Ever made puff pastry?

[LeBFG]

OK - just got the great How to Bake book by Mr Hollywood and I see there's a whole chapter on puff style bakery deliciousnesses. I saw a video on Youtube and he makes it look so easy. I'll probably give it a go (and probably fail miserably). But before I do so, anyone else tried to make it, has it worked for you, is it worth it, any pitfalls????

[YonisLittleBairnClit]

It's not that it easy it's just very very time consuming to make good puffy puff pastry.
I cook everything from scratch but I won't do puff pastry.

[TunipTheVegedude]

Yes. I failed the first time but not sure why. I don't think the recipe I used the first time told me to use strong flour, and that is important. Also, I think I wasn't careful enough and I let the lumps of butter break through the dough.
The second time I followed Lorraine Pascale's instructions and it was easy but a faff, but it was so worth it - way better than the stuff you buy, even the top quality all-butter stuff.

Good luck & let us know how you get on.

[LeBFG]

OK - have just tried making croissants with the puff style laminating. Everything seemed OK and, as I was in all afternoon, not time consuming at all. Until I shaped the croissants and left them to rise....all day...they still haven't risen . Not sure where I went wrong. Perhaps too ambitious for a first timer. Hey ho.

[TunipTheVegedude]

Something wrong with the yeast?

[Weegiemum]

I bake everything, make great pastry!

But for puff I have 2 words for you: Jus Roll!

[LeBFG]

I think it probably was the yeast tbh (am in denial). It looked like there was some rise overnight in the fridge. But there. Not to be.

I'm in France Weegiemum so no Jus Roll puff in the vicinity 'fraid. It's crazy really as the bakers always have lovely croissants. I just wanted to have some homemade ones to have them fresh for breakfast. Perhaps I'll try again once I'm over this huff .

[wheredidiputit]

Puff pastry doesn't rise. It puffs up when cooked as water in the butter layers steam and this makes then rise.

I've made made puff pastry when at catering college and don't bother now.

Even most professional chef don't make puff pastry.

[TunipTheVegedude]

When I did croissants they did everything they were supposed to do, they just weren't that special.

My most successful thing during my laminated dough phase was lardy cake. Yum.

[sharond101]

I do Paul Hollywoods rough puff pastry it's easier and gives a good result.

[tb]

I've made it - after 20+ years of trying and it not working, I left if for years. About 2 years ago, it crossed my mind again, and I found a really great recipe on the internet. The method was a little different, too.

It involved making a dough, forming it into a ball, and then cutting a cross in the top to about half the depth. You then rolled out each of the quarters to form a sort of 4-pointed star, with a squarish middle that was a bit higher than the rest. The butter is patted out to a square shape and placed in the middle, with the 4 points folded into the middle. The method means that you have the same thickness of dough under and over the plaque of butter. You then start the same rolling and folding.

This is the only time I've ever managed to make puff pastry that puffs - the other recipes I've tried have always resulted in very nice flaky pastry, something that I can make a lot more quickly.