You can easily make homemade quick puff pastry in 15 minutes!
If I have to number the desserts I love, mille-feuille is in my top 5 list. Puff pastry with its crisp texture and pastry cream with its soft texture make a nice combination. As I always want to make everything from scratch, when I found this quick puff pastry recipe, my eyes sparkled. It takes only 15 minutes. Yes, you heard it right. It takes only 15 minutes in total which means that you don’t have to wait 30 minutes between each turn. Besides, the method is very easy, very different than the traditional one. You don’t need to roll out the block butter. This recipe is a saver for me!
The key to success in this recipe is working very fast. If you work in a cold environment, you don’t need to take the dough into the refrigerator to cool during your steps. However, in my first attempt, the butter got warm quickly. I found a solution to keep the butter cold while making this quick puff pastry.
Let’s go through the stages, so I can share my way of working.
First, I mix the flour and salt in a big mixing bowl and add the butter that I keep in the freezer into the bowl( Ialways keep some of my butter in the freezer). I cover the bowl with a plastic film and keep it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. I make sure that I use a bowl that can be put in the freezer. Then I take the bowl from the freezer and I use my pastry scraper to cut the butter into the flour. If you have a pastry cutter, it is even better. I try to make it fast. I try to cut the butter in small pieces but there are some pieces in the size of peas which are fine.
The cold mixing bowl helps the butter not to warm quickly and helps the work surface to be cold, which helps me a lot when I roll out the dough 😉 (If you work in a cold environment, you don’t need to put the mixing bowl in the freezer.)
I create a well in the center of the flour and pour in the ice cold water and take the flour mixture from the sides and start to mix with my pastry scraper. I don’t use my hands. My hands can warm the butter easily so I keep working with my pastry scraper. I only use my hand at the end to bring the dough together. It will take some time to bring the dough together. I am not trying to make a perfect ball not to warm the butter with my hands. You will see butter pieces in the ball which are normal.
Then I put the dough onto a work surface which is cold because of the mixing bowl. I flour my work surface and rolling pin so the dough doesn’t stick to either. Later, I roll out the dough into a 10- inch (25 cm) long rectangle. I add more flour as needed. Before folding, I brush off the excess flour with a pastry brush. I fold the dough in three. I fold the bottom one-third of the dough towards the center, and the top third over that. While I am folding, I brush off the excess flour as needed. It is like folding a letter that needs to fit into an envelope.
Then I give the dough a quarter turn, and make the same steps at least 3 more times; roll out the dough and fold, give the dough a quarter turn… Each time the rectangles get neater. After my dough is ready, I wrap it in plastic film and keep in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before I use.
I am looking forward to share mille-feuille, palmiers, countless recipes with this quick pastry dough.
Enjoy!
You can easily make your homemade puff pastry in 15 minutes!
- 125 g (3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour (dip and sweep)*
- 140 g (1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 60 g (1/4 cup) water, ice cold
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Mix the flour and salt in a big mixing bowl and add the chilled butter and use a pastry cutter or pastry scraper to cut the butter into the flour. (If you don't work in a cold environment, put the flour, salt and chilled butter in a freezer safe mixing bowl and keep in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before starting which will help the butter not to warm quickly when working. This step will also help to keep the work surface cold when you roll out the dough)
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Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the ice cold water. Take the flour mixture from the sides and start to mix with pastry scraper. Don't use your hands as they can warm the butter easily. Use your hands quickly at the end to bring the dough together and shape it into a ball.
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Put the dough onto the work surface. Flour the work surface and the rolling pin so the dough doesn’t stick to either. Roll out the dough into a 10 inch(25 cm)long rectangle. Add more flour as needed. Brush off the excess flour with a pastry brush. Fold the bottom one-third of the dough towards the center, and the top third over that. While folding, brush off the excess flour as needed.
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Give the dough a quarter turn, and make the same steps at least 3 more times up to 6 times.
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Wrap the dough in plastic film and refrigerate at least for 1 hour before using.
*You can click here for dip and sweep method if you use cup measurements.
Recipe adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini