Puff Pastry

Puff Pastry

Adapted from this recipe

400 grams plain flour

50 grams butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

220 grams cold water

200 grams pastry margarine or butter (original recipe called for 300 grams but I used butter and it was far too much, my pastry was too soft, and perhaps pastry margarine would be different but I don't think so)

In a bowl rub the first measure of butter into the flour, then add the salt and water and mix to a stiff dough. Let it rest, covered, for 15 minutes, then roll it out. While the pastry rests get out the butter/margarine to soften Try to make it into a cross shape (mine is more a wonky square) and try to leave the centre slightly thicker than the bits sticking out to the side. Then place your pastry margarine/butter in the centre (the recipe that I followed made it look so tidy, much nicer than mine).

Fold the sides on top of the butter, so that you have a smaller square.

Roll the entire thing until it is just a centimetre thick. Then fold the sides inwards, like below, and let it sit, covered, for 15 minutes. Then repeat this 4 times.

Finally the dough is ready to use. Roll it out to about a half a centimetre thick (the original recipe said 3 mm but that was too thin, the filling soaked through and made holes). Line pie dishes with pastry, or make pocket-style pies like my take on Cornish Pasties below. For the filling this time around I used leftovers from a beef stew I had made, but of course any filling can be used, so long as you remember that it should be cold when you place it in the pastry!

I baked my pasties until the pastry was golden brown, which took longer than I expected, about 40 minutes or so. Most of them burst open, but at least one was very perfect. And they were delicious. Although the pastry wasn't really as puffy and flaky as the original bloggers. So I'll be trying this pastry again really soon, and hopefully it will be perfect next time.