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Quick Puff Pastry Dough

Source of Recipe


From "The Gourmet Cookbook"



List of Ingredients



• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1½ sticks (12 Tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, plus 3 Tbsp butter cut into very thin slices
  
• 4 to 6 Tbsp ice water
  






Instructions



1. Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl. Blend half of the butter cubes into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in remaining butter cubes in the same manner until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-sized) lumps of butter.
   
   
2. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of dough: if it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, ½ tablespoon at a time, stirring just until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough. Gather dough into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch square on a sheet of wax paper. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
   
   
3. Roll dough out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 13- x 11-inch rectangle. Position dough with a short side nearest you, and place butter slices evenly over it. Fold dough into thirds like a letter: bottom third up and top third down. Turn dough so a short side is nearest you and roll it out into a 13- x 11-inch rectangle again, then fold into thirds once more. Brush off any excess flour, wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
   
   Makes enough for a single-crust 10-inch pie.