Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients: gluten free flour blend, sugar, xanthan gum and salt.

Step 2

Add the 40g of cold cubed butter and, using your fingertips, work it into the dry ingredients until you get a texture resembling fine breadcrumbs.Tip: You can also use a food processor for this step. Once you've achieved a breadcrumb-like mixture, transfer it from the bowl of the food processor into a large mixing bowl.

Step 3

Add the 120g of cold butter slices to the dry ingredients. Toss the mixture with your fingertips so that each butter slice is coated in flour. Separate any slices that have stuck together.

Step 4

Start adding the cold water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time.After each addition of water, use your fingertips or a fork to toss the mixture around so that the flour gets evenly hydrated (that is, so that the water gets evenly absorbed by the dry ingredients).

Step 5

Continue adding the water and tossing the mixture until all the flour has been hydrated (there should be no patches of completely dry flour) and the mixture starts clumping together in places. It will still look crumbly at this point – that’s OK!Tip: You might need slightly more or less water than is listed in the recipe (the exact amount will depend on the type/brand of gluten free flour blend you use and some other factors). If there are any patches of dry flour, sprinkle them with some extra cold water until all the flour has been hydrated.

Step 6

Bring the puff pastry dough together into a ball. To do this, give it a gentle knead and press it against the sides of the bowl. Your dough won’t look perfectly smooth at this stage – it will look slightly “shaggy” and uneven, with a few cracks here or there. That’s perfectly OK. Tip: Don’t overwork the dough, as that can cause the butter to start melting due to the heat from your hands, which can reduce the flakiness of the final pastry (you want the butter to stay in discrete pieces/sheets embedded in the dough). Knead it only until it comes together in a ball.

Step 7

Wrap the prepared gluten free puff pastry dough in plastic wrap/cling film. Tip: I like to arrange the plastic wrap loosely around the pastry in a roughly rectangular shape and then run over the pastry with a rolling pin to work it all the way to the edges of the plastic wrap. This helps to smooth out the pastry and it gives you a rectangular shape that will come in handy when you roll out the dough during the lamination process.

Step 8

Chill the puff pastry dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Tip: This chilling step cools down the butter in the dough and firms it up, so that it won’t melt into the surrounding dough during the laminating process.

Step 9

If your puff pastry dough has been in the fridge for longer than 30 minutes, leave it out on the counter at room temperature for a few minutes. You want the dough to be cool but not so cold that it’s hard as a rock. It should be pliable and malleable enough so that you can roll it out without too much cracking.If at any time during the laminating process the pastry feels too soft and the butter starts melting (for example, if you're working in a very warm kitchen), chill it in the fridge for about 15 minutes before proceeding.

Step 10

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the chilled dough into a long rectangle. The exact dimensions of the rectangle aren’t important, aim for a length that’s about three times the width. Tip: Don’t worry if the dough cracks slightly along the edges, the pastry will smooth out with the two letter folds.

Step 11

First letter fold: Fold one third of the rectangle towards the centre and then fold the other third over it (as you would a letter).

Step 12

Rotate the folded pastry by 90 degrees, so that the open ends point towards and away from you.

Step 13

Roll out the pastry again into a long rectangle.

Step 14

Second letter fold: Fold one third of the rectangle towards the centre and then fold the other third over it (as you would a letter).

Step 15

Wrap the finished gluten free puff pastry tightly in plastic wrap/cling film and chill in the fridge until needed.It's best to chill the pastry for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out, if you want to use it straight away.

Step 16

Use as instructed in the chosen recipe. You can use this gluten free puff pastry in any recipe that calls for puff pastry.

Step 17

The gluten free puff pastry keeps well tightly wrapped in plastic wrap/cling film in the fridge for about 1 week or in the freezer for up to about 1 month.Tip: I don’t recommend freezing the pastry before the laminating step.

Step 18

When you want to use it, allow it to thaw at room temperature before rolling it out. If you press down on it with a finger, it should leave an indentation – but it should feel firm, not too soft to the touch.