Description
This Homemade Rough Puff Pastry Dough recipe offers a quick and easy way to create flaky, buttery pastry perfect for tarts, pies, croissants, and turnovers. Unlike traditional puff pastry, this rough puff version requires less time and effort while still delivering layers of buttery crispness. The dough is made with cold butter and chilled multiple times to achieve the ideal texture without needing extensive lamination.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt to evenly combine the dry components.
- Incorporate Butter: Add the cold, cubed unsalted butter into the flour mixture. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with visible chunks of butter, which is key to creating flaky layers.
- Add Liquid: Stir together the cold water and lemon juice (or vinegar). Gradually add this liquid to the flour and butter mixture, gently stirring until the dough just comes together. Be careful to avoid overmixing to maintain the butter chunks.
- First Chill: Shape the dough into a rough rectangle and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the butter and relax the gluten.
- First Roll and Fold: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 8×16-inch rectangle. Fold the dough like a letter into thirds, then rotate it 90 degrees to prepare for laminations.
- Repeat Rolling and Folding: Perform three more sets of rolling and folding, chilling the dough for 20 minutes in the refrigerator between each set. This creates multiple buttery layers essential for a flaky pastry.
- Final Chill: After completing the folds, wrap the dough tightly and chill for at least 1 hour before using. This ensures the dough is cold and ready for baking.
- Use or Store: The rough puff pastry is now ready for crafting tarts, pies, croissants, or turnovers. Store any unused pastry dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Keep all ingredients as cold as possible to prevent the butter from melting and ensure flaky layers.
- Do not overmix the dough; small visible butter chunks are essential for texture.
- Chilling times are important to relax gluten and keep butter cold.
- If freezing, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight before use.
- This pastry works well for both sweet and savory dishes.
