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Pastry 101: Puff Pastry page I




Source of Recipe


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Recipe Introduction


Originating in France, they
call Puff pastry, pâte
feuilletée or leafed pastry
because of its many leaves
or layers. Puff pastry is
the king of pastries -- crisp,
buttery, flaky and especially
light.

Puff Pastry is a light, flaky
pastry made by repeatedly
layering pastry dough (flour,
butter, water and salt) and
butter or another solid fat,
called laminating, to form
a thin dough.

When it bakes in a hot oven,
the moisture in the dough
layers produce steam, and
the air trapped expands,
that if properly sealed in
by the butter, will separate
into hundreds of flaky and
thin pastry layers and push
up as it evaporates.

It is one of the ultimate
examples of flakiness if
everything is done right
from start to finish.


Puff Pastry is used to make
a variety of crisp creations
including croissants, Napoleons,
Palmiers and Allumettes.

Danish and puff pastry are made
from similar techniques, but
Danish is made from a yeast
dough and puff contains no
rising agent but steam. Since
Puff Pastry doesn't contain
sugar, it makes a perfect
wrapping for various savory
and sweet foods such as meats,
cheese and fruit.

It can be made at home or
purchased from the supermarket
in the freezer section as ready-made.

If you don't want to make your own
Puff Pastry, don't despair -- there
are ready-made dough available in
the freezer section of the supermarket.

They are easy to use and quite good.

Look for the all-natural kinds. Two
ready-made puff pastry brands are well
worth trying: Pepperidge Farm Puff
Pastry Sheets and Classic Puff Pastry
from Dufour Pastry Kitchens (which
can be rolled thinner).

The leavening in laminated doughs is
derived mainly from the steam generated
by the moisture in the gluten and
optionally, butter (up to 20% water).

Gluten is formed when wheat flour and
moisture, such as water and that contained
in butter (20%) is stirred or manipulated,
such as rolled and folded.

(Butter is made up of one part protein
and two parts water.) Gluten is necessary
to provide extra support to the thin,
fragile layers of pastry and butter.

As the steam expands in the oven it lifts
and separates the individual layers which
are held in place as the starches in the
flour eventually set through baking. The
layers hold as sheets because of the way
in which it is rolled. Puff pastry when
baked, rises to about 8-times its original
height. While croissant and danish doughs
do contain a small amount of yeast to
aid in leavening, puff pastry relies
solely on steam and requires a higher
percentage of butter and a more elaborate
folding process.

Puff Pastry was invented in about 1645
by a French pastrycook's apprentice
named Claudius Gele. At the end of his
apprenticeship, Claudius wanted to bake
a delicious loaf of bread for his sick
father, who was prescribed a diet
consisting of water, flour and butter.

Claudius prepared a dough, packing the
butter into it, kneading the dough out
on the table, folding it, and repeating
the procedure ten times, after which he
molded the dough into a loaf.

The pastrycook, who had watched the
procedure, advised Claudius against
baking the loaf as he thought the butter
would run out of it. Nevertheless, the
loaf was put in the oven, and as the
loaf baked, both the pastrycook and
Claudius were more and more surprised
at the shape and the unusual size it a
ttained.

Having finished his apprenticeship,
Claudius left for Paris, where he found
work at the Rosabau Patisserie.

Here he completed his invention, which
won the shop an enormous fortune and
name. Claudius later went to Florence,
where he worked in the Brothers Mosca's
pastry shop. The brothers Mosca reaped
the honour of having invented the Puff
Pastry, although Claudius kept his secret
to himself and always prepared his
pastries in a locked room. Claudius died
in 1682, a highly regarded artist.




Recipe Link: http://www.baking911.com/pastry_puff.htm

List of Ingredients




MAKING PUFF PASTRY 101 (Classic or Quick)
You will see different ways of preparing Puff
pastry, but described below is the one I like
to use.

Making Puff pastry works best in cool, dry
weather or a cool kitchen because if the fat
becomes too warm, it melts and breaks through
the dough layers.

The layering in Puff pastry comes from hundreds
of layers of alternating layers or dough and
butter, created by a technique referred to as
dough "turns" or a series of folding, rolling
and rotating the dough. The dough needs a
resting time of an hour or four hours, preferably
24 in the refrigerator, after the dough and butter
are initially layered and after every second "turn".

