Grandma’s puff pastry recipe to make it at home, without mistakes! Here is the step-by-step recipe for homemade puff pastry, ideal to obtain savory tartlets and all kinds of sweet puff pastry desserts, such as Chausson aux pommes, Honey and walnut braids, Apple and jam turnovers and Apple strudel with puff pastry, and the perfect base for many quick puff pastry appetizers and delicious homemade breakfasts.
When many years ago I first tried to make puff pastry at home, the results were really disappointing: a heavy, greasy product came out of all the effort I had made. Now that many kilos of flour and butter have gone under the bridge, I believe that with a little care and attention, puff pastry is one of the simplest basic preparations to make.
Before getting your hands into the dough I still want to give you some information about the product we are going to prepare and tell you that there are alternatives to classic puff pastry, such as Fake puff pastry with Philadelphia or Quick homemade puff pastry (spiral method).
Did you know that puff pastry is also a leavened dough? Yes, puff pastry rises because it undergoes mechanical leavening, since the steam trapped between the various layers made impermeable by the fat causes the characteristic lamellar layers to form. The more turns you give the dough, the more regular and less abundant the rise will be; conversely, few turns will lead to a very irregular rise. Finally, the oven should be around 392°F so that this reaction can occur optimally.
The other types of leavening found in pastry are natural leavening, obtained through gases produced by fermentation; chemical leavening, obtained by the reaction of baking powder; and physical leavening, obtained by incorporating air into the batter, as in sponge cake.
After these few explanations, if you too want to try to create homemade puff pastry, follow me and I will explain step by step how to do it.
I only ask you to strictly respect the resting times and use the right flour: a medium-strong flour that has a good capacity to develop gluten, but not too much. A common “type 0” flour could work well; also use a good butter, perhaps Bavarian-style, but make sure the mixture does not warm up too much. During the folds respect the edges of the dough, trying to keep very regular and matching shapes. Finally, avoid making puff pastry during hot months, it would be impossible to obtain good results. That said, we are ready to start. But before rolling up our sleeves, I remind you that if you want to stay updated on my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 2 Minutes
- Portions: about 25 oz (approx. 700 g)
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 300 g Butter (of excellent quality, Bavarian-style possible)
- 300 g Type 0 flour (11/12 g protein, medium W)
- 90 g Water (cold)
- 4 g Salt
Tools
- Rolling pin
- Dough sheeter pastry type
- Bowl
- Parchment paper
Preparation OF HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY
For the butter block:
Work quickly with cold butter and 100 g of flour taken from the total. Form a square block about 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches, flour it lightly and let it rest for 35 minutes at room temperature if the air is cool and the block is not warm; otherwise place it in the refrigerator.
For the dough base:
Dissolve the salt in the water, pour the water onto the flour and mix without overworking; you don’t need a highly developed dough, in fact it’s better to avoid it. Let the dough base rest for 30 minutes at room temperature: the gluten will relax and it will be easier to encase the butter.
Roll out the dough base into a square shape and to a size that can perfectly enclose the butter block. Place the butter block in the center of the dough base and fold the corners of the dough base towards the center of the block. You have “encased the butter”.
Press with your hands and then gently flatten with the rolling pin until you obtain a long rectangle about just under 3/8 inch thick.
Proceed by making a series of wallet folds called three-folds.
Turn the block with the long side facing you and the open side to the left or right, but remember that the side you choose will be the direction of working the dough. Mark the block with a notch; this will remind you that you are at the first series of folds. Place in the coldest part of the refrigerator for 30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap — the dough must not dry out at all!
Take the block back, with the open side left or right according to your previous choice, and the short side facing you. Roll the dough again lengthwise with the rolling pin. Mark the center point of the sheet with your finger, fold the lower short side so it comes a little past the point you marked, then fold the other short side perfectly against it. Fold in two — you will have made a four-fold series.
Make two notches in the dough to remind you that you are at the second turn and put it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap for another thirty minutes.
After the time, repeat a series of three-folds, refrigerate for another thirty minutes, then take it back and give another series of four-folds.
Once the series of folds is finished, you will have formed the puff pastry. During the entire process, remember to always use a little flour to prevent the dough from sticking or tearing: the various layers must remain intact for a good puff and rise.
When the folds are finished, place the block on a sheet of parchment paper and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour before using. It can remain in the fridge for up to three days or, alternatively, portion it and freeze it until ready to use.
In the photo you can see the cross-section of the pastry; you can notice the clearly distinct layers.
You can use your pastry just like a store-bought puff pastry and prepare both sweet and savory dishes.
Notes
Homemade puff pastry made with real butter rises more than industrial pastry, has a more intense aroma and a fuller taste. It keeps in the refrigerator for one week, wrapped in plastic film.
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