Puff Pastry
- Reviews 4
Ready In: 1 hr
Yields: 1 batch
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 cup ice water
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pinch flour
Directions
- Ok, you get the whole story!
- "Before beginning the adventure with puff paste there is one thing to be explained that will make its compositions comparatively easy.
- (Ha Ha!) The butter used must be washed.
- The purpose of washing it is to make it elastic.
- It should be soft through being kneaded, but in no sense soft through being melted- quite the contrary, it must be soft and cold at the same time.
- In winter turn on the cold water faucet.
- Manipulate the butter with the hands under the stream of cold water until it is creamy and waxy.
- At other seasons, do this in a quart of ice water placed in a bowl of ice.
- The butter may be kneaded with a spoon if preferred.
- The final kneading of the butter is done on a board or it is patted briskly in the hands until no water flies.
- This is the recipe of a professional cook.
- As it calls for egg yolks it differs from the orthodox rule for puff paste.
- However, her results are remarkable and her method is simple, so I am giving it in preference to the usual rather complicated recipes.
- (Ha Ha again, it is complicated!) She stresses 2 points: Keep the hands, the bowl, the board and the rolling pin as cold as possible.
- (Ha Ha, your hands will be frostbitten!) A cold windy day is best for making puff paste.
- "Work with hands,as in the first paragraph, under water, 1 cup of butter.
- Place 1/4 cup butter in a cold bowl.
- Form the remainder into a square and place it where it will keep cold.
- Add to the butter in the bowl, the flour and salt, work these ingredients with a pastry blender, 2 knives or the finger tips.
- Beat and add 1/4 cup ice water and 2 egg yolks, (the yolks may be omitted, in that case use in all, 6 tablespoons of water).
- Work these ingredients well with the hands.
- If necessary add, to loosen the dough from the bowl, a pinch of flour.
- Place the dough were it will be cold but will not freeze, preferably in the open air.
- If it is not possible to do this, fold the dough in a clean cloth and place it in a dripping pan that has been placed between 2 dripping pans filled with ice.
- After 15 minutes, roll the dough into a square on a floured board.
- Roll it one way only, not back and forth.
- A good way is out from the centre.
- Put the square of butter in the centre of the dough and fold the 4 corners to the centre completely covering the butter.
- Permit the dough to stand on a cloth or piece of waxed paper in a cold place for 1/2 hour.
- Turn it once to keep it from becoming dry.
- Roll out the dough again into a square and fold the corners to the centre.
- Permit it to stand again for 1/2 hour.
- Repeat this process.
- The dough must be chilled and rolled at least 4 times in all.
- Chill the dough until you are ready to use it.
- Wrapped in waxed paper it may be kept in the refrigerator for several days.
- Roll it, cut it into shapes.
- Chill it again and bake it.
- One of the secrets of success of puff paste is to have it ice cold when placed in a hot oven.
- The matter of baking puff paste is a moot point.
- In all rules the very cold paste is put into a very hot oven- 500°F.
- In some it is baked at this temperature throughout.
- In this case the pastry is covered with waxed paper after 10 minutes baking.
- In other rules the heat is reduced 50 degrees every 5 minutes until the temperature is 350°F for final baking.
- GOOD LUCK!
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