Homemade Puff Pastry from Scratch Recipe
This classic puff pastry recipe yields a rich, flaky, and buttery dough perfect for savory and sweet pastries. Using simple ingredients like cold butter, flour, sugar, and salt, the dough is carefully laminated through rolling and folding to create distinct layers that puff up beautifully when baked.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes (including chilling time)
- Yield: One 9x9 inch puff pastry dough
- Category: Pastry Dough
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold (227g)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (12g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (2g)
- 8 to 10 tablespoons cold water (120-150 mL)
Instructions
- Prepare the butter: Place the butter in the freezer for 10 minutes to ensure it is cold and firm for grating.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, sugar, and kosher salt until evenly combined.
- Incorporate the butter: Grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. For any remaining butter too large to grate, dice it finely and toss it with the flour and grated butter until well coated with your hands.
- Add water gradually: Drizzle 6 tablespoons of cold water over the mixture, gently folding it together until clumping begins. Add additional water one tablespoon at a time until the dough forms a loose, crumbly texture that holds together when squeezed.
- Knead and shape dough: Gently knead the dough a few times in the bowl to create a cohesive mass. Shape the dough into a 1-inch thick square, then tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour to rest and firm up.
- Roll and fold for lamination: On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the rolling and folding process three more times to create multiple buttery layers.
- Final chill: After the last fold, fold the dough into thirds again, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. For longer storage, place the dough in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Use only as much flour as necessary when rolling out the dough to avoid adding too much flour, which can make the pastry tough and prevent proper layering.
- Keep butter and dough cold throughout the process to ensure flaky layers.
- This puff pastry can be used for a variety of recipes, including tarts, turnovers, and croissants.
