Puff Pastry
The texture of puff pastry comes from the way its essential ingredients—flour, butter, water, and salt—are combined. You begin by making two separate components. The first, the dough package, or détrempe in French, is mostly flour with just a bit of butter worked in (a combination of all-purpose and cake flour results in just enough protein to support the dough as it puffs). The second, the butter package, or bourrage (“filling”), is mostly butter, with a little flour worked in. The two packages are combined by repeatedly rolling and folding the dough, creating a total of 1,458 distinct layers. In the heat of the oven, the steam that is produced by the butter in the dough creates pockets of air and expands the many layers. Tarts made with a puff pastry base are among the simplest to assemble. The following recipe makes enough pastry for four large tarts (freeze unused pastry up to 3 months).
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 2 1/2 pounds
Ingredients
For the Dough Package
For the Butter Package
Preparation
Step 1
Make the dough package: In a large bowl, whisk to combine both flours with the salt. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in butter just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Form a well in center of mixture, and pour the water into well. Using your hands, gradually draw flour mixture over water, covering and gathering until mixture is well blended and begins to come together. Gently knead mixture in bowl just until it comes together to form a dough, about 15 seconds. Pat dough into a rough ball, and turn out onto plastic wrap. Wrap tightly, and refrigerate 1 hour.
Step 2
Make the butter package: Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons flour on a sheet of parchment. Place sticks of butter on top, side by side, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons flour. Top with another sheet of parchment; using a rolling pin, pound butter to soften and flatten to about 1/2 inch. Remove top sheet of parchment, and fold butter package in half onto itself. Replace top sheet of paper, and pound again until butter is about 1/2 inch thick. Repeat process 2 or 3 times, or until butter becomes quite pliable. With a large offset spatula and parchment paper, shape butter package into a 6-inch square. Wrap well and refrigerate until chilled but not hardened, no more than 10 minutes.
Step 3
Remove dough package from refrigerator and lightly dust with flour. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll dough package into a 9-inch round. Place butter package in center of dough round. Using a paring knife or bench scraper, lightly score dough to outline butter square; remove butter. Starting from each side of center square, gently roll out dough with rolling pin, forming four flaps, each 4 to 5 inches long; do not roll the raised square in center of dough. Replace butter package on center square (remove parchment). Fold flaps of dough over butter package so that it is completely enclosed. Gently press with your hands to seal. (If at any point in rolling process, dough becomes too soft or elastic, return it to refrigerator to rest at least 30 minutes.)
Step 4
Using rolling pin, press down on dough at regular intervals, repeating and covering entire surface area, until it is about 1 inch thick. Gently roll out dough into a large rectangle, about 9 by 20 inches, with a short side closest to you. Be careful not to press too hard around edges, and keep corners even as you roll out dough by squaring them with the side of the rolling pin or a large offset spatula. Brush off excess flour. Starting at near end, fold rectangle in thirds as you would a letter; this completes first single turn. Wrap well in plastic; refrigerate 45 to 60 minutes.
Step 5
Repeat process in step 4, giving dough five more single turns. Always start with flap opening on right as if it were a book. Mark dough with your knuckle each time you complete a turn to help you keep track. Refrigerate 1 hour between each turn. Dough can be made in advance through fourth turn and then kept overnight in refrigerator or up to 1 month in freezer before continuing. After sixth and final turn, wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before using. Divide into 4 pieces. Freeze unused portions for up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.)
Using Store-Bought Pastry
Step 6
Homemade puff pastry is incomparably buttery and flaky. While not difficult to make, it does require multiple steps over the course of several hours. This recipe yields four 11-ounce pieces—enough for four large tarts; freeze the unused portion up to 3 months. If you choose to use store-bought frozen puff pastry, look for an all-butter brand, such as Dufour, which is sold in a 14-ounce rectangular sheet. Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry, which is made with vegetable oil, is sold in a 17-ounce box, with two square sheets per box. The recipes in this book allow for some flexibility when it comes to puff pastry: You may use one 11-ounce sheet of homemade pastry, one 14-ounce box of store-bought all-butter pastry, or one 17-ounce box (two sheets) interchangeably. Simply roll or cut the pastry to the desired size. To combine 2 smaller pieces into 1 larger rectangle, overlap the 2 pieces slightly, brushing the overlap with water to seal. Then roll or cut the pastry as directed.