That's to give the gluten strands a chance to relax,
making it more foldable and stretchable afterwards.

INGREDIENTS:

The best tasting Puff pastry comes from unsalted
butter. The best-textured Puff pastry comes from
vegetable shortening, such as Crisco. Butter with
a low water content called Plugra or other French
butters works well, too. As a result, it is highly
desirable because it won't toughen the gluten.

The butter also stays pliable even when cold. It
usually available from upscale supermarkets or
gourmet shops.

The dough should be well chilled, lump free and
the flour well incorporated. The butter should
be the same consistency as the dough.

Keep everything cold, especially the butter which
should be kept at 60 degrees F. Measure its
temperature by inserting an Instant Read Thermometer
in its center. If the butter is too cold, it will be
hard and break through the dough; if too soft, it
will be absorbed into the dough. Either way the Puff
pastry recipe will fail !

Unbleached hard wheat (bread flour) than bleached
or softer flour (all-purpose or cake) plays an
important role in the pastry's ability to fluff.

Using all bread flour makes the pastry tough.

In general, flour will also absorb some of the
moisture of the butter and help make the dough
more manageable.

The combination of a little cake flour with
unbleached all-purpose flour is best. It has just
the right amount of protein to support the layers
without making the dough too elastic to roll.

Salt helps to flavor and relax the pastry.

The amount of water used in the recipe can vary
according to the water absorption rate of the flour.

Lemon juice adds acidity which relaxes the dough by
breaking down the proteins to make rolling easier.



Recipe



DOUGH:

Keeping the dough cold as you work is important to
the success of any puff pastry -- otherwise, the
butter melts and will no longer form distinct layers.

Also, keep your warm hands off the dough as much as
possible. If at any point the dough starts to soften
and stick, slip it onto a cookie sheet, cover it with
plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm

-- NO LONGER THAN 30 MINUTES.

This will keep the butter from turning too hard, as
it will not soften evenly at room temperature until
after the 4th turn.


ROLLING:

Best rolled on a marble, granite, Formica or wood
surface.

Keep the dough neat for a uniform puff.

Use a large rolling pin and roll evenly from end
to open end. Don't roll from side to side.

Square off the sides with a rolling pin or pastry
scraper as you work so the corners are at 90-degree
angles.

It is essential to let the pastry, rest for a minimum
of 1 hour up to 24 hours, in the refrigerator after
every two folds. It must be wrapped in plastic.


PREPARING THE DOUGH AND THE BUTTER PACKAGE -

"Lock In" and "Rolling In"

Making classic Puff Pastry starts with a butter block,
typically made from cold butter (60 degrees F, measured
with an Instant Read Thermometer) ) mixed with a small
amount flour. It is first pounded with a rolling pin
to render it plastic. By hand, the butter is then
squeezed into a solid mass and shaped into a square
1-inch thick. Work quickly as the butter should remain
the cool temperature it started with. If it gets too
warm, the butter block must be wrapped and refrigerated
until ready to use. Let sit a short time at room
temperature to the proper 60 degrees F temperature.

The dough, commonly referred to as détrempe, is made
from flour (all-purpose and sometimes a blend of
all-purpose, cake and/or bread flours), unsalted
butter, cold water and salt.

Sometimes other ingredients are added such as an egg
or lemon juice. The making of the dough is extremely
important: if you add too much flour or do not work
the dough long enough, it will be rubbery, hard to
work with and shrink when baked. The butter will
soften the gluten from the flour. This allows the
pastry to stretch more freely.

The butter and dough should be at approximately the
same consistency and cooler than room temperature.
(I check mine with an Instant Read Thermometer with
its end placed in the middle). Otherwise, you'll get
a poor quality recipe. When making a butter block,
the butter should not be so soft that it is hard to
handle. Let it achieve 60 degrees F which is optimal
(check with your Instant Read Thermometer placed in
its middle).

At this temperature, you should be able to transfer
the finished block from one hand to the other without
breaking it. It should not be so firm that it cracks
or breaks when you press on it. If the butter block
is colder than the dough, the dough package won't
roll out easily and spread, the butter will break
into pieces and will puncture the dough.

