I was in the mood to make something with my hands. To create something out of nothing, not unlike a painter working on a blank canvas. I needed something to be proud of, something to show off and say “look, I made this myself, from scratch”.
Flour, water, butter. Lots of butter. Whole lots of butter. So much butter that no one person should consume on a regular basis. And yet, I needed even more. For to make puff pastry, you need to feel like butter is your friend and treat it as such. It will try to escape, to soften, to ooze out, but you need to contain it, know how and when to handle it.
Puff pastry is the queen of doughs. It’s not a difficult one to make, not when you can be patient, when you know some tricks and tips and when you understand the idiosyncrasies of her majesty, the pâte feuilletée.
This dough requires time—time to rest. It requires cold—cold hands, cold working area. It requires a good rolling pin and a little elbow grease. It will consume you for half a day, you need to pay attention to it, but while it is resting in the fridge, you’ll get a rest too and have the chance to tend to other things. And then, you can enjoy the glory of its hundreds of layers, the puff, the rise, the buttery goodness.
Puff pastry is not for the faint-hearted. If you love making doughs, then you’re going to love making this one too. If not, you can certainly find ready-made puff pastry that is good, when it’s made with actual butter that is. If you’re not one to shy away from a pastry challenge, this one’s for you.
Flour, water, butter. Lots of butter. Whole lots of butter. So much butter that no one person should consume on a regular basis. And yet, I needed even more. For to make puff pastry, you need to feel like butter is your friend and treat it as such. It will try to escape, to soften, to ooze out, but you need to contain it, know how and when to handle it.
Puff pastry is the queen of doughs. It’s not a difficult one to make, not when you can be patient, when you know some tricks and tips and when you understand the idiosyncrasies of her majesty, the pâte feuilletée.
This dough requires time—time to rest. It requires cold—cold hands, cold working area. It requires a good rolling pin and a little elbow grease. It will consume you for half a day, you need to pay attention to it, but while it is resting in the fridge, you’ll get a rest too and have the chance to tend to other things. And then, you can enjoy the glory of its hundreds of layers, the puff, the rise, the buttery goodness.
Puff pastry is not for the faint-hearted. If you love making doughs, then you’re going to love making this one too. If not, you can certainly find ready-made puff pastry that is good, when it’s made with actual butter that is. If you’re not one to shy away from a pastry challenge, this one’s for you.
Beautiful. You did an amazing job!
ReplyDeleteThanks, El.
DeleteWhy did my puff pastry melt in the oven? My guess is I let the butter come through the dough, if this was the case how do I stop this from happening.
DeleteDid you follow my recipe?
DeleteChances are with a puff that has the butter that melts out of it, could be one of several things. Not enough rolls and folds, the oven wasn't preheated to the correct temperature, or the pastry wasn't chilled/rested enough before going into the oven!
DeleteThanks Alex.
DeleteThat is an absolutely amazing and flawless tutorial. Thank you so much - I have always shied away from making puff pastry because I have never seen such thorough directions. I will be making this very soon. ~ David
ReplyDeleteWow! Really helpful tutorial! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed by your step by step recipe and wonderfully clear explanations. I once made puff pastry for a tarte tatin and really enjoyed it and it wasn't as difficult as I imagined. Time and cold and important as you say. I'm looking forward to your recipes using it as at the moment, I'm craving flaky pastry with feta (hint, hint).
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post Magda! The step by step images are just perfect. It was beautiful to read through the process too.
ReplyDeleteDavid — I know it looks daunting but it's actually not very difficult. Give it a try!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous — you're welcome!
Emily — yes, it mostly need time and patience and to know some secrets that will make the process less intimidating. Yes, something with feta is coming up shortly :)
Anna — I'm so glad you like it!
Wow Magda, fantastic post! I love the step by step photos - it was wonderful to move through each stage of the process. Well done! I think making your own puff pastry is a HUGE achievement!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous tutorial! I've thought of making puff pastry but have never seen such great directions. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteI love Greek food & look forward to exploring the rest of your blog!
MulberryPomegranate — I guess it's pretty great, isn't it? :)
ReplyDeleteSusan — hello and welcome to my blog! I'm glad you liked the tutorial!
Have to try making this by myself! It raised really beautifully!
ReplyDeleteWow, Magda, I am beyond impressed---all these years I have studiously avoided making my own puff pastry. You've provided inspiration, and superb instructions.
ReplyDeletehappy new year, glad you are back.
