Food Network: Homemade Puff Pastry

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Homemade Puff Pastry
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2005

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, about 12 ounces
2/3 cup cake flour, about 2 ounces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter (3 1/4 sticks)
1 cup ice water, plus more as needed

Instructions
Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and
salt into a large mixing bowl. Dice 6 tablespoons of the chilled butter, returning

the remaining butter to the refrigerator to keep cold. Place the diced butter into
the mixing bowl and using your fingers or a pastry blender, blend until the
mixture forms a coarse meal, similar to a piecrust. Make a well in the center of
the mixture and add the water. Use a rubber spatula to gradually blend the water
with the flour mixture, mixing just until a rough, sticky dough is formed. Wrap
dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place the remaining butter on a work surface, (a marble surface is ideal). Using a
rolling pin or the heal of your hand, smash the butter into the surface until
pliable, taking care not to over work the butter as it should stay chilled. Work
butter into a 5-inch square.

Remove the rested dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work
surface. Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle, being careful not to pull or tear

the dough. (The dough mixture may still be very rough and tacky.) Place the butter
square into the center of the circle and fold the edges of the dough over the
butter, pressing to seal the edges. You should now have a square of butter wrapped
in dough.

Using a rolling pin, roll the square into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle. (The dough may
need to be pounded with the rolling pin several times to allow the butter to
become more pliable.) Be careful not to tear the dough. Fold the rectangle 3 times
as you would fold a business letter. Place the rectangle in front of you
lengthwise and roll into another 16 by 8-inch rectangle. Fold again 3 times as you
would a business letter and make 2 small indentations into the dough to remind
yourself that it has been rolled twice. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and
refrigerate for 1 hour.

Return the rested dough to a lightly floured surface and repeat the process of
rolling the dough into a rectangle, making 3 business-letter folds, 2 times. Make
4 small indentations into the dough to remind yourself that it has been rolled a
total of 4 times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1
hour. If desired, dough can rest refrigerated for up to 2 days at this point.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work
surface. Roll into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle and fold 3 times, similar to a
business letter. Repeat process and make 6 small indentations into the dough. Wrap
and refrigerate for 2 hours. Now the pastry is ready to be rolled and used in the
desired puff pastry recipe.