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Quick Puff Pastry

Quick Puff Pastry

MAKES 1 LB. 14 OZ.

THIS DOUGH can be kept, frozen and tightly sealed in plastic wrap, for up to a month, then defrosted in the refrigerator.

6 oz. (about 1½ cups) bread flour

6 oz. (about 1½ cups) cake flour

¼ tsp. salt

¾ lb. cold unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes and refrigerated for 30 minutes

1. Mix flours and salt together in a large bowl. Add butter and toss with your fingers until butter cubes are completely coated with flour. Working with your hands, gently rub about one-third to one-half of the butter cubes into the flour mixture is the consistency of coarse meal flecked with cubes of butter. Spring in up to 2/3 cup ice water, mixing dough with your hand until it just begins to hold together when pressed between your thumb and forefinger; add up to 1 tbsp. more ice water, 1 tsp. at a time, if necessary. Using your hands, firmly press dough into a rough ball and trasfer to a lighty floured surface. Shape dough into a 5" X 7" rectangle, straightening edges and squaring off corners with the flat side of a dough scraper. Dab any patches of sticky butter with a little flour. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Position dough on a lightly floured surface with shore edges of rectangle parallel to edge of work surface. Gently press a lightly floured rolling pin across surface of dough at 1" intervals crosswise, then lengthwise, to flatten rectangle slightly. Roll dough out into a ½"-thick rectangle about 6" wide X 13" long, straightening edges with dough scraper. Fold over short edges of dough so that they almost meet in center of rectangle, and brush off any excess flour with a pastry brush. Rotate dough clockwise until long edges are perpendicular to you, then fold dough in half as if you were closing a book.

3. Repeat step 2 in its entirety, wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Repeat rolling and folding process 2 more times for a total of 4 four-fold, or book, turns. Dough should be smooth and pliable. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

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