Description
This is a foolproof easy puff pastry recipe; the results are so worth the effort.
Ingredients
Scale
12 tbsp (1.5 sticks) butter, chilled
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Ice cold water
Instructions
- Fill a bowl with 2 cups of cold water and add a few ice cubes. Set it in the fridge to keep cold.
- Slice the chilled butter crosswise into thin slices (square-shaped). Spread them in a single layer on a plate and place the plate in the refrigerator so the butter stays cold.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt together with a fork or a whisk.
- Remove the plate of chilled butter and place the slices into the flour mixture. Toss together with your hands.
- Use your fingertips to gently squeeze the slices of butter so they become thinner, flatter, wider, and taller. You aren’t aiming to break them up into pieces, but rather create larger sheets from each one. If some do break apart, that’s totally fine.
- Add 1/2 cup of the cold water into the bowl with the flour and butter. Use your hands to scoop the mixture from the bottom and then press down onto it from the top. Repeat this scooping and pressing, adding more water by the tablespoon, until the dough starts to come together.
- Once the dough is clumping together into a shaggy, dry-ish dough, turn it over onto a sheet of plastic wrap.
- Use your hands to press the dough into a rectangle as best as you can. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap it and place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
- Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough up and down vertically into a rectangle that’s three times as long as it is wide.
- Perform the first letter fold: take the bottom third of the dough and fold it up into the center.
- Take the top third of the dough and fold it up into the center of the dough so it rests on top of the previous fold. You should now have a smaller rectangle with three equal layers of dough.
- Turn the rectangle of dough so the exposed edge of the top fold faces the right side (or left side; you just don’t want it facing towards you or away from you).
- Again, roll the dough up and down vertically so it flattens once again into a rectangle that’s three times as long as it is wide.
- Perform the same letter fold: Take the bottom third of the dough and fold it up into the center. Take the top third of the dough and fold it up into the center of the dough so it rests on top of the previous fold.
- Again, turn the rectangle of dough so the exposed edge of the top fold is on the right side.
- For the last time, roll the dough up and down vertically so it flattens into a rectangle that’s three times as long as it is wide.
- Perform the last letter fold: Take the bottom third of the dough and fold it up into the center. Take the top third of the dough and fold it up into the center of the dough so it rests on top of the previous fold.
- Wrap this smaller rectangle of dough loosely in plastic wrap on all sides and press down on it so it flattens into and fills up the plastic in a square or rectangle shape. You can also use a rolling pin to push it into the corners of the plastic wrap. It should still be thick pretty thick.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours before using it. If you’re not going to use the dough within 24 hours, you can freeze it to use later. If frozen, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before use.