How to make puff pastry

                      Hi everyone and in this post  I will be telling you how to make puff pastry

 

 1-2 hours preparation time  10-30 minutes cooking time

 

 

Preparation method

ingredients

•  225g/8oz plain flour, plus a little for rolling out
• 1/2 tsp. fine salt
• 250g/9oz unsalted butter, cold but not rock hard(or you can use half butter, half lard,
• 150ml 1/41 pint ice-cold water

Step 1-First sift the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, then put the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes to chill.(Keeping the flour and bowl cold will help you get a better result later and create nice layers of pastry.)

Step 2- Meanwhile, cut the butter into small cubes

Step 3-Next using a round-bladed knife, stir the butter into the bowl until each piece is well coated with flour.

Step 4- Then pour in the water, then working quickly, use the knife to bring everything together to a rough dough.

Step 5-Next gather the dough in the bowl using one hand, then turn it onto the work surface. Squash the dough into a fat, flat sausage, without kneading. wrap in cling film then chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Step 6- Then lightly flour the work surface and the pastry. Roll out the pastry in one direction until its about 1cm thick and three times as long as it is wide, or about 45x15cm/18x6in. Straighten up the sides with your hands now and again, and try to keep the top and the bottom edges as square as possible.

Step 7- Next fold the bottom third of the pastry up, then the top third down, to make a block about 15x15cm/6x6in.It doesn't matter if the pastry isn't exactly the right size-the important thing is that the corners are nice and square.

Step 8-Then turn the dough so that its open edge is facing to the right ,like a book. Press the edges of the pastry together with a rolling pin.

Step 9-Next you will roll out and fold the pastry again, repeating this four times in all to make a smooth dough, with buttery streaks here and there. if the pastry feels greasy at any point, or starts to spring back when as you roll, then cover and chill it for 10 minutes before continuing.

Step 10- Then you will chill the finished pastry for an hour, or ideally overnight, before using.

Step 11- Lastly when you use the pastry roll it out to about the thickness of a £1 coin, and cook it at 200C/400F/Gas 6 for about 30 minutes.