Magda, this is one of the most helpful and insightful posts I've seen on making homemade puff. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy mother took a French pastry course when she first married my father, and over the years has imparted her knowledge of these classic techniques to me. This, however, is the one I never got around to making on my own! I am going to make it and photograph it for her - I know she'll be absolutely tickled. And thanks to your detailed instructions I'm really confident I can do it :)
Oh Magda, it that ever gorgeous!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a bite of puffed pastry since I had to go gluten-free 4 years ago. I've been meaning to try my hand at making my own from scratch, but I'm afraid the lack of gluten in the dough will lead to disappointment.
Maybe I can get some of your pastry making magic by osmosis;)
xo
E
I really admire anyone who makes puff pastry from scratch...a great tutorial.
ReplyDeleteI am in awe...
ReplyDeleteWhat is the best butter available in the U.S. for making puff pastry? By that I mean the one with the highest fat content. I used to make puff pastry in Europe but I didn't know the brand.
ReplyDeletePlugra
DeleteYour tutorial is right on! I took a french pastry class and we made this and I decided right then and there that no one in my family deserved to have that much time spent making their food! Hours of work that would be eaten in 10 minutes.....it is like you say, an art and a wanting to make something beautiful from scratch.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. Just was wondering what it the thawing directions
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure exactly what you mean but if you're asking about thawing instructions for the puff pastry: 24 hours before you want to use the pastry, take it out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator. Then you're ready to use it.
DeleteGreat tutorial. I'm trying to make my own puff pastry. But it failed due to leaking the detrempe. But, i'll try again soon. May your tutorial will help me to get the best result..
ReplyDeleteThank you for this tutorial!
ReplyDeleteI've done this once so far but the result was just perfect!
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10342818_674129549307874_8105207191220515299_n.jpg?oh=252ed3d3cda8eb81e06c061b937aa8e6&oe=54BC7FD4&__gda__=1425166088_b5efb77d0030c100df839dd0b8cce3e8
https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10380307_674129525974543_4305267050970269699_n.jpg?oh=35d91e92dfda1901842c2a29e10424af&oe=54BC4FF5
Hello anonymous friend. You are very welcome, I'm so glad it worked out for you! I took a look at your photos and your puff pastry looks amazing!!
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI ran into another recipe by Anna Olson for puff pastry, she incorporates the detrempe (dough) into the beurrage (hunk of butter) , does the puff pastry result differently?
Hello. I've heard of this method but I wouldn't try it. It is too tricky and more complicated. I don't know if the result is better.
DeleteVery nice pâte feuilletée !
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteHi. I realised my sister accidentally put both the detrempe and the beurrage into the freezer Instead of the chiller. Upon the 1st and 2nd fold I found it really hard to contain the beurrage in the détrempe. I stopped after the 2nd fold and hope to find a way to salvage this. Please please help
ReplyDeleteHi Patricia. I would suggest you leave it in the fridge overnight so the temperature of the detrempe and beurrage become the same and continue from there. Good luck!
DeleteWhat a great instructor you are, these instructions a so concise, it's so easy to understand, thank you so very much! Took a class in Paris in back june @ Paris Cuisine but was all over europe after that and forgot some of the"savoir faire". So thanks again, amma gonna go make so fresh pastries to my little family, on my way to find some european style butter in Quebec :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Sylvie. Hope you enjoy your pastries :)
Deletehello, is there any chance you can clarify the baking time and temperature of the oven?
ReplyDeleteI've read online that 400°F/204°C is the magic temperature to get the desired puff out of the pastry.
DeleteAs far as timing goes, I don't really know... I baked some palmiers last night at 425°F/220°C for about 18 minutes and it browned nicely.
I also made some steak and oxtail pie and baked that at 350°F/180°C for 40 minutes and they browned nicely as well.
thank you! will see how it goes :)
DeleteHi there and sorry for the late reply. It depends on what you are making. If you are baking a single sheet of puff pastry, a pie (with two sheets), small/individual pieces, etc. Check here and here for my recipes with puff pastry for baking times.
DeleteThank you so much for such a wonderful and easy recipe!
ReplyDeleteI made this last night to top a savoury pie for dinner. It was perfect!
I don't have a stand mixer with dough hook and didn't fancy mixing the détrempe by hand, so I tossed everything into my food processor and pulsed it until it formed a dough ball and then kneaded it gently and put it into the fridge to rest as directed... was a little wary about doing that but it worked.
One word of note to people who are new to baking with puff pastry... please * * do not * * use an egg wash on this if you want a good rise to your pastry... I made the mistake of putting an egg wash on the savoury pies that I made yesterday and while I got the desired layer definition, the pastry failed to puff.
