How to make easy and crunchy puff pastry for your recipes! That’s right, you need a puff pastry that is easy to prepare, not too long, and gives excellent results. I propose this recipe, which is not entirely mine: I made some modifications. First of all, I use only butter, as I don’t particularly like margarine, which makes puff pastry good, but in terms of aromatic characteristics, I prefer butter, not to mention the nutritional and health benefits.
I prefer to prepare the dough in the evening and let it rest all night. The next day it is almost silky and easy to work with.
I don’t use puff pastry often, but a bit more recently, so I prefer to make it at home. Purchased ones don’t always give good results. I store it in the freezer in 250-gram portions and can use it when needed.
It’s great for pastries, and I’ll also show you the process for making cannoli and all other recipes that require it.
It’s amazing for cannoli!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 26 large cannoli
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
Start with the flour…
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Manitoba flour
- 1 1/8 cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter
- 2 1/4 cups butter
Tools
You can knead by hand or use a stand mixer; for rolling, proceed manually, while to roll out the dough for the cannoli I used the electric pasta roller. It depends on the quantities and how much time you have, otherwise, I proceed manually with the rolling pin.
The pasta roller makes everything smoother and speeds up the process. Rolling with the pin creates a less compressed texture and gives a bit more volume when baked.
- Bowls
- Stand Mixers
- Rolling Pins
- Molds
Steps
Five steps for the pastry and five for the cannoli… All very simple!
In a bowl, mix the flours with the salt, add water and softened butter in pieces. Knead well until you get a smooth dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for an hour in the fridge if you’re in a hurry, better if overnight; the result will be better.
After the necessary time, roll the dough to a thickness of about 0.4 inches, set it aside…
Place the room temperature butter between two sheets of parchment paper and flatten it with the rolling pin, until it’s as thin as the dough made from the pastello. (The video shows all the steps).
After placing the butter sheet over the pastry sheet, seal the edges and make a first three-fold. Let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge, after wrapping in parchment paper and a plastic bag; although it’s a short time, the fridge dries out the dough, better to prevent.
Take the dough block, roll it out and make a four-fold. You will need to repeat this operation two more times.
The first time, make a three-fold, the second, third, and fourth time make a four-fold. Between each step, a 30-minute pause. Not less, otherwise, the dough won’t have enough time to cool and the structure will change.
Once the laminating is done, you can now proceed to roll out the final sheet, after dividing the dough into four equal portions. While you work with the first, keep the rest cold and well wrapped. As mentioned above, I used the pasta roller, but if I need little, I use the rolling pin. Then cut strips about 16 inches long and wrap them around the cannoli tube.
After the first procedure, pass through granulated sugar and refrigerate as you proceed to prevent the dough from getting too warm. Puff pastry is very sensitive to heat.
Bake in a preheated oven at 390°F for about thirty minutes. They will be well golden and crunchy. Remove from the mold when slightly cool to avoid breaking the shapes. Fill with custard or zabaione.
How to store puff pastry and cannoli
Puff pastry can be stored in the refrigerator for two or three days, but it’s better directly in the freezer when raw; once baked, either in the fridge or at room temperature, depending on the filling. Once baked, the cannoli can be kept in the fridge if filled, otherwise at room temperature. You can also freeze them already cooked and reheat them in the oven, not in the microwave.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use whole wheat flour?
Yes, you can use whole wheat flour as a substitute for type 0 flour.
Can I freeze uncooked cannoli?
Yes, you can freeze uncooked cannoli, without removing the mold.
