Rough Puff Pastry

Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt on low speed.

Step 2

Dice the cold butter into large chunks (one stick should be cut into 8 pieces). Add in the butter, and turn the mixer on low (cover the bowl with a towel if flour starts to spill out). Let the paddle cut the butter into the flour for about 1 minute. There should still be large chunks of butter, with most of them being the size of a walnut, in the flour.

Step 3

With the mixer running, slowly stream 3/4 cup cold water into the dough. Mix until most of the dough comes together around the paddle. If there are any dry patches, stream the remaining 1/4 cup water in, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is fully hydrated with no dry patches. Shut off the mixer. Scrape together the dough and transfer it to a work surface. The dough should hold together easily when it is picked up. Quickly shape the dough in a rough 10x8” rectangle and wrap in plastic.

Step 4

Transfer to the refrigerator and let it rest for 1-2 hours, or until the dough is about 50 degrees. If your kitchen is hotter, it may take longer for the dough to cool down.

Step 5

On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough, dusting with flour if necessary, until 14 inches long, and 10 inches wide. The dough will be quite rough at this point, with butter pieces potentially sticking out of the sides. Brush off any flour with a dry pastry brush from the surface of the dough.

Step 6

Grab the top short side of the dough rectangle and fold the dough ⅓ of the way down. Repeat with the bottom short side like a business letter. This is a simple turn. Gently press down on the layers with a rolling pin so the layers stick together.

Step 7

Rotate the dough rectangle clockwise 90 degrees so the longer edge is now vertical and facing your right (reference the video or step-by-step photos to see this in action). Repeat the process as before to make 1 more simple turn.

Step 8

Repeat the folding steps a third time, stopping before folding the dough into thirds. Clean up the edges of the dough using a pastry wheel or a long, sharp knife. The goal after this third fold is to create a straight even rectangle of dough. Finish the turn by folding the dough into a business letter, as done before.

Step 9

Wrap tightly in plastic again and freeze for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 10

Repeat this process two more times (removing the dough from the refrigerator, completing two turns, chilling the dough again as instructed, and then repeating with two final turns) for a total of 5 turns.

Step 11

Cut the dough in half and wrap each piece of finished puff pastry blocks in plastic wrap and let it rest for a total of 2 hours. After this point it is now ready to use.

Step 12

When ready to use, roll out one block of pastry to a thickness of about ¼” to ⅛”, and use as desired or directed in a recipe. See notes in the post for more information about how to store it, freeze it, use it and bake it!