Description
This homemade rough puff pastry dough recipe yields a flaky and buttery pastry ideal for tarts, pies, croissants, and turnovers. The method involves incorporating cold butter into flour, followed by repeated rolling and folding to create layers, resulting in a tender yet crisp texture. With a total preparation and chilling time of around 2 hours, this versatile dough can be stored in the fridge or freezer for convenience.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
Instructions
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt until evenly combined, creating the dry base of your dough.
- Incorporate Butter: Add the cold, cubed unsalted butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until you achieve coarse crumbs with visible chunks of butter, which help create the flaky texture.
- Add Water and Lemon Juice: In a separate container, mix the cold water with lemon juice or vinegar. Gradually stir this mixture into the flour and butter combination. Stir just until the dough comes together, being careful not to overmix to preserve the butter chunks.
- Shape the Dough: Form the dough into a rough rectangular shape. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the butter and hydrate the flour.
- First Roll and Fold: On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into an 8×16-inch rectangle. Fold it like a letter by bringing one short side towards the center and then folding the other side over. Rotate the dough 90 degrees to prepare for the next fold.
- Repeat Rolling and Folding: Repeat this rolling and folding process three more times, chilling the dough for 20 minutes between each fold. This lamination builds the flaky layers essential for puff pastry.
- Final Chill: After the final fold, wrap the dough tightly and chill it for at least 1 hour. This rest period ensures the dough is firm and ready for baking.
- Use or Store: The rough puff pastry dough is now ready to be used in recipes such as tarts, pies, croissants, or turnovers. Store any unused dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month for future use.
Notes
- Ensure the butter and water are very cold to create distinct layers and achieve the best flaky texture.
- Do not overwork the dough to keep butter chunks visible, which contributes to flakiness.
- The lemon juice or vinegar helps tenderize the dough and can slightly inhibit gluten development.
- Use plastic wrap tightly to prevent the dough from drying out during chilling.
- If freezing, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight before rolling out and using.
