Puff Pastry
Classic laminated pastry — six turns, 729 layers
A block of butter folded into dough six times, which gives 729 alternating layers. Each one traps steam and pushes the next apart, and that is the whole mechanism — no yeast, no baking powder.
It is a day's work spread across a day of waiting, and the only real skill is keeping the butter and the dough at the same firmness. If the butter is harder it shatters; if it is softer it merges and there are no layers.
Ingredients
Détrempe (the dough)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/4 cups cold water
Beurrage (the butter block)
- 1 pound (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Détrempe
- Mix the flour, salt, melted butter and water until it just comes together. Knead briefly — 30 seconds, no more. Score a cross on top, wrap, and chill 1 hour.
Beurrage
- Beat the cold butter with the flour until smooth and pliable but still cold. Shape into a 6-inch square between parchment sheets and chill 30 minutes.
Lamination
- Roll the dough into a cross shape with a thick square centre and four flaps. Set the butter block in the centre and fold the flaps over to enclose it completely, sealing the seams.
- Roll out to a rectangle about 8 by 24 inches, keeping the edges square. Fold in three like a letter. That is one turn.
- Wrap and chill 30 minutes. Repeat for six turns in total, chilling 30 minutes between each. Mark the count with fingertip dents in the dough — you will lose track otherwise.
- Chill for at least 1 hour after the final turn before rolling and cutting.
- Bake at 400°F. Cut edges cleanly with a sharp knife: a crushed edge seals the layers and stops the rise.
Notes
- Work quickly and keep everything cold. If the butter starts to break through, chill immediately.
- Freezes 3 months. Roll it out before freezing and it is ready to use.
- For a faster version with most of the effect, see Rough Puff Pastry.