PUFF PASTRY DOUGH FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl make dough by mixing salt into the 500 grams of flour. Then cut in cold butter with a fork or pastry blender until it is a medium course meal. Add cold water and mix to combine into a dough ball.
• Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes or until it comes together into a nice ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for no longer than 30 minutes.
• While the dough is resting, make the butter block. Combine in a medium mixing bowl the 60 grams of flour with the 400 grams of softened butter. Place on a sheet of plastic wrap and place in an 8×8 inch baking pan. Place another sheet of plastic wrap ontop. Gently and evenly press into the pan to create a block. Refrigerator for 20 minutes, no longer. You dont want the block too cold or it will break and cause uneven layers and puffing. Should be slightly pliable when you pick it up and bend it gently, yet firm.
• Remove dough and butter block from fridge. On a very lightly floured surface gently roll out dough in an approximately 12×12 inch square.
• Place butter block in center of dough so it is in a diamond shape.
• Wrap dough like an envelope up over butter block to cover it completely, pinching the seams together.
• Turn over onto lightly floured surface so seams are down on your lightly floured surface. Gently roll into a rectangle of 12×18 and roughly 1/4 inch thick, keeping straight edges and corners as much as possible.
• Turn dough over, brush off any excess flour and fold in thirds like you would a business letter. Turn dough 90 degrees. Roll out again into a 12×18 rectangle approximately 1/4 inch thick. Fold again, after brushing off excess flour, in thirds like a business letter. Wrap tightly, yet gently in plastic wrap. Place back in fridge fo 30 minutes, no longer. If the butter gets too cold it will break causing uneven layers and puffing. You just completed 2 "turns". Puff pastry dough has 6 turns total. NOTE: If the dough becomes too soft and mushy, immediately wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes before completing next turn. If it is a warm day or your kitchen is warm, you may have to place in fridge after each turn before moving on to the second. You dont want the butter and the dough to mix together or else you wont have even layers upon layers that are crucial for that puff.
• Remove from fridge and repeat step 8, 2 times of rolling it into a rectangle of 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, I no longer measure circumference only thickness, keeping the edges as sharp as possible for even layers. Folding again in thirds like a letter each time. You should have completed two more turns. Wrap again and place dough back in fridge for no longer than 30 minutes. Dough must rest for gluten to rest, and in the fridge so the butter doesn't get too warm and seap or leak out of the dough.
• Final turns. Repeat step 9 of rolling and folding 2 times. It is important to only do no more than 2 turns at a time. Now wrap dough again and place in fridge for a minimum of 2 hours before rolling out for your recipe. Before storing or using, cut approximately 1/4 inch off every edge and throw away scraps. This is done because during the turns the edges become pressed to the point of sealing. Cutting off a sliver of the edges helps the puff pastry to, well, puff.
• It is crucial to use as little extra flour for the turns as possible. After cutting edges off, I cut into thirds, fold each third into thirds with a strip of parchment between each fold, then wrap each individually with plastic wrap and store for what ever my needs may be. This makes the equivalent of approximately one and a half boxes of the frozen puff pastry in stores. When brushing your egg wash your recipe will usually call for, be careful not to let it run down the cut edges of the dough because it will cause the edges to seal, preventing them from puffing properly.
• Tightly wrapped, this will keep in the fridge for two days. You can freeze this for up to 6 months if tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer ziploc bag with air removed. Defrost in fridge over night before using.
• Baked pastries are best served same day for their crispness. But, I still love day old pastries, they aren't crisp but chewy and still tons of layers! Store the baked pastries as recommended by your recipe! Pictured is Key Lime Curd Puff Cups made with this dough and homemade key lime curd, YUMMY!