Description
This homemade puff pastry recipe guides you to create flaky, buttery layers perfect for savory and sweet dishes. Made with simple ingredients like all-purpose flour, cold butter, and a touch of vinegar, this dough is chilled and folded to develop its signature puff and crisp texture when baked. Ideal for making croissants, tarts, and turnovers from scratch.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup cold water (plus more if needed)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (optional, but helps with the dough’s texture)
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt to evenly distribute the salt throughout the flour.
- Cut in the butter: Add the cold unsalted butter cubes to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Keeping the butter cold is essential to achieving a flaky texture.
- Add liquids: Slowly pour in the cold water and white vinegar (if using) while gently mixing the dough with a fork or your hands. Add just enough water for the dough to come together without becoming sticky.
- Form the dough: Gather the dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface. Flatten it into a rectangle, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes to relax the gluten and keep the butter firm.
- Roll and fold: On a floured surface, roll the dough into a long rectangle. Fold it into thirds like a letter. Turn it 90 degrees and roll out again. Repeat this process of rolling and folding 4-6 times, chilling the dough in the fridge for 20-30 minutes between folds if the butter becomes too soft. This creates the characteristic layers of puff pastry.
- Final chill and use: After the last fold, wrap the dough again and chill for at least 1 hour before using. The puff pastry is now ready to be rolled out and baked as desired.
Notes
- Keep all ingredients cold for best puff pastry results.
- Use sharp knives or a pastry cutter to handle the dough to avoid warming the butter too much.
- The white vinegar is optional but improves dough elasticity and flakiness.
- This dough can be frozen tightly wrapped for up to 2 months.
- Bake puff pastry at a high temperature (usually around 400°F/200°C) to ensure maximum puff and crispness.
