Puff and Flaky Pastry Problem Solving | Mason Cash (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for puff pastry? ›

Pastry should be at room temperature for rolling (to make it more pliable), but chilled before baking (so the buttery layers remain separate). A hot oven allows the layers to rise, but needs to be monitored to prevent burning. When handling, a floured worktop is essential, as is a sharp knife for cutting to shape.

Uneven rolling and shaping: Sometimes your puff pastry will have an uneven rise if handled incorrectly, handled too much or rolled unevenly. Puff pastry is notoriously finicky, so don't beat yourself up! Instead, keep your hands off and chill between steps.

Since each “fold” involves tripling the number of layers, the formula for the number of layers after n folds (we can call this L) is simply L = 3^n. The optimal number of layers is between 100 and 700 (depending on how much you want your pastry to rise).

In the oven, the water in the layers of dough (and some water in the butter) turns into steam. This steam has just enough force to puff up each thin sheet of dough before evaporating into the oven. What's left behind is a delicate shell of airy pastry. Yum.

The formula for the number of dough layers is 2(3n-1)+ 1 where n is the number of half-turns. The four-fold method quadruples the number of fat layers each time the dough is folded. Like the half-turn method there is one more layer of dough than fat after each 'half turn'.

Always preheat your oven for a minimum of 15-20 minutes before baking, because Puff Pastry depends on even heat to rise and puff. Place pastries 1 inch apart. If you want a flaky thin and crispy pastry that's not very puffy, prick the unbaked Puff Pastry all over with a fork, which lets steam escape while baking.

When cutting Puff Pastry, the sharper the knife or pastry cutter, the better. A dull edge can cement layers together and prevent pastry from rising. Always cut Puff Pastry straight down, never on an angle, to prevent layers from sticking together and inhibiting the rise. Cut up and down, and don't drag the knife.

Egg wash is the most reliable but it can be very thick and sticky. Milk wash will go on more evenly but it can soak into pastry and make it weaker. Melted butter works nicely after the crust has set but it can make the crust greasy and weaker.

For a crisp, layered puff pastry base, I layer two sheets together and bake with another baking sheet on top to weight the pastry and keep it flat for half the cooking time. Then remove so it becomes golden.

What is the best fat for pastry? ›

The best fat for pastry-making

Unless you don't eat dairy, we recommend butter for flavour and texture. You can also try a 50/50 split between butter and lard, which works well for savoury recipes like quiches. Make sure your butter is really cold when you rub it in to the flour.

Just before you place your puff pastry into the oven, reduce your oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) if using a convection (fan) oven, or 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) if using a regular oven. Bake the puff pastry for about 35 - 40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

To make a tart with a puffy outside crust, lightly score a border around the entire edge with a paring knife and then prick everything inside this border with a fork. The edges will puff up while the center stays down.

The moisture in the dough puffs up the pastry when it converts to steam. The steam is trapped between the layers of fat, turning the fat and dough laminations into flaky layers so the croissant looks like a cross between bread and puff pastry.

With puff pastry (where the dough is layered with fat), the butter in the layers of the puff pastry, during cooking, lets off steam (another natural raising agent). The steam (water vapour) causes the pastry to rise. Once the steam has evaporated, the pastry is set in place from the heat during the baking process.

The trick is to work large pieces of cold butter into dry ingredients and hydrate it all with ice cold water (as if you were making pie crust). Sometimes bakers grate butter into the mix or use a food processor. There's lots of ways to make rough puff pastry.

The only ingredients used to make puff pastry are butter, salt, water, and flour — no leavening agents are required.

Ingredients. WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, PALM OIL, CANOLA OIL. CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, SUGAR, YEAST, WHEAT GLUTEN, SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVE), CITRIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, WHEAT STARCH, ASCORBIC ACID.