Make Ahead

Puff Pastry

by:
February 10, 2014
4.5
2 Ratings
Puff Pastry
Photo by Sharon Radisch
  • Serves 8
What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Dough
  • 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups milk, warmed to room temperature
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups pastry flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Butter Packet
  • 2 cups butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
  1. Dough
  2. Add the yeast and sugar to milk and give the mixture a quick stir. Allow 5 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
  3. Mix the flour and salt. On a table or other clean surface, make a well with the flour and pour the milk into the well, gradually incorporating the flour into the milk until they are fully combined.
  4. Knead for 15 minutes by hand. Chill and allow to rest for an hour. Meanwhile, make the butter packet.
  5. Place your butter packet on one half of the dough, then dip a pastry brush into water, and brush around the edges. Encase the butter in the dough and press edges to seal. Chill for 20 minutes.
  6. Using a dusting of flour, roll this out into a rectangle measuring 9 x 20 inches. Using a dry pastry brush, brush off any excess flour; otherwise, it will get trapped and start to brown, eventually discoloring your dough. Fold your dough into thirds and repeat (roll back out to 9 x 20, brush off excess flour, then fold into thirds). Chill for an hour.
  7. Repeat this process 2 more times (roll, fold, roll, fold, chill), each time chilling the dough for 1 hour, for a total of six folds. It is helpful to make indentations with your finger on the dough to keep track of where you are with your folds.
  8. When you're ready to use the dough, proof it in a warm place for an hour and bake at 425° F.
  1. Butter Packet
  2. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and knead the flour into it. Once well combined, shape it into a 5-inch square -- flour your hands first so that they won’t stick to the butter.
  3. Wrap the square in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
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6 Reviews

GratedGarlic
GratedGarlic August 7, 2020
It appears, based on the amount of butter, that the recipe intended to use all-purpose only, with the option to replace with pastry flour. You should only use one flour (3 cups), but not both at the same. Hope that helps.
 
Melanie L.
Melanie L. May 6, 2020
Something is wrong with this recipe. It's totally dry and crumbly. I added 1/2 cup of butter and a little more milk before it became anywhere near what the dough should feel like. I'd throw it out if I weren't short on flour.
 
Sarah
Sarah February 25, 2018
This dough is whack, I wish I read the comments instead of blasting ahead. There's too much flour. I kneaded in more water and think it'll be OK, but y'all should update the recipe considering it's one of the only puff pastry ones on the site.
 
soupcon
soupcon June 24, 2017
This is the dough for croissants as it is a yeast levened dought. Regular puff pastry dough has no yeast.
 
Jessica
Jessica July 10, 2016
This recipe seems to have something wrong with it. Maybe it's the flour content, mentioned by other commenter, or something else. I have made puff pastry before and this was my only disaster. Maybe needs checking.
 
Valerie D.
Valerie D. April 6, 2014
Something's wrong with the quantity of flour in the dough.. is it suppose to be 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour OR 3 cups of pastry flour ?