Help! How do you make puff pastry puff up?
Is it made with fillo dough or a different kind?

Its a different pastry. You should be able to buy it in the freezer section. I know PepperRidge Farms makes it. What are you making?

Hi bonniek, thanks for the response.
I was attempting to make blue berry turnovers.
The plan was to use home made blue berry jam with added whole blue berrys. It seemed easy enough. At the store all I noticed was Peperidge Farms fillo dough so I thought that was the right type for sure.

My mother in law makes apple turnovers using canned biscuits. She fries her, though I know others that simply bake them. The trick for me is getting them to stay together without the filling running out. Canned biscuits are generally not too healthy, so if that's a concern, you might think otherwise.

Hi,

Puff Pastry, is a dough, sometimes called a "Water dough" or "Detrempe," which is spread with solid fat and repeatedly folded and rolled out. The process can be time-consuming because the dough must be kept at a cool temperature (approximately 60°F) and must rest in between folds. Commercially made puff pastry is available in the freezer section of most grocery stores or supermarkets.

Puff pastry is not the same as Phyllo (filo) pastry, although you could substitute it if necessary. Phyllo dough is made with flour, water, and fat and is stretched to size rather than rolled.

Here is the easiest version of puff pastry I have found - one of Bernard Clayton Jr.'s recipes (I had originally said one of Julia Child's recipes). I actually made the classic version (much more involved and time consuming) and this version one time, just to see how it compared, and this came out the higher riser! The only one I have used since!

Puff pastry rises from the moisture in butter vaporizing in the high heat of the oven - with the layers of dough separated by the fat, but that 20% water making it puff to escape. This is why just spreading crisco or lard on dough, and treating it the same, will not result in puff pastry. And in this easy version, the pellets of butter get rolled out, to form layers between the dough. Also, when making something with puff pastry, always cut with a very sharp knife, so as not to press together the layers. Also, cut the edges from the outer parts of the dough, to get an edge that will puff. Of course, don't discard the trimmings - some delicious snacks can be made with the trimmings rolled with some vanilla sugar or cinnamon sugar.

Easy Puff Pastry


3 cup(s) unbleached flour
1 cup(s) cake flour
1 lb unsalted butter; cold, cut in 1/2 in cubes
1 cup(s) ice water
1 tsp lemon juice

A. Place flours and salt in food processor and process briefly, to mix. Add the butter cubes evenly around the bowl, then pulse several times, until butter is the size of large peas, or beans. Combine the lemon juice and ice water, and pour into the processor, and pulse just until the dough begins to come together on the blades.

B. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, then shape into a rough rectangle. Roll into about a 12" rectangle, 1/2" thick. fold into thirds, turn 90 degrees, then roll out 1/2" thick again. Fold, turn, and roll again, for a total of 3 turns. Wrap in plastic wrap, then refrigerate at least 4 hours, or up to 3 days; may also be frozen at this point.

Yield: about 2 1/2 lbs

Thanks pepperhead. Julia Child always did seem to have it together, I can see her having a puff pastry drinking a glass of wine now.

Dave, you forever amaze me with your knowledge of cooking. I may have to try that.. make something really fattening like raspberry and cream cheese filling for puff pastry! That cake flour works magic too in my experience.

I was mistaken - it was not Julia's recipe. Though she also had a mock puff pastry, this was even easier, and is from one of my best pastry books - The Complete Book Of Pastry, by Bernard Clayton Jr. He has a chapter on puff pastry of 65 pages, with this simple "3-minute puff paste", as well as a classic version, and many ways of using it.

Here are some of my favorite sweet snacks, often using the scraps from a larger dish, such as a vol-au-vent, or, more often, bouchées, or the small version of the vol-au-vent. Those are better for dinners for two, then all these things to snack on at a later time. One of my favorite things to put into a puff pastry shell is some coquille Saint-Jacques. I really am lucky I never had anything permanent with those ladies I used to make all these things for, or I would be on cholesterol medicine, if even alive to talk about it!

Arches: Roll out 1 1/2 lbs paste in 1/2 c vanilla sugar, rolling in sugar well. Roll into a rectangle 12" long, by about 1/8" thick. Trim edges, then roll up like a jelly roll. Chill 30 min. Brush unused sugar into a pile, then, with a sharp, thin knife, cut roll into 1/4" slices. Dip each slice into the sugar, then place on parchment lined baking sheets. Cut a radius into each circle, then chill 20 min. Bake in a 400º oven, then quickly turn all the arcs, then reduce heat to 350º, and backe 10 more min. Cool on a wire rack.

Couques: Use leftover pastry, and enough sugar or vanilla sugar to roll out. Roll out paste to about 1/8" thick, then cut, using a 3-3 1/2" fluted oval cutter, re-rolling scraps and cutting, until all the paste is used. Roll each piese into a 6-7" long piece, by about 1/16" thick, then turn onto a parchnet lined baking sheet, the sugar side down. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes minimum, while preheating oven to 450º (400º for convection oven). Bake in upper middle rack, one sheet at a time (unless convection), 7-8 min., or until sugar has caramelized some - outer pastries may be done sooner, in some ovens, so remove if darkening faster. Cool on a wire rack.

Palmiers - palm leaves: Also called pig's ears, depending on how they are shaped!
Using 1 1/2 lbs paste + 1/2 c sugar, roll dough out over sugar to make a strip 10" wide, by about 1/8" thick. Trim edges to make a rectangle, then fold both sides over to almost meet in the middle, then fold again down the middle, to make 4 layers. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hr. Slice 1/4-3/8" thick, and place 3" apart on parchment lined sheets, shaping as desired. Separate at the center some, then separate the two sides a bit for the traditional palmiers, or turn down about 2/3 of each side to about 135º, to make the pig's ears. Chill again at least 20 min. Preheat oven to 450º (400 for conv.). Bake in upper third (or two sheets, in a conv.) for about 6 min., then remove and quickly flip the pastries. Bake about 3-4 min. longer, or until well caramelized. Cool on a wire rack.

Straws: Roll out 1 1/2 lbs paste on a lightly floured surface about 1/4" thick. Brush off all flour, and replace with 1/2 c vanilla sugar, or 1/2 c sugar mixed with 2 tso. cinnamon. Roll out to 1/8" thick, and as even a rectangle as possible. Trim to even out, then bruch remaining sugar over one half, then fold in half. Roll over the dough gently, to hold it together. Cut dough into 3/4" strips, then twist 4 or 5 times, until strands appear solid. Place on parchment lined sheets 2" apart, and chill 45 min. Preheat oven to 375º, and place rack in middle. Bake 20 min., or until well caramelized on bottoms.

ph - what lemon juice in puff pastry recipe? (or did I miss something)

Sorry - I left out that ing. in the recipe - I fixed it above.

Dave

Thanks (that would have been my guess....)

Did I hear dinner is at Dave's house?