Homemade Puff Pastry Recipe
My Homemade Puff Pastry recipe creates delicious flaky layers of butter and dough using flour, cold butter, salt, and water. You will be blown away at how easy this is to make with my step by step instructions.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour + ½ cup
- ½ stick softened unsalted butter + 4 sticks of cold unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 2/3 cup cold water
Instructions
- Combine the 4 cups of flour with the ½ stick of butter in a standing mixer bowl with the paddle attachment. Whip on low speed for 5 minutes until combined. The butter should be cut completely into the flour.
- Next, add the salt into the water and dissolve by whisking together and slowly pour the salted water into the flour-butter mixture just until mixed on low speed.
- Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and place it into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to be easy to work with. The dough will be very sticky coming straight out of the mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining 4 sticks of butter and ½ cup of flour to a standing mixer bowl.
- With the paddle attachment, whip the mixture on low speed for 5 minutes or until smooth. Do not over mix as you do not want the butter to get too hot or else it will be difficult to roll out.
- Place the chilled dough onto a floured surface and dust the top of the dough with flour. Roll it out until it is a long rectangle, about 12” x 24”
- On another part of your clean surface dusted with flour, add the whipped butter and dust the top with flour. Roll out the butter to 2/3 the size of the dough.
- Place the butter on the left side of the dough. Fold right to left placing the dough over the butter. Then left over right, covering everything.
- Turn the folded dough 90°. Roll it out to the original size of 12” by 24”.
- Fold the right and left to the center so that they are touching. Next, fold left over right and chill for 20 minutes, wrapped in parchment paper.
- Repeat the process at least one more time and up to 7 more times by folding the left and right sides to the center and then folding again in half. You can repeat this process twice before it needs to be chilled for 20 minutes.
- Store or use the puff pastry dough.
Notes
The key for making my Homemade Puff Pastry recipe is to keep everything cold from start to finish. I always keep the butter and water in the fridge until the very moment I need them, and I even slip the dough back into the refrigerator if I notice it is getting too soft while I roll it out. The layers bake up light, flaky, and golden, just like it should be!
Use bread flour: You can make this recipe with bread flour, but I always add a little more water, about three to five percent more, so the dough stays workable.
Know the difference: Puff pastry is not the same as phyllo dough. Puff pastry bakes into flaky layers of butter and dough, while phyllo is rolled very thin and layered with oil or butter.
Try a substitute: If you do not want to make puff pastry, you can use shortcrust dough instead. It will not puff in the same way, but it makes a delicious and sturdy base for tarts and pies.
Flour the surface lightly: I dust the counter and the top of the dough with just enough flour to keep it from sticking, but not too much so the layers stay tender.
Do not overmix the butter block: I mix just until smooth. If the butter gets too warm, it becomes hard to roll and will not give those nice layers.
Make-Ahead: You can make this puff pastry dough up to 2 days ahead of time.
How to Store: Wrap it in parchment paper and plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. This will freeze well-wrapped in parchment paper and plastic wrap for up to 6 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator until soft and pliable.