A basic puff pastry fulfils innumerable needs for a kitchen addict. I use it to make pies, flans, tarts, tortillas, rolls, samosas (yes, baked ones!), biscuits and crumbles. Sweet or savoury, whatever the need of the day, puff pastry always provides a classy and contemporary base element pulling all the flavours of your dish together. Although very versatile in its usage, it can be a bit messy for a nascent learner. So read the instructions carefully, and you should be fine. Those who get it right the first time feel like it’s the easiest thing to make, but for those who struggle with it, it sort of becomes a love-hate relationship- love to eat it, hate to make it. I hope I can help you to join the former group!
It does help, that as Indians, we are very accustomed to the idea of kneading dough for our mums and rolling out perfectly round paranthas like second religion. So keep what you learnt from mum in mind, because you will thank her when you present your guests with the most delightful apple pies and mushroom tarts! Fingers crossed!
Alright, let’s talk shop.
There is some technique involved in not just making the dough, but also baking it. The recipe below is a very general one, and can be edited as per the intended use of the pastry. I have divided this recipe into two halves, the first for dough preparation and the second for baking the puff pastry.
Serves: Enough to line a 25cm tin
Prep time: 10 min
Cooking time: 90 min (includes 30 min chilling time)
Ingredients
For dough preparation
125g plain flour (chilled)
75g salted butter (for savoury)/unsalted butter (for desserts); chilled and cut into small cubes
50-60ml sour cream
Baking sheet
Method
For dough preparation
You can either use a food processor or your humble hands to make the dough. Whatever you chose, make sure that you always maintain the low temperature of the mixture.
In the food processor: Place the plain flour and chilled butter cubes in a food processor and blend till the flour and butter resemble a large breadcrumb consistency. Quickly, add the sour cream to this mix, and pulse slowly, never for more that 2 seconds. Use your discretion to add the sour cream; do not add all of it if not necessary. Use a chilled spatula (kept in the refrigerator) to remove the dough from the food processor.
OR, use your hands: Place the plain flour in a big bowl. Add the chilled butter cubes to the flour, gently using your fingertips (both hands please, we need to work fast) and incorporating the butter into the flour. For your first attempt, place this bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice (add some salt to the ice so it wont melt away quickly). Once the dough resembles the consistency of large bread crumbs, start adding the sour cream. Add very little at a time, making sure that the mixture is still cold and not turning too wet or sticky. Do not knead too much.
Now work quickly placing the dough on a baking sheet (so it won’t stick) and pull the dough together with your hands into a neat rectangle. Do not knead; this increases the temperature of the mixture, melting the butter and making the dough sticky. Cover the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30min before baking.
Bench notes for dough preparation
Your mantra while making this dough should be to maintain the chilled temperature of the dough. Chilled flour, chilled butter, chilled sour cream, chilled spatula, chilled bowls, and chilled hands!
If you do not have sour cream, mix some fresh cream with homemade curd or commercially available plain yoghurt. Remember, the final amount of sour cream should equal 50-60ml, not more.
Ingredients
For baking
Cooking tin
Baking sheet
Salted butter (for savoury)/ Unsalted butter (for desserts)
Kidney beans (or any other beans for blind baking)
Plain flour (for dough rolling)
Method
For baking
Once the dough is cold, remove it from the refrigerator and turn it on to a well-floured bench covered with baking sheet. Roll into desired shape, flouring generously.
If making a pie or tart, you need to blind bake the pastry first, before you add any filling to it. To do this, butter the inside of your cooking tin, place the rolled pastry in the tray and cut out any extra bits. When lining the tin with pastry, have the pastry come up high on the sides, as it will shrink on baking. Place a cut-out piece of the baking sheet in the tin, covering the base of the pastry. Now place fistfuls of dry kidney beans (these are your blind weights) in the pastry shell. Bake in a 200C preheated oven for 10-12 min until slightly brown. Remove the blind weights, and the piece of baking sheet, and bake for a further 5 min. Remove, add filling of your choice and bake as per the need of your filling.
Bench notes for baking
Blind baking is a technique used to cook and crisp the pastry shell, before adding a filling to it. If the filling is added without blind baking first, the pastry will be soft and probably uncooked at the bottom.
Blind weights are used to prevent the pastry from rising. You want your pastry as a base for your pies, so you need to make sure it remains flat.
A baking sheet is used to cover the base of your pastry before adding the blind weights, because you don’t want the beans to leave behind impressions on your pastry base.
Do not add any baking powder to the dough; remember you don’t want it to rise. This is not a cake. It’s a pastry base.
Try it, I know you can do it!
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