Rough Puff Pastry Recipe

This recipe creates a simplified version of puff pastry, perfect for pies, tarts, and other baked goods where flaky layers are desired.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks, 226g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup (120ml) ice-cold water

Instructions:

1. Combine Dry Ingredients:
   • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
2. Add Butter:
   • Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture.
   • Using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour. You want to leave some visible chunks of butter, about the size of peas. This is crucial for creating the layers.
3. Add Water:
   • Gradually add the ice-cold water, a few tablespoons at a time, mixing lightly with a fork or your hands.
   • Continue adding water until the dough just comes together. Don’t overmix. The dough will still look shaggy.
4. First Turn:
   • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
   • Gently gather the dough into a rough rectangle.
   • Lightly flour the top, and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches long.
   • Fold the short ends of the rectangle in towards the center, like folding a letter. Then fold the dough in half at the center fold. You’ll now have a layered rectangle.
   • wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Second and Third Turns:
   • Repeat the rolling and folding steps two more times. After the second turn, wrap the dough and chill for an additional 30 minutes, then do the last fold. After the last fold, wrap the dough, and chill again for 30 minutes, or longer. The longer chilling time allows the gluten to relax which helps to produce a more tender pastry.
   • It is very important that the butter remains cold, this is why the refrigeration periods are needed. If the butter melts, the pastry will not be as flakey.
   • Each time you roll and fold, turn the dough 90 degrees so the folds are in a different direction. This helps to create even layers.  
6. Using the Pastry:
   • After the final chilling, the puff pastry is ready to use.
   • Roll it out to your desired thickness and shape for your recipe.

Tips:

• Keep Everything Cold: Cold butter and ice water are essential for creating flaky layers.
• Don’t Overwork the Dough: Overworking the dough will develop too much gluten, resulting in tough pastry.
• Chill Time: The chilling time is very important. Do not skip or shorten it.
• When baking, an oven temperature that is sufficiently hot is needed to create the steam that produces the puff in the pastry.  

Enjoy your homemade puff pastry!