This is hubby’s favorite and it has been requested so often! Luckily it is very easy to do and uses just water, plain flour and butter! Yes you have read it right. The ingredients is really just 3 items which I’m sure we all have in the kitchen. This pastry is not for the weak-hearted because it contains a lot of butter, but it taste oh-so-marvelous! Flaky and buttery, this pastry skin is very versatile. You can make savory puff pastry with it by filling it with tuna mayo or ham and cheese, or a sweet puff pastry with some kaya or make apple pie with it. You can also use this skin to make chicken pot pie( which is actually just soup in a cup with a puff pastry over the top). I have also tried using this as a pizza base and it works wonderfully.
Ingredients
250gram all purpose plain flour (sieved)
250grams butter (must be as cold as possible, I prefer to use frozen butter)
100ml very cold water
1/2 tsp salt (omit this if the butter you are using is salted)
instructions
- Mix the salt if you are using any into the sieve flour in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a handheld shredder, shred the butter into the flour, mix it up a little occasionally to make sure that the shredded butter do not stick together by coated and rolling it in the flour. Work fast so that the butter does not melt.
- Once shredding is completed, drizzle the cold water all over the mixture. Mix it up a little using your hands. Do not press the mixture together and do not over mix as it will result in a tough mixture. Do not add more water as it will make the mixture tough as well. The mixture will be very dry and won’t really hold together. But that’s ok. It will be ok after we roll it a few times. Place the mixture in a plastic bag and chill in the fridge for 20minutes.
- Prepare 2 large sheets of plastic sheets for rolling. baking sheets will do too. I usually cut 2 plastic bags length wise and use them to help in the rolling process. I place one on the table, place the mixture on it, and the other plastic sheet over the mixture. Then use a rolling pin to roll the mixture out. This makes cleaning up a lot easier.
- Take the chilled mixture out and using your hands to arrange it in a lump, place it between the plastic sheets. Roll it out to about 1/2 cm thick. Try to roll it so that it stays as rectangular as possible. Work fast so that the butter does not melt. Should take around 5-10minutes.
- Done rolling remove the top plastic sheet and putting it aside, grab the 2 ends of the plastic sheet at the bottom of the dough pastry( nearest to you), and flip about one third of the dough upwards towards the centre portion. Then repeat by flipping the top part of the dough down, like an envelope. Now the seams are facing you. Cover the dough with the plastic sheet that you have put aside earlier and wrap it up, return it to the fridge to chill for another 20minutes.
- After the chilling, take the dough out, remove the top plastic sheet, and turn the dough 90 degree so that the seams are now facing your sides. Roll out the dough to 1/2 cm thick, and repeat the folding process by folding 1/3 of the dough inwards from the top and bottom of the dough. Cover with plastic sheet and chill for 20 minutes.
- Repeat the step above.
- Preheat oven to 160 degree. After chilling, we are ready to roll it out and use for baking roll it out, depending on whether you prefer a thicker skin or thinner skin. I usually roll it to 1/2 cm thick or slightly thinner.
- Cut the dough into desired sizes for wrapping. I usually cut it into 5cm squares, then place the fillings in the middle, and place another square on top and seam the sides with a fork. I then pierce the top with the fork so that it will not over expand when baking. Do remember to work fast so that the dough doesn’t become to difficult to handle. If it became too soft and sticky, stick it in the fridge and chill. Chilling makes it easier to handle.
- Bake the prepared pastry in the oven for 30minutes at 160 degree. Increase to 180 degree and bake for another 5-10 minutes to make it golden.
notes
- this dough needs to be worked fast. The dough is always chilled to prevent the butter from melting. Chilling also relaxes the douh so that it does not become tough.
- the dough might not hold well initially when rolling out as the sides my have crumbs, which is why I always use the plastic sheet to whelp me as I find it a lot easier and less messy. I also use my hands to push the excess into the sides and pat them in.But after the final rolling it should be holding well.
- try to make the dough as rectangular as possible so that it will be even when you are doing the folding and also easier for you when you are preparing to cut it.
Puff pastry with salami topping
