Puff pastry is a laminated dough made with layers of butter between sheets of flour and water paste, creating over a thousand layers when baked. The key steps are mixing a paste (detrempe) of flour, water, salt and butter, then rolling and folding the paste and layers of butter a total of six times with rests in between. Even layers and corners are important. Puff pastry is baked at a high heat so the water evaporates and creates steam, pushing up the layers. Blitz or quick puff pastry has the same applications but with less rise, as it is folded only four times instead of six like traditional puff pastry.

1. PUFF
PASTRY

2. PUFF PASTRY
Translation to French=Pate Feuillette = pastry leaves
History
Puff Pastry dates back to Venice in
1525 by an official decree citing that is
not to served at elaborate wedding
feasts because it was too over the top.
Chef Feuillet was credited for bringing
it to France

3. WHAT IS IT?
Puff pastry is a dough (think pate brisee) that is
laminated. Meaning through a series of turns and
folds cold butter particles are tightly sandwiched
between sheets of flour and water paste. Over a
thousand layers created through this process
Butter made up fat and milk solids (water)
when baked at a high heat the water
evaporates creating steam which expands
pushing up on the sheet of flour and water
paste pushing it upwards, creating a
mechanical leavening.

4. KEY POINTS IN MAKING PUFF PASTRY
Flour, water, salt and a little butter are mixed together to
produce a paste. This paste is refrigerated to relax the gluten
and to chill dough for a ease in handling. This paste is called
detrempe
This paste is rolled out into a rectangle and the dollops of cold
butter are placed in a layer over this detrempe.
The rectangle is folded into thirds or like a letter the dough is
turned 90 degrees to the right and rolling away from you, and
is folded again into a rectangle .This is a fold. This is repeated
5 more time for a total of 6 turns
The dough is rested for 20-30 minutes after every 2 turns to
allow the gluten to relax and the butter to chill again. If it is
chilled too long between turns the butter will splinter and be
difficult to roll. This finished product is called a paton

5. KEY CONSIDERATIONS
It is essential that you keep neat and even sided
and corners while rolling and folding, sharp clean
sides and corners. This will assure even and
proper layer development when baked.
This can be refrigerated for a
few days or frozen for up 2
months
Puff pastry is rolled into thin sheet when used.
Pieces are attached by brushing water on the
sheets.

6. KEY CONSIDERATIONS
Finished applications
need to
rested(refrigerated or
frozen) before baking
Puff pastry is
baked in a hot oven
375-400 degrees to
get it to puff
correctly
Puff pastry needs to
baked thoroughly so
the layers are
cooked and correct
structure is
achieved.

7. AMERICAN PUFF PASTRY
A.K.A. BLITZ PUFF, QUICK PUFF OR DEMI PUFF
Known as quick puff or demi puff pastry it is a quick alterative
to traditional puff pastry.
Flour water salt and chunks of cold butter are combines
together lightly to form a dough, think pate brisee. This
detrempe is rested for 30 minutes.
This is rolled out into a rectangle and folded into 4 or a book
fold and turned to the right 90 degrees and rolled again to the
size of a rectangle this and folded into 4 or a book fold. This
is a turn it will receive 3 more resting 20-30 minutes between
each set of two turns. Four turns total.
The applications are the same as traditional puff pastry just
the rise is not as great.

8. SUMMARY
Definition
What is
it
Key points of
Production
Key
Considerations
What is Blitz Puff Pastry
How does it differ from
traditional puff pastry