Cooking & Baking Essentials
The Technique
Puff Pastry
Puff Pastry is a basic laminated dough that utilizes a roll-&-fold technique of incorporating butter that in turn provides a voluminous lift during baking. It’s then left to become golden & crisp. It may be used to prepare appetizer & dessert canapés that range from layered items, shells & tartlets or to make savory turnovers, fruit filled breakfast specialties & Beef Wellington. Puff Pastry also makes an impressive top pastry crust for beautiful meat based pies, too. In the South, even a simple substitution to your favorite chicken pie recipe becomes a bit more elevated when Puff Pastry replaces a standard pie crust. Compared to other laminated dough styles such as Danish Pasty Dough & Croissants, it is the omission of yeast in Puff Pastry that sets it apart. This rich blend relies solely on the butter & the folding technique for its incredible lift. In order to achieve the ultimate Puff Pastry, low protein flours are more often times than not used to produce the best texture so in this case, a blend of all purpose & cake flour in the basic dough works well. Learn how to make Puff Pastry in your very own kitchen.
Buttermilk Puff Pastry
makes 3 lbs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup ice cold water
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 lb unsalted butter, frozen
Whisk together the all purpose flour, the cake flour & the salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture & pour the water & the buttermilk into it. Use a rubber spatula to blend the mixture, swiping the bowl sides as necessary until combined. Form the dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap & chill 20 minutes. Meanwhile, run the frozen butter down the large holes of a box grater. Place it onto a piece of plastic wrap. Using the wrap, form it into a 5 1/2 x 7 1/2-inch rectangle. Chill the butter.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator & place it on a well floured surface. Roll the dough into a 10 x 15-inch rectangle. Remove the butter from the refrigerator & place it in the center third portion of the dough leaving a 1 1/2-inch border at the top & the bottom. Fold the dough into thirds, then make a 1/4 turn counterclockwise. The last fold should be closest to you. Repeat the process two additional times. The dough will have a total of 3 turns. Cover the dough surface with plastic. Chill 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator & place it on a well floured surface. Roll the dough into a 10 x 15-inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds, then make a 1/4 turn counterclockwise. The last fold should be closest to you. Repeat the process two additional times. The dough will have a total of 6 turns at this point. Wrap the dough with plastic. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Use as directed in specific recipe applications.
FROM THE KITCHEN OF BUTTERMILK LIPSTICK
{testing notes}
How To Make Puff Pastry
The first step to creating beautiful, flaky shells, cookies, desserts & pastries is preparing the basic dough. Next, a small amount of rest time in the refrigerator allows the gluten to relax so it will be ready to fold & layer the butter throughout. During this time, prepare the butter & shape it so it will be ready to incorporate throughout the dough. Once 6 complete turns have been integrated into the dough, allow it to rest overnight then use it for a variety of entertaining needs.
The Technique
A few pieces of equipment will be necessary in order to complete the task. Read through the recipe before beginning. Here’s what you should know.
No. 1
After a basic dough has been prepared & the butter has been shaped, the fold-&-roll technique may be used to add the layers. Remove the dough from the refrigerator & place it on a well floured surface. Roll the dough into a 10 x 15-inch rectangle.
No. 2
Remove the butter from the refrigerator & place it in the center third portion of the dough leaving a 1 1/2-inch border at the top & the bottom.
No. 3
Fold one portion of the dough over the block of chilled butter.
No. 4
Then fold the remaining portion dough over the block of butter to cover it entirely.
No. 5
Make a 1/4 turn counterclockwise. The last fold should be closest to you.
No. 6
Begin rolling the dough & the butter flat.
No. 7
A French pastry pin is the ideal tool to use throughout the rolling procedure. The tapered ends allow for quick moves, particularly around the corners to ensure even distribution & shape.
7a
Repeat the process two additional times. The dough will have a total of 3 turns. Cover the dough surface with plastic. Chill 30 minutes.
7b
Remove the dough from the refrigerator & place it on a well floured surface.
7c
Roll the dough into a 10 x 15-inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds, then make a 1/4 turn counterclockwise. The last fold should be closest to you. Repeat the process two additional times. The dough will have a total of 6 turns at this point. Wrap the dough with plastic. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Use as directed in specific recipe applications.
The Tune
“Dance Of The Hours” Amilcare Ponchielli
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