Perfect Puff Pastry – First Time Right! – Just So Darn Easy!

You will NEVER want another recipe after making this!

Total Weight of Recipe: 752 g    –    Total Calories of Recipe: 2,990

I made pies and so did my daughter. I will post my pix as soon as I make them again.

Note: 

• If you are using Cake Flour there is no need to add the cornflour but I did and it was beautiful and so did my daughter.
• If you are using All-Purpose Flour then you will need to add the cornflour to create the Pastry Flour which is needed for this recipe.
• All measures are levelled off with the back of a knife – It is baking law!
• Everything must remain chilled at all times – That’s the secret to a good puff pastry!
• If you feel the cold wear off at anytime, refrigerate right away to chill for 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

250 g (500 ml) All Purpose Flour or Cake Flour
15 g (30 ml) Cornstarch
250 g butter, chilled

5 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed (or lime)
168 ml (168 g) water, ice cold – 2⁄3 Cup
Salt to taste
1.25 ml (1⁄4 Teaspoon)Turmeric powder – Optional
62.5 g (125 ml) Flour, for dusting

Method:

Step 1:

1. To Your Food Processor Bowl Placed on Scale – weigh in your flour, cornstarch, salt and turmeric. Pulse for a minute to blend flours together.
2. Add butter cut into small cubes, a little at a time and pulse to incorporate it into the flour.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon or lime juice to your water measure and gradually add itto your food processor pulsing again.
4. Remove dough to a clean flour dusted counter top sprinkling some more flour on the top – using your fingers, press dough without using palms.
5. Form dough into a ball and mold it into a square shape – gently wrap dough in kitchen plastic or cling wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Step 2:

1. After 30 minutes remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap and roll it by dusting with flour.
2. Pound dough with rolling pin until it becomes easy to roll out then roll to a 1/4-inch thick rectangular shape, brushing off excess flour.
3. Fold 6 times so you have a 4 layered rectangular shape – This is called “a turn”  which will be your 1st turn  and we will need another “5 turns” to give us a total of “6 turns”– chilling pastry after every 2 – 3 turns (3 only if you can work very quickly but I would recommend 2 for beginners). Work very carefully but swiftly so that the butter does NOTmelt or soften! If you feel it might do then just quickly put it back in refrigerator to chill another 30 minutes and refrigerate for same period between each two or three turns or as needed.
4. After 30 minutes chilling and having completed 6 turns, remove dough from refrigerator and check that is ready to bake, if it is too thick then roll again one more time so that the dough is 1/4-inch thick.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F).
6. Roll out and cut into shape using a pizza cutter cutting 1 cm around pie plate inverted onto rolled out pastry or using a pie press to make pies – You may also cut into circles using a cookie cutters or however you wish.
7. Arrange pastry on a dusted baking tray – Bake pastry on highest temperature which will give it the initial burst it needs for the pastry to puff up. Watch carefully and before it shows signs of browning too fast – lower the temperature as you go along until pie or pastry is nicely golden brown and flaky.

TIPS: If dough is kneaded by hand, use shredded or small cubes of butter with a pastry cutter to prevent hands from melting butter in pastry as it will incorporate better with the dough this way whilst kneading. Any remaining dough may be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen. Allow pastry to thaw properly before baking.

NOTE: 250 grams all purpose flour + 2 tablespoons (levelled) of cornstarch = 1 cup of cake flour

Much thanks to Bhavna Patel for this lovely recipe!

Sourced from: bhavnaskitchen.

See video here