And here I am to practically tell you a fairy tale. Today I show you a precious recipe, the QUICK PUFF PASTRY TO MAKE AT HOME BY IGINO MASSARI, oh forgive me that “genius pastry master Igino Massari”. Honestly, when people asked me when I would make puff pastry, I always replied never ever, too much time, I prefer to buy it. And here comes the fun… Browsing the web, this video by Massari caught my eye. At first, I thought, “yes, yes, he can make it like that, I never will.” But those who know me know that I say some things, but there’s always that little voice inside that tells me “Francesca, come on, try it, what have you got to lose”, and so I did. Naturally, I followed his recipe to the letter, and as if by magic, the puff pastry came out perfect, or rather better than the one you keep working and folding continuously. Believe me, it’s a spectacle!!!! With this puff pastry, I made 20 cream-filled cannoli and some sfogliatelle because I wanted to see its layering. If you want, you can naturally halve the doses and make less.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 4 Hours
- Portions: 20
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter, Spring
- Energy 1,459.39 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 117.77 (g) of which sugars 5.19 (g)
- Proteins 19.87 (g)
- Fat 101.68 (g) of which saturated 26.72 (g)of which unsaturated 70.81 (g)
- Fibers 3.72 (g)
- Sodium 764.75 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup butter (soft)
- 1 3/4 cups butter (cold)
- 2 tsp salt
- puff pastry (prepared)
- 4 cups custard cream
- as needed hazelnut crumbs (toasted)
- as needed powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Baking Tray
- Plastic Wrap
- Piping Bag
- Molds for cannoli
Steps
In a stand mixer, or if you don’t have one, in a bowl by hand, pour all the water.
Now add the flour
and the salt.
Add the soft butter and work at low speed for about 1 or 2 minutes max
the dough should not be too elastic
At this point, add the cold butter.
Work on the first speed with the stand mixer until you get this result; it takes about 1 minute. The butter should be well distributed but not absorbed. So even if you see the dough with chunks of butter thrown in, don’t worry. Lightly flour the work surface and pour the dough
Lightly flour the surface and start rolling it out with the rolling pin.
Proceed with the first 3-fold. Overlap for 2/3.
Complete the first turn by overlapping the remaining uncovered part.
Roll out the puff pastry again. It’s very important to roll out the puff pastry while keeping the seam of the long sides on your right
Then proceed with the second 4-fold. Bring the first short side to the center
then the second and slightly join.
At this point, fold the puff pastry in two as if it were a book. We will obtain 4 layers
Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour
Flour the work surface and start rolling out the puff pastry with a rolling pin, always having the care to work it with the opening to the right
Proceed with the third 4-fold by bringing the shorter side towards the center
The other side to join with the rolling pin
We will again obtain 4 layers
Roll out again with the rolling pin
Bring the first short side to the center
join the other
obtain 4 layers.
Wrap everything in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 2 hours. Perfection is achieved if you leave the block in the fridge overnight.
At this point, you can roll out the puff pastry and be as creative as you want. Perfect for pastries and cannoli or sfogliatelle. I rolled out the puff pastry, cutting it lengthwise
Then I made rectangles or squares if you prefer
Sprinkled with powdered sugar
Baked in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 20 minutes
For the cannoli, I made strips with the puff pastry and wrapped them around the cannoli mold.
I rolled them in cane sugar
Baked in a preheated oven at 356°F for 15 minutes
I let them cool down and filled them with my custard cream
I rolled the cream sides in hazelnut crumbs
At this point, finish with a nice sprinkle of powdered sugar.
The tip I give you is to fill the cannoli almost before enjoying them; otherwise, if you fill them earlier, the puff pastry loses its crispness and do not store them empty in the fridge because the same thing would happen. Long live Massari!!!!!!!
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