A dough that is softer than the butter will be forced
to the sides by the firmer butter; a dough that is too
firm will force the butter out the sides.

On a floured work surface, the dough is placed and
pressed with fingertips into a rough square about
an 1-inch thick. At this stage the dough will seem
ropey and rugged, which is normal. Dust flour on
the dough and roll out the four corners into flaps,
about 1/8-inch thick. Basically what you know have
is a "four leaf clover shape" with a middle that is
thicker than the flaps.

This is called the "French Method".

~~ The English Method:

The dough is pinned out to a rectangular shape, the
butter block is also flattened out to a rectangular
shape to cover about 66% of the pastry. The exposed
dough is folded over to cover half of the fat.

It is then folded again to completely cover and
enclose the butter.)

Next the square of butter is placed in the middle
of the dough, aligning it so the corners of the
square are between the flaps. Moisten the flaps
lightly with cold water. Fold the flaps over the
butter without stretching them, called a "lock
in".

Press edges together to seal in butter and press out
any air. Make sure no butter is exposed. If some shows
through, seal the dough around it by pinching the
dough together.


All ends and corners should be folded evenly and
squarely. It is now called a "dough package" or
"dough block".

The "lock-in" is the first step in the folding
procedure.

Here you place the butter over only 2/3rds of the
dough, then fold it like a business letter!

By doing this "lock-in", you have created 3 layers
of; dough, butter, dough! Continuing on with this
process with the additional folds needed.

Called "rolling-in" the dough-butter package is
rolled out into a rectangle, about approximately
5- inches by 10-inches or 9-inches by 18-inches,
about 1/8-inch thick, always keeping its corners
at a 90-degree angle. Dust with flour and place
the dough package seam-side up. Dust its top.

To roll, gently press with a rolling pin, giving
the dough a series of strokes, very close together.

Begin your pin on the edge closest to you and roll
toward the far end. The upper part always tends to
lengthen faster than the bottom. As you roll, turn
the dough over occasionally to keep the seams and
edges even.

Continue until the dough is about 3/8-inch thick.

Always dust the surface with pinches of flour to
prevent sticking.

Roll over the dough again in the length with even
pressure, once or twice. Stop when the dough is
1/4-inch thick.

Next you do a series of turns and folds.

TURNING AND FOLDING: 1 turn equals folding, rolling
and rotating. The dough is intermittently chilled
and rested.

After rolling in the butter, the next steps called
turns, producing hundreds of alternating layers of
fat and dough. Called lamination, this method keeps
the gluten strands in the dough lying in one plane.

This is important because by doing so, it gives
strength to the dough sheets, so they don't crumble
when they puff during baking. If the lamination is
successful and the layers are maintained, the recipe
will rise to its fullest and not distort.

It will be light and flaky or if not, will resemble
brioche.

The first turn in laminating is done by folding,
rolling and rotating the dough. The second and
subsequent turn starts with folding, rolling and
then rotating the dough. The number of turns taken
depends on the way in which the dough is folded.

The key to success in the laminating process is
maintaining the integrity of each layer.

This is done by:

• Resting the pastry
• Keep the corners of the pastry square
• Not rolling the dough too thin
• Brushing off excess flour off the pastry with
a pastry brush between turns
• Keep the dough block covered during resting
and folding periods

Folds:

There are two ways to fold the dough: with 3-folds
or 4-folds. The procedure above (rolling-in) does
not count as one of the turns. Note that a Puff
pastry made with 4 turns will be crunchier than
puff pastry with 6 turns, which will be lighter
and fluffier.

A Three or Single Fold.

Recipes are given SIX turns with 3-folds each. The
process is simple, you fold the dough like a business
letter - into 3rds! This type is the classic French
technique.

A Book Fold (also known as a Double Turn).

Recipes are given FOUR turns with 4-folds each.

It's a newer type of turn which makes it easier to
control the shaping and layering of the dough, so
it will rise more evenly when baked. After the pastry
has been rolled into a rectangle, each end is folded
and meet in the middle. The dough is folded in half
like a closed book making 4 layers.

