Quick Puff Pastry Recipes

Steps:

• Cut 1 cup (2 sticks) butter into 1/4-inch cubes. Place in an even layer on a plate and transfer to refrigerator to chill.
• Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Cut remaining 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter into thin slices and add to food processor; pulse to combine. Add 1 cup chilled butter; pulse 3 times, 1 second each pulse. Add half of the water and pulse once; add remaining water and pulse twice. Dough will not form a ball.
• Remove blade from processor by lifting up with the handle. Scrape dough from bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly flour dough and, using your hands, squeeze and shape dough into a cylinder. Press down to flatten into a rectangle.
• Starting at the narrow end furthest away from you, use a rolling pin to press the dough firmly in parallel strokes close to one another. If there are sticky pieces of butter on the surface, cover with a large pinch of flour and press with the rolling pin to combine. Clean off the rolling pin as you go to make sure nothing sticks to the dough. Continue pressing with the rolling pin, working towards the narrow end closest to you.
• Roll dough into a 10-by 20-inch rectangle. Fold the 10-inch ends over the middle (like a letter) to make three layers. Position one of the (about) 6-inch ends to face you and roll up dough like a jelly roll. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface, seam-side down. Sprinkle top of dough lightly with flour and press down using your hand to form a rectangle.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days before using.

Steps:

• Sift 250g strong plain flour and 1 tsp fine sea salt into a large bowl. Roughly break 250g butter into small chunks, add them to the bowl and rub them in loosely. You need to see bits of butter.
• Make a well in the bowl and pour in about two-thirds of 150ml cold water, mixing until you have a firm rough dough adding extra water if needed.
• Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 20 mins in the fridge.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead gently and form into a smooth rectangle.
• Roll the dough in one direction only, until 3 times the width, about 20 x 50cm. Keep edges straight and even. Don't overwork the butter streaks; you should have a marbled effect.
• Fold the top third down to the centre, then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn (to the left or right) and roll out again to three times the length.
• Fold as before, cover with cling film and chill for at least 20 mins before rolling to use.

Steps:

• Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt into a large chilled bowl. Cut in the pieces of butter using a pastry knife until the butter is in very small lumps, about 1/2 inch in diameter.
• Combine the ice water and the lemon juice, and stir into the flour mixture, a little at a time, pressing the dough together with your hands until it comes together.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and roll it into a 1/2-inch-thick rough rectangle, approximately 12 × 18 inches. The dough will be very crumbly. Fold the bottom of the rectangle toward the center, then the top of the rectangle toward the center, overlapping the bottom third, like a letter, and give the dough a quarter-turn to the right. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, 1/2 inch thick, and fold into thirds again. This completes the first double turn. Using a dry pastry brush, brush any excess flour from the dough.
• Repeat the rolling, folding, and turning process 2 more times to execute another double turn, refrigerating the dough for a few minutes if the butter becomes too warm. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and put in refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Repeat the rolling, folding, and turning process again to execute 1 more double turn. There will be 6 turns in all. The dough needs to be rolled out to a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle each time. With each turn, the dough will become smoother and easier to handle. Store the dough, wrapped well in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months (thaw in the refrigerator).

Steps:

• Cut butter into flour until it resembles crumbs. Stir in sour cream.
• Turn onto a floured board and knead until it just holds together.
• Form into a ball, flatten slightly and wrap airtight. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Work with half of the dough at a time and keep other half in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Pound the dough with a heavy rolling pin to make it pliable. Use in any recipe calling for puff pastry.

Steps:

• 1. Sift together the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
• 2. Add chilled, diced butter and pulse three to five times, until the butter pieces are about the size of lima beans. Add water to the mixture and pulse again about three times. Invert the crumbly mass onto a lightly floured work surface.
• 3. Using a rolling pin and bench scraper, shape the mass into a long rectangle. Use the bench scraper and carefully flip one third of the rectangle toward the center. Then, flip the other end to the center, like folding a business letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees.
• 4. Reshape and roll the dough into a rectangle. Repeat the folding and rotating process three more times for a total of four turns. If the dough becomes soft or sticky during this process, immediately refrigerate until firm.
• 5. After four turns, wrap the dough in plastic wrap. With your finger, make four indentations in the dough - one for each time the dough has been turned. This is a reference point for how many times the dough has been turned. Refrigerate the dough at least 45 minutes or until firm.
• 6. After the dough has been refrigerated for 45 minutes, unwrap it and discard the plastic. Keep your work surface and rolling pin well floured. Press down on each of the four sides of dough to seal its shape.
• 7. Start with the rolling pin at the center. Roll away from you. Return to the center and roll toward you. Repeat the folding and rotating process of the dough two more times for a total a total of six times.
• 8. After the sixth turn, wrap the finished dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate to make sure it is well-chilled before baking. Quick Puff Pastry keeps refrigerated up to three days or frozen for several months.

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt in a large, chilled stainless-steel bowl. Cut the butter into very thin pieces. Using a pastry blender, or working with your fingertips, cut butter into the flour until the butter is in small lumps, about 1/2 inch in diameter. (A food processor will not work for this pastry because it cuts the butter too finely.)
• Stir in the water, a little at a time, pressing the dough together. Turn dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a rough rectangle. The dough will be very crumbly. Fold into thirds and rotate it a quarter turn to the right. Roll into a large rectangle and fold into thirds again. This completes the first double turn. Remove excess flour with a wide brush. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Repeat this rolling and turning process twice more, chilling well between double turns. With each turn the dough will become smoother and easier to handle. This puff pastry, like the classic version, requires 6 turns (accomplished as 3 double turns) before it is complete.
• Store the dough, wrapped well in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for future use.

Steps:

• Beat the flour with the water and salt in an electric mixer just to mix a little. Add the butter, broken into pieces, and beat to mix a little. Do the rest of the mixing by hand.
• Press out the dough and fold into a piece about 5 inches by 7 inches. Flour a board, rolling pin and top of the dough and roll out to a rectangle about 8 inches by 21 inches, about 1/8-inch thick.
• The folding: Fold one-third of the dough over the other two-thirds and then fold the remaining third so that you have three layers. Press down, turn, flour and roll again into a 21-by-8-inch piece.
• Fold in thirds again and refrigerate for a half hour.
• Roll out again on a floured surface to form a piece 21 inches by 8 inches. Fold into a double fold. (Fold over dough so that the ends meet in the middle, then fold in half.) Repeat rolling and folding. Refrigerate for a half hour before rolling out to bake.
• Beat the dough with the side of a rolling pin to about a thickness of 1/3inch. Roll out as thin as possible, about 1/32 of an inch thick, and place in a 10-by-15-inch baking pan, lined with parchment or wax paper. Trim any dough hanging over the edges. Prick all over with a fork and refrigerate for one or two hours, or overnight.
• Transfer to a second 10-by-15-inch pan (pan cannot be chilled or pastry will not bake properly).
• Bake at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden. Cool and cut off edges, crush the trimmings and set aside.
• Cut into three lengthwise pieces.