I know for a fact that it was the egg wash that prevented the rise because I used some leftover dough to do a test run of palmiers, just to see what would happen if I baked an unwashed dough, and I got a _very_ good puff.
Thanks again!
Hi Katherine and thanks for your comment. I'm very happy your puff pastry was successful! Topping a savory pie...mmm sounds delicious! I have to disagree with you however on the eggwash part. I have never had any problems with rising. You can see this recipe here as an example. Thanks!
DeleteHello again, Magda!
DeleteAlmost 7 years to the day of my original comment and I'm back again to not only thank you for keeping this recipe live, but also to tell you that I'm about to show my daughter (6 and very keen to "help mum" with cooking and baking) how to make puff pastry... she's got a week off of school coming up and your recipe is simple enough to make a batch of pâte feuilletée for more savoury pie for dinner.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/02/hawksmoor-oxtail-cheek-pie-recipe?fbclid=IwAR0upUdwJ7OGCql3N74VKJmgTKKt5GXziPuecbO1nKEITDzbJQalQm7Hp6k
Hello again Katherine! So happy to see you back and even ore happy to hear you will be making this with your daughter.
DeleteI became a mom 3 years ago and even though we're not even close to making puff pastry together with my son, he's too young, I can't wait for that time to come for us too.
I hope you enjoy the experience with your little one and you have a great result.
Thank you :)
my boss want me to use every last piece of the puff pastry, is frozen and after the first use it became hard to work and it doesn't rise as much. Is there a way to fix it? should it put more butter and repeat the steps?
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria. You first need to thaw your puff pastry in the refrigerator. Leave it there for a good 24 hours before using. It shouldn't be difficult to work with then. No need to add more butter or repeat any steps. That's how I work with it and I've never had any problems.
DeleteI just finished this recipe and I am so proud of myself! Hahaha. I was delighted when my puff pastry looked just like your pictures. Thank you for such a detailed and easy to follow tutorial. Just one question...should I roll it out thin before freezing? Or do you roll it out after thawing? Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteOh I'm so happy to hear this Sarah! I'm glad your puff pastry turned out as mine. You can either freeze it once you have rolled it out, or you can freeze a whole block and roll it out when thawed. You can't refreeze it though.
DeleteOk good to know! Thank you.
DeleteHi this is SarahL but signed in from my blog. I just wanted to say I'm crazy about how this puff pastry came out. We made minced meat pie and apple turnovers. I shared the turnovers with some friends and they were in love too! I will definitely be making it again!
DeleteHi Sarah. I'm so glad you liked it! :) Thanks for your feedback.
DeleteI love this recipe and technique! It's the best one I've found for full puff pastry and it's been wonderful to practice with. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to give a quick thank you! After scouring recipes and YouTube videos for the perfect recipe to have my first go at puff pastry, I landed on your perfect tutorial. Everything went exactly as you pictured, it was a great joy to make with beautiful results! I appreciate your classic techniques :)
ReplyDeleteI am a bit curious as to why some recipes, like yours, enrich the dètrempe with butter and others do not. Is there a science answer behind that, or just preference?
Thanks again!
Lola
Hi Lola and thank you so much for your comment. I am so glad you tried my recipe and happy that it worked for you! Hmmm I don't know about the detrempe, I've always known it to be enriched. It works for me this way and it is delicious, so wouldn't change it. Plus, the more butter the better, right? ;)
DeleteThank you for sharing your recipe. It turned out lovely and I am looking forward to using the rest of the pastry for a sweet treat tomorrow. I love your blog, I am looking forward to having my son visit and I will make him some of your greek recipes. He misses his Yia-Yia's cooking and I have never been able to come close to how good her stuff tasted, but I think with your recipes, I can!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words and feedback. :)
DeleteHaving searched umpteen recipes on the internet, every one different, I found yours. I liked your instructions - clear, concise and logical combined with very helpful, practical and relevant comments. Photos were really useful and melded well with the text.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely satisfied and pleased with the results, so thankyou so much!!
One often sees bread flour recommended for puff but here's a recipe from Michel Guerard, probably the most famous French chef of the 20th century and it uses a mixture of type 55 and 45 flours (essentially all purpose and pastry flour): https://www.allmychefs.com/recipes/michel-guerards-caramelized-pear-puff-pastry-with-williamine-cream_9421_2
ReplyDeleteBread flour can result in a heavy product and indeed it appears to have done so in your photos of the finished product. I'd also add that your paton looked beautiful, but your ends became too oval in the rolling out. This will result in 'dead spots' in the puff. You need to roll or tug those ends more square, this is where using a less-strong flour is your friend. The 55 and 45 combo results in such a better tasting puff, just more lovely all around.