RECIPE 9.1
PUFF PASTRY
Yield: 3 lb. 3 oz. (1530 g)
Salt
0.5 oz.
15 g
2.4%
Water, chilled
10.5 fl. oz.
315 ml
51%
Bread flour, chilled or frozen
10 oz.
300 g
49%
All-purpose flour, chilled or frozen
10.5 oz.
315 g
51%
Unsalted butter, very soft
4.5 oz.
135 g
22%
Unsalted butter, cold
15 oz.
450 g
73%
Total dough weight:
3 lb. 3 oz.
1530 g
248%
MISE EN PLACE
- Chill water.
- Chill flours.
- Soften butter for the détrempe.
- 1 In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, dissolve the salt in the chilled water. Add the bread flour, all-purpose flour and soft butter. Knead just until a smooth dough forms, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
- 2 Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and chill 1 hour or overnight.
- 3 To roll-in the butter, first prepare the cold butter by placing it between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic film. Use a rolling pin to soften the butter so that it remains firm yet pliable like clay. Shape the butter into a 7.5-inch × 10.5-inch (20-centimeter × 27-centimeter) rectangle. It is important that the détrempe and butter be of almost equal consistency. If necessary, allow the détrempe to sit at room temperature to soften slightly or chill the butter briefly to harden.
- 4 On a lightly floured board, roll the détrempe into a rectangle approximately 12 inches (30 centimeters) × 18 inches (46 centimeters) long. Lift and rotate the dough as necessary to prevent sticking.
- 5 Use a dry pastry brush to brush away any flour from the dough’s surface. Loose flour can cause gray streaks and can prevent the puff pastry from rising properly when baked.
- 6 Peel one piece of parchment or plastic wrap from the butter. Position the butter, which should have the same consistency as the dough, on the left side of the dough rectangle. Fold the right side of the dough over the butter and press on all sides to seal. Stretch the dough if necessary; it is important that none of the butter be exposed.
- 7 Press the dough several times with a rolling pin. Use a rocking motion to create ridges in the dough. Place the rolling pin in each ridge and slowly roll back and forth to widen the ridge. Repeat until all the ridges are doubled in size.
- 8 Starting from the seamless side, roll the dough out into a smooth even rectangle approximately 10 inches × 24 inches (25 centimeters × 60 centimeters). Be careful to keep the corners of the dough at right angles.
- 9 Use a dry pastry brush to remove any loose flour from the dough’s surface. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter, the single book fold. If one end is damaged or in worse condition, fold it in first; otherwise, start at the bottom. This completes the first turn. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.
- 10 Rotate the block of dough 90 degrees so that the folded edge is on your left and the dough faces you like a book. Roll out the dough again into a smooth, even rectangle, approximately 10 inches × 24 inches (25 centimeters × 60 centimeters).
- 11 Fold the dough in thirds again, completing the second turn. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.
- 12 Repeat the rolling, folding and chilling technique until the dough has had a total of five turns. Cover the dough completely and chill overnight before shaping and baking.
Note: The détrempe can be made in a food processor. To do so, combine the flour, salt and pieces of soft butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until a coarse meal is formed. With the processor running, add the water all at once. Turn the machine off as soon as the dough comes together to form a ball. Proceed with the remainder of the recipe.
SHAPING PUFF PASTRY Once puff pastry dough is prepared, it can be shaped into containers of various sizes and shapes. Bouchées are small puff pastry shells usually used for hors d’oeuvre or appetizers. Vol-au-vents are larger, deeper shells, often filled with savory mixtures for a main course. Although they may be simply round or square, special vol-au-vent cutters are available in the shape of fish, hearts or petals. Feuilletées are square, rectangular or diamond-shaped puff pastry boxes. They can be filled with a sweet or savory mixture.
bouchées (boo-SHAY) small puff pastry shells that can be filled and served as bite-size hors d’oeuvre or petit fours
vol-au-vents (vul-oh-vanz) deep, individual portion-sized puff pastry shells, often shaped as a heart, fish or fluted circle; they are filled with a savory mixture and served as an appetizer or main course
feuilletées (fuh-yuh-TAY) square, rectangular or diamond-shaped puff pastry boxes; may be filled with a sweet or savory mixture