This is called a book fold as the end result resembles
a book, with a spine (fold) in the middle and the
"covers" or flaps attached to it.

KEEPING TRACK OF TURNS:

After taking a turn, mark the dough with one finger
indentation so you know you completed one turn, two
finger marks for two turns etc. so you won't forget
how many turns you have done).

BOOK TURNS EXAMPLE:

After preparing the dough package, turns are taken
to laminate the dough based here upon FOUR 4-folds
(Click for a SIX 3-fold example). It will take about
4 hours to complete. The first few times you try to
fold the dough, it will crumble; as a result, don't
gather it together or press on it. Don't worry:
around the fourth turn, the dough will become smooth
and solid.

Book Turn #1: During the process, if the dough package
is too cold or becomes too warm, let warm to about 60
degrees F or place wrapped in the refrigerator to chill.


RESTING:

Puff pastry, lacking yeast and its dough conditioning
benefits, is more susceptible to tears and shrinkage
during baking. Since it is also laminated to a further
degree, the rests between turns are even more critical
making it easier to roll farther. If it is overworked
without being allowed to rest, the gluten structure
will tear, the dough will become tough and the finished
recipe won't have the desired height or texture.

Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate.

During this time, the dough will rest, relaxing the
gluten strands so the dough is less elastic and easier
to roll for use in a recipe.

Book Turn #2:

Complete steps for Book Turn #1.

Before rolling puff pastry, quick-chill your
rolling surface with self-sealing bags full of ice.

During rolling, never force the dough. If you have
to, stop rolling, wrap dough in plastic and place
in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Repeat the
process until the dough "relaxes".

Afterwards, the dough needs to be rested (after every
two turns) by placing it wrapped in plastic in the
refrigerator for about an hour, up to 24 hours.

Allowing the dough to rest between turns allows the
gluten structure to relax, making the dough more
extensible and less likely to tear.

Cream Horns are made with Puff Pastry Dough".

When done making all the turns and refrigerating
dough, proceed by rolling-out the dough to an
1/8" thickness. Cut into long strips 15" long by
3/4" wide. Roll around a cream horn tube, pinch the
ends against the tube to seal.

Roll into sugar and bake at 400 degrees F for 25
minutes. Remove from the tubes and allow to cool.

Fill with sweetened whipped cream.

Book Turn #3: Unwrap the dough. If the butter became
too hard from refrigerating the dough package, let it
soften a few minutes, but make sure it's at 60 degrees F.

Follow Book Turn Steps #1.

Book Turn #4: Complete Book Turn Steps #1.

During the final turns, the dough becomes more difficult
to roll as more gluten has been developed through rolling.

If the dough is very elastic and hard to roll, I do what
Shirley Corriher does in her book, Cookwise. Relax the
gluten in the dough by rolling out as large as possible.

Brush with ice water before continuing to roll.

After the Book Turns: the dough needs to be rested
(after every two turns) before using in a recipe.

Wrap it in plastic and because this is the last
turn, refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

During this time, the dough will rest, relaxing the
gluten strands so the dough is less elastic and
easier to roll for use in a recipe.

The finished dough will have 729 layers of alternating
dough and butter. I like to give a seventh turn, which
results in 2,187 layers, because the resulting pastry
is incredibly light.

Use dough within 24 hours or freeze indefinitely.

CUTTING: When cutting the pastry into shapes to bake,
the object is to create edges that leave the layers
of pastry open (not stuck together) which will enable
to rise freely. Never use a Puff pastry that's uncut
because the layers will be sealed.

With Puff pastry, there is always some degree of
shrinkage, especially when baked blind as a pie or
tart shell. Before cutting, lift it slightly and allow
it to fall back on the counter or baking sheet
making it shrink before cutting.

Always use a sharp knife moving in an up-and-down motion as
opposed to dragging it. Also use a cutter to cut puff pastry dough,
pressing straight down and not twisting. Wipe it clean after each
cut. A dull cut will pinch the layers together, resulting in
inferior puff height. These are the same rules used when cutting
biscuits.

Cut a circle 1/2 to 1-inch larger than the desired baked size.


Some information thanks to Nick Malgieri and Rose Levy Beranbaum.