Rough Puff Pastry

Before you start

Rough puff, sometimes called blitz or flaky pastry, gives you much of the rise and crispness of classic puff pastry in a fraction of the time. Instead of wrapping dough around a single slab of butter, you mix cubes of cold butter loosely into flour and water, then roll and fold the shaggy dough several times. The butter lumps flatten into streaks and sheets that create the layers.

It rises a little less evenly than classic puff, but it is ideal for galettes, sausage rolls, turnovers, palmiers and pie tops. The two keys are keeping the butter cold and visible, and resisting the urge to add more water when the dough first looks too messy; it comes together with the folds. If butter starts to smear or stick, stop and chill.

Ingredients

• 250 g (2 cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour — plus more for rolling
• 4 g (¾ tsp) fine salt
• 225 g (1 cup) cold unsalted butter — cut into 1.5 cm (½ in) cubes
• 120 g (½ cup) ice water — plus 1 tbsp if needed

Method

1. Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter cubes and toss them with your fingers until each is coated in flour. Do not rub them in; you want whole cubes.
2. Pour in the ice water and stir with a fork or bench scraper until the dough clumps. Press it into a rough ball with your hands. It will look shaggy, with large lumps of butter and a few dry bits; add 1 tbsp more water only if large patches of flour will not come together.
3. Flatten the dough into a rectangle about 2 cm (¾ in) thick, wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
4. On a floured counter, roll the dough into a strip about 15 x 45 cm (6 x 18 in), keeping the edges as straight as you can with the bench scraper. Brush off excess flour and fold it in thirds like a letter.
5. Give the dough a quarter turn so the open seam faces you. Roll it again into a 15 x 45 cm strip and fold in thirds. After these first two folds the dough will look much smoother, with marbled streaks of butter. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
6. Repeat the rolling and folding twice more, for four folds in total. Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
7. To use, roll the pastry 3 to 4 mm (⅛ in) thick, shape it and chill it for 15 minutes before baking. Bake at 200 to 220°C (400 to 425°F) until puffed and deep golden, usually 20 to 30 minutes for turnovers or a galette.

Tips for success

• If the butter breaks through the surface while rolling, patch the spot with a pinch of flour and chill the dough for 10 minutes.
• Cut rough puff with a sharp knife or pizza cutter in one stroke. Dragging or pressing seals the layers at the edges and stops them rising.
• Brush egg wash only on top. Egg wash that runs down the sides glues the layers together.

Substitutions

All-purpose flour

Replace 50 g with cake flour for a more tender, slightly less sturdy pastry, good for pie tops.

Unsalted butter

Salted butter works; reduce the added salt to a pinch. Plant-based butter sticks give flaky results but soften quickly, so chill longer between folds.

Ice water

Replace 1 tbsp of the water with lemon juice or vinegar. Some bakers find it makes the dough easier to roll; the effect on flavor is negligible.

Variations

Whole wheat rough puff

Replace 75 g of the flour with fine whole wheat flour and add 1 tbsp extra water. Good for savory tarts.

Cheese rough puff

Toss 40 g finely grated Parmesan with the flour before adding the butter for savory twists and tart bases.

Troubleshooting

Butter smears and sticks to the rolling pin

The butter is too warm. Wrap the dough and chill for 15 to 20 minutes, and dust the counter and pin lightly with flour.

Pastry baked flat and greasy

Butter melted out because the dough was warm going into the oven or the oven was too cool. Chill shaped pastry and bake at 200°C (400°F) or hotter.

Dough shrank after baking

The gluten was not rested. Chill the shaped dough at least 15 minutes, and avoid stretching it into the pan.

Storage

Refrigerate wrapped pastry for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen pastry overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.

Safety notes

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