Puff Daddy Pastry

Remember when I told you I'd be participating in Sara's "Ten Most Difficult Recipes" challenge?  And I made coq au vin.  And then a month went by and I didn't make anything.  Remember that? Yeah... well... about that.  I'm a bit behind. 

Actually, I'm really behind.  Sara has moved on and kicked culinary ass with her puff pastry, beef wellington and napoleons.  Oh, and she's also picked picked up photography, cake decorating and sewing as hobbies.  Damn over acheiver.  I'd hate her if I didn't like her so much.

So, I actually made puff pastry a couple weeks ago and haven't had the chance to post about it.  But this week, the universe has been sending me signs that I need to write my post on puff pastry.

First, Puff Daddy was on American Idol. 

Then, Sara posted her recipe for napoleons, which requires puff pastry. 

Okay, so maybe there weren't any signs.  But the puff pastry has been in my freezer for two weeks.  It's time.

First, I just have to say, that if you want to learn how to make puff pastry, you're in the wrong place.  I'll tell you about my misadventures in puff pastry and hopefully make you chuckle along the way, but if you're looking for an expert - oh honey, are you in the wrong place!  Luckily, there are lots of experts out there on the web.  If you're so inclined to take on this challenge, I suggest you go learn from them.  (Isn't the internet wonderful?  Thanks Al Gore.}

Puff pastry has just four ingredients - flour, water, butter and salt.  Should be easy right?  WRONG.  Total pain in the rear.  Hours of work combined with hours and hours of waiting time.  Did I mention you can buy this stuff in the grocery store for about $3? Talk about a fool's errand...

If you're still with me, let's get to it:

Puff Pastry

Recipe {and invaluable tips!} from Not Without Salt

Ingredients:

13 ounces (390 g) all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp salt

3 ounces (90 g) unsalted butter, cold

7 fluid ounces water, cold

10 ounces (300 g) unsalted butter, softened

Preparation:

To form the dough {if you're fancy, it's called the detrempe}, combine the flour, salt and pieces of cold butter in a food processor bowl fitted with the metal blade. Process until the butter is incorporated evenly.  (The recipe said it would form a coarse meal.  Mine looked mostly like flour - the butter seemed to disappear.  Sorry I didn't think to take a picture.} With the processor running, slowly add the water. Turn the machine off as soon as the dough comes together to form a ball.  {You can do this without a food processor, but this is how I did it.}

Turn the detrempe out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times by hand, rounding it into a ball. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and chill overnight.

Next, you need to prepare the softened butter.  Place the butter between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to roll the softened butter into a rectangle, approximately 5 inches by 8 inches.

Here's the tricky party:  It is important that the detrempe and butter be of almost equal consistency. This is hard to do.  You'll probably need to allow the detrempe to sit at room temperature to soften or chill the butter briefly to harden.  If the butter and dough aren't the same consistency, the butter won't distribute properly inbetween layers of dough and your dough may tear. 

Once you have them at similar consistencies, roll the detrempe on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle with wings/semi-cross shape (see picture) approximately 12 inches by 15 inches.  Lift and rotate the dough as necessary to prevent sticking.  {I had to use a bit more than "light flour" to keep my dough from sticking.}

*Tip throughout the process:  Use a dry pastry brush to brush away any flour from the dough’s surface. Apparently excess flour = bad.

Peel one piece of plastic wrap from the butter and place the butter in the center of the rectangle.  Peel off the remaining plastic.

Fold the four edges of the detrempe over the butter enclosing it completely. Stretch the dough if necessary; it is important that none of the butter be exposed.

Roll the dough out into a smooth, even rectangle approximately 8 inches by 24 inches. Be careful to keep the corners of the dough as right angles.  {I found this to be nearly impossible.  I was happy if they looked like corners.}

Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter. If one end is damaged or in worse condition, fold it in first; otherwise, start at the bottom. This is called a "turn".  This completes the first turn! 

Rotate the block of dough 90 degrees so that the folded edge is on your left and the dough faces you like a book. Roll out the dough again. Once again, the dough should be in a smooth, even rectangle of approximately 8 inches by 24 inches.

Fold the dough in thirds again, completing the second turn. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding technique until the dough has had a total of five turns. Do not perform more than two turns without a resting and chilling period. Cover the dough completely and chill overnight before shaping and baking.

Here's my final product:

Isn't she beautiful?!?!  I'm such a proud mama. 

Look - corners!

Verdict is - A total pain in the rear and a completely useless skill seeing as how you can buy this premade in any grocery store, but I'll call it a success.  I've done it and can cross it off my list,which feels good. 

One small step closer to the summit of my culinary Kilamanjaro!