Description
This homemade rough puff pastry dough recipe offers a quicker alternative to traditional puff pastry with layers of flaky buttery goodness. Perfect for tarts, pies, croissants, and turnovers, this dough uses cold butter and repeated rolling and folding to create distinct layers for a light, crisp texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
Instructions
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt until well combined.
- Incorporate Butter: Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the cold, cubed butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form and chunks of butter remain visible, ensuring the dough will be flaky.
- Add Water and Lemon Juice: Mix the cold water with lemon juice (or vinegar) and gradually stir this into the flour-butter mixture just until the dough begins to come together. Be careful not to overmix to keep the butter chunks intact.
- Shape the Dough: Gather the dough into a rough rectangle, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest and firm up.
- First Roll and Fold: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 8×16-inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds like folding a letter, then rotate it 90 degrees to prepare for the next roll.
- Repeat Rolling and Folding: Perform three more sets of rolling and folding, chilling the dough for 20 minutes between each set to relax the gluten and keep the butter cold, building layers.
- Final Chill: Wrap the folded dough securely and chill for at least 1 hour before use. This resting time allows the layers to set perfectly for flaky baking results.
- Use or Store: The dough is now ready to be used in recipes like tarts, pies, croissants, or turnovers. Store the dough wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 1 month for later use.
Notes
- Keep all ingredients, especially butter and water, cold to ensure flaky layers.
- Do not overwork the dough to prevent tough pastry.
- The lemon juice or vinegar helps tenderize the dough and enhance flakiness.
- Chilling between folds is essential to keep butter layers distinct.
- Use the dough within the recommended storage times for best texture.
