Easy Puff Pastry
Rated 5 stars by 1 users
Category
Freezer Hacks
Servings
8
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
0 minutes
Calories
383
Homemade puff pastry is so worth the extra effort! Once you've tried this light, flaky and buttery pastry, you won't find easy to go back to the dry store-bought alternatives. Fresh homemade puff pastry can be made as a big batch so you can freezer individual portions for later. It can be used for all sorts of pies, quiches, canapes and more sophisticated dishes such as beef wellington and mille-feuille.
Author:Isabelle Dunn
Ingredients
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2 cups plain flour
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1/2 tsp salt
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1 tsp icing sugar
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50g cold butter, diced
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50-100ml iced water
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200g butter, softened slightly (firm but pliable)
Rough Dough
Butter Layer
Directions
Rough Dough (10 mins)
Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl or food processor. Add the 50g diced butter and mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle 50-100ml iced water over the flour mixture and mix until the mixture holds together as a ball.
Incorporating Butter layer (10 mins)
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured bench top, turning in between rolls, and keeping the edges as straight as possible. Place the butter over the center of the pastry, flatten it out slightly with rolling pin.
Fold the pastry edges up and over the butter, then fold the uncovered pastry over the butter to fully enclose.
Fold 1 (5 mins)
Roll out the pastry to a neat rectangle, always rolling away from you and giving a half turn after each roll.
Fold the bottom third of the pastry up, then the top third of the pastry down to fold it like a business letter.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1-2h.
Folds 2-3 (10 mins)
Roll out the pastry to a neat rectangle again. Repeat the business letter 3-fold again.
Turn the pastry anti-clockwise 90 degrees, and gently tap the pastry widthways using the rolling pin to form neat edges.
Roll out the pastry to a neat rectangle again and repeat the folding process in the opposite direction.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1-2h.
Folds 4-5 (10 mins)
Repeat the same process as for folds 2-3. This will give a total of five folds.
Your puff pastry is now ready to be rolled/used or refrigerated/ frozen for later use.
Recipe Video
Recipe Note
Can I freeze homemade puff pastry?
Yes, homemade pastry freezes well. Wrap it tightly in cling film and store in an air-tight container or re-sealable plastic bag. To thaw the frozen pastry, move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before and roll it out chilled.
Can this pastry recipe be used for sweet and savoury dishes?
Yes, I like to add both 1 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp salt to the rough dough mixture to make it more flavourful, balanced and versatile.
What is the difference between French puff pastry and rough puff pastry?
French puff, or classic puff pastry, is flakier as the butter is incorporated as a slab before the first fold takes place. Rough puff mimics the same folding technique, but the butter is incorporated as the rough dough is formed.
Is puff pastry difficult to make?
You'll need to familiarise yourself with the full process before getting started, but it's actually rather easy to make once you know the steps and each step is pretty quick too. I would recommend giving it a shot for the first time on a lazy sunday at home, so you can keep using the same floured benchtop spot for all 3x steps.
Can I buy store bought puff pastry instead?
If this process seems too tricky for you and you prefer to opt for a store-bought alternative, try to find a brand that uses real butter (instead of margarine or palm oil).
What can I make using homemade puff pastry?
Here are some of our favourite recipes made even better using homemade puff pastry: