Easy Homemade Puff Pastry that is incredibly delicious and versatile that takes about 15-minutes to make!
Why make your own Puff Pastry? Mainly because it’s SUPER simple, tastes absolutely incredible, doesn’t require any fancy equipment, takes 15 MINUTES, and is 1 million times better than the commercial junk that’s loaded with fake oils and preservatives. Still skeptical? What if I told you that you only need 4 BASIC ingredients, and it is so versatile you can transform it into fruit tarts, cronuts, Greek spanikopita, quiche, turnovers, breakfast Danish, layered napoleons? I could go on for a long time. Longer than it would take you to actually make it 😉
Puff pastry was one of those things that I actually didn’t dare attempt. I was intimidated. It all just seemed really ambiguous with a lot of room for error, especially compared to croissants, which are both methodical and systematic (a Virgo’s dream).
All of that went out the window when I had a serious special request for ‘bourekas‘ – a buttery, flaky Israeli puff pastry filled with savory deliciousness like sauteed mushrooms, sharp cheeses, or mashed potatoes and caramelized onions. My usual PP stash in the freezer had run out, so I started to test a few versions of this recipe, and finally landed on my foolproof, simple 15 minute method that I know you will love!
This Easy 15-Minute Homemade Puff Pastry is so versatile! it can be used to make homemade Danish pastries, turnovers, hand pies, tarte tatin, bourekas. I’ve made this recipe probably hundreds of times, and it comes out perfectly each time!
tips for making incredible homemade puff pastry:
- All of the ingredients must be VERY cold. I realize that we’re in the midst of a hot and humid summer, but this puff pastry is the perfect vehicle for all of that gorgeous summer fruit that’s hitting the markets right now. So, if you have to crank up the AC for 15 minutes, I think it’s worth it.
- It is all about the BUTTER! Butter is the star of this show, so get the good European style butter for this recipe. European butter has higher butterfat content and less water in it, which means richer flavor and softer texture. I love to use Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter because of the high fat content, and incredible flavor.
- For extra flakiness, make sure that the dough is cold right before you bake with it. This means, if you’re making a tart and you’ve filled the puff pastry with fruit, etc., place the baking sheet with the tart on it in the fridge for a few minutes right before it goes into the oven. You’ll get a better rise, and the layers will be light and flaky.
- Use this Puff Pastry for sweet or savory recipes!
Step-by-Step Tutorial to make Puff Pastry
I really hope you love this Easy Homemade Puff Pastry as much as I do! As always, please tag me@lions.bread so I can see what you’re baking from the blog! I love hearing your feedback, and seeing your takes on the recipe!
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15-Minute Easy Homemade Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour 130g
- 10 tablespoons European style butter 140g, like Kerrygold
- 1/3 cup ice cold water 60g
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Cube the butter in 1/2" size pieces, and place in the fridge while measuring out the flour and salt.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cold butter. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of peas. Make a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture, and pour the ice cold water in it.
- Using a spoon, gently stir until the mixture is just combined and starting to form a dough. Do not overmix. If it is still shaggy and a bit floury, that's ok.
- Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and quickly form it into a square with your hands. Try not to handle the dough much with your hands, so you don't warm it up.
- Flour your rolling pin, and roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 10" long. Don't be shy with the flour, and add more on top or underneath if you feel the dough sticking.
- Fold the dough in 1/3s, like a letter. Use a pastry brush, or clean paint brush, to dust off the excess flour between the layers.
- Turn the dough 90*, and roll out into another 10" rectangle. Fold in 1/3s, dust off excess flour. Repeat the turn, roll, fold, dust action a total of 4 times, so you end up with a nice smooth rectangle of dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20-25 minutes or until you're ready to use it.
Recipe Notes
I almost always double this recipe, and store the extra dough in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
The post Easy 15-Minute Homemade Puff Pastry first appeared on Lion’s Bread Blog.