shape it into a disk.
  3. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, or overnight.

Butter block

  1. Once the dough has rested, start preparing the butter block. Leave the butter at room temperature for 5 minutes, then place it in between two sheets of parchment paper.

2. With a rolling pin, flatten the butter and shape it into a 12x12cm (5”x5”) square. If the butter becomes too warm, place it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

Lamination

  1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface.
  2. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 20x20cm (8”x8”) square.

3. Brush off the excess flour and place the butter in the center of the dough at a 45-degree angle.

4. Fold the dough over the butter so that the butter is completely enclosed. Seal the seams by pressing the dough.

5. Place the dough in front of you with the seams up and roll it into a rectangle approximately 15x40cm (6”x16”).

6. With one of the short sides closest to you, fold the dough like a letter (fold the top third of the dough down and the bottom third up, as if you were folding a business letter).

7. Turn the dough so that the folded edge is on your left and roll it again into a 15x40cm (6”x16”) rectangle.

8. Perform another letter fold.

9. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

10. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, place it so that the folded edge is on your left, and roll it into a 15x50cm (6”x20”) rectangle.

11. Perform a double fold: fold both ends to meet in the middle, then fold it in half from the top or bottom to make a book.

12. Refrigerate the dough for at least 45 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap.

13. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, roll it again into a 15x50cm (6”x20”) rectangle, then perform another double fold.

14. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours (or overnight) before using it.