Puff Pastry

Puff Pastry

2 cups fl our
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon margarine, melted
½ cup water
¾ cup margarine (1½ sticks), at room temperature

If you prep the dough for a recipe and you think the margarine may have warmed up, pop the prepared dough into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to chill the margarine.

In the bowl of a food processor, if using, sift fl our with salt. Add water and melted margarine and process until dough is smooth and elastic, about 1 minute.

If not using a food processor, sift fl our with salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the fl our mixture and add melted margarine and water. Mix with a spatula to star t and then begin gently kneading dough until all fl our is incorporated.

On a clean, fl oured surface, roll out dough into a 9 x 18- inch rectangle. Between two pieces of waxed paper, roll room-temperature margarine into a 6 x 9-inch rectangle. Peel back the top sheet of the waxed paper and fl ip margarine rectangle over onto the middle of the dough rectangle (the 9-inch side of the margarine should be going the same direction as the 9-inch side of the dough). Fold both exposed “wings” of dough over margarine in thirds, like you are folding a letter. Rotate dough 90 degrees. Roll out dough into a 9 x 18-inch rectangle again. Fold dough into thirds again. Rotate dough 90 degrees and repeat. Let dough rest in the fridge for 2 hours.

Remove chilled dough from the fridge. Roll out dough into a 9 x 18-inch rectangle, fold into thirds and rotate 90 degrees. Repeat the process two more times. Let dough rest in the fridge again for 2 hours. If you want to store the dough for longer than 48 hours, you can freeze it at this point for up to 2 weeks. To use after freezing, let the dough thaw to fridge temperature and then pick up recipe with the next step.

Repeat the process of rolling dough out and folding into thirds two more times. This process creates many thin, buttery layers that will puff when you bake the dough. Let rest for 2 more hours.

At this point you can use the dough in any recipe calling for puff pastry. For the best puff possible, you want the dough to be cold. If the margarine is cold, the shock of the hot oven will cause the liquid in the margarine to evaporate, creating the puffy air pockets we are aiming for. Store unused pastry wrapped well in plastic wrap and a freezer bag in the freezer. Let pastry thaw to fridge temperature before using.

Yield: 1 SHEET OF PUFF PASTRY
Prep time: 1 HOUR ACTIVE, 5 HOURS INACTIVE