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Puff Pastry

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Author: Lisa

Today you can find commercially made puff pastry in the freezer section of most chain grocery stores. Today only world-class chefs actually make their own puff pastry. It isn't that puff pastry can't be made in any kitchen. It can. But making puff pastry is a time-consuming task that is rarely undertaken by the average cook.

Puff pastry is sometimes called "Pâte Feuilletée" or "Pâte Feuilletage." It is also sometimes referred to as water dough. Puff pastry begins as regular dough, but it relies on physical leavening rather than biological agents like yeast or baking powder.

The dough must be kept at a constant temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and it must be allowed to rest between folds. A fold is made by first rolling out the dough, brushing fat (butter is best but vegetable oil is also used occasionally) over and then folding it. This folding process is repeated many times and the dough must be allowed to rest between each fold.

Butter is usually used as the fat that is brushed onto the dough. This is because butter gives a richer taste and a more pleasant sensation in the mouth. However, when puff pastry is made using vegetable shortening or lard it does rise better. Puff pastry looks better when it is made with lard or vegetable oil but it has a waxy taste. This is because both lard and vegetable oil have a higher melting point than butter.

Croissant dough and Danish pastry dough are variants of puff pastry. Recipes that call for puff pastry are turnovers, various meat pies, Beef Wellington and sausage rolls.

Puff pastry is light and flaky but unleavened pastry. Good puff pastry is a treat that is not soon forgotten, and the frozen varieties in the freezer at the grocery story are really very good.









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