Classic Puff Pastry

Before you start

Classic puff pastry, or pâte feuilletée, is laminated without yeast: a lean dough called the détrempe is wrapped around a slab of butter and rolled and folded six times. Each single (letter) turn triples the layers, so six turns produce hundreds of extremely thin sheets of butter separated by dough. In a hot oven the water in the dough and butter becomes steam and lifts the pastry up to six times its rolled height.

It takes patience rather than special skill. The butter block is beaten with a little flour so it stays pliable when cold, and the turns are done in pairs with rests in between to relax the gluten and keep everything cool. Rolling with even pressure and keeping the edges square gives you the straight, even rise that makes vol-au-vents and mille-feuille possible.

Ingredients

• Détrempe250 g (2 cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 5 g (scant 1 tsp) fine salt
• 125 g (½ cup) ice water — plus up to 1 tbsp more
• 25 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter — melted and cooled
• Butter block190 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) cold unsalted butter — European-style preferred
• 15 g (2 tbsp) all-purpose flour

Method

1. Mix the 250 g flour and salt in a bowl. Add the ice water and melted butter and stir until a dough forms, adding up to 1 tbsp more water only if dry flour remains. Knead briefly, just until it holds together; it should not be smooth or elastic.
2. Shape the détrempe into a ball and cut a deep cross in the top so it relaxes into a square. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Beat the cold butter with the 15 g flour using a rolling pin between sheets of parchment, folding and pressing until it is one smooth, pliable mass. Shape it into a 13 cm (5 in) square about 1 cm thick. Chill until cold but still flexible, about 15 minutes.
4. Roll the détrempe out from the cut, pushing the four flaps outward to form a cross shape with a thicker center slightly larger than the butter. Set the butter in the center and fold the flaps over it, overlapping slightly, so it is completely enclosed.
5. Roll the package into a 15 x 45 cm (6 x 18 in) rectangle with firm, even strokes from the center outward. Fold it in thirds like a letter. That is turn one. Rotate the dough a quarter turn, roll it again to 15 x 45 cm and fold in thirds for turn two. Press two fingertips into the dough to mark two turns, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
6. Do turns three and four the same way, mark four dents, and chill for 30 minutes.
7. Do turns five and six, wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling and shaping.
8. To bake, roll it 3 to 4 mm (⅛ in) thick, cut with a sharp blade, chill the shapes for 15 minutes and bake at 200 to 220°C (400 to 425°F) until risen, deep golden and dry inside, about 20 to 25 minutes for vol-au-vent cases.

Tips for success

• Dough and butter should feel about equally firm when you lock them together. A useful check is that both bend without cracking, around 13 to 15°C (55 to 59°F).
• Always roll with the open seams at the top and bottom of the strip, never at the sides, so trapped air and butter are pushed lengthwise.
• Mark the number of completed turns with fingertip dents. It is surprisingly easy to lose count across several rests.

Substitutions

All-purpose flour in the détrempe

Use half all-purpose and half bread flour for a stronger dough that rises a little higher but needs longer rests to roll easily.

European-style butter

Regular butter works but has more water and less plasticity; it is more prone to cracking when cold and melting when warm, so watch temperature closely.

Six single turns

Do four double (book) turns instead of six single turns. The layer count is similar, and it saves one rolling session.

Variations

Inverse puff pastry

Advanced: enclose the détrempe inside a large butter-flour layer instead. It gives an even more tender, flakier result but is harder to handle in a warm kitchen.

Troubleshooting

Butter cracks into pieces during rolling

The butter was colder and harder than the dough. Leave the dough at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes and roll gently until it moves smoothly.

Butter oozes from the ends

It was too warm or the seams were not sealed. Patch with flour, chill 20 minutes and continue.

Pastry rises unevenly or leans

The rolling pressure was uneven, or the edges were cut with a dull knife. Roll from the center outward evenly, square up the edges and cut with a sharp blade.

Dough shrinks back as soon as you roll it

The gluten needs more rest. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes before trying again.

Storage

Refrigerate wrapped puff pastry for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Baked, unfilled puff pastry stays crisp in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw dough; raw flour can carry harmful bacteria until baked. Contains wheat and milk.