Puff pastry and no flour, help!

[OldTinHat]

I'm wondering if someone can make any suggestions.

I never make pastry and always use the cheat roll out stuff that you can buy. I wanted to make a vegetable and cheese pie for my neighbour today. Puff pastry has arrived with my shopping, but it's in a block instead of the usual un-roll-out-and-use version.

So, I have to roll it out. But I don't have any flour to dust my worktop with. Any ideas what I can use/do instead of flour to stop it sticking as I roll it out?

Every good deed, etc...!

Get some flour?

Got any cornflour? Or cornmeal? Or baking parchment?

Any grease proof paper you could roll it on? Or would oiling the surface help a bit? Can’t decide if that would make it worse.

Cornflour? Roll it out between two sheets of greaseproof / parchment paper?

Elbow grease! Just keep rolling. It may stick a bit..

I’ve never done this, but maybe you could roll it out between two sheets of grease proof paper?

@HappyHolidai I would if I could, of course!

But you lot are brilliant! I have greaseproof paper. I never even thought of that. That will definitely work!

I don't have cornflour or anything similar. I did think about oiling the worktop but was worried the pastry would be greasy.

But greaseproof paper! Woohooo! Thank you all so much for coming to my aid. And this is why I love MN at times like this ❤️

Back to the kitchen I go!

I have sieved porridge oats over the work top before. A light dusting works well.

Clingfilm also works for those who don't have any greaseproof.

Greaseproof paper always, then you can lift the pastry and flip it onto the filling. Cling film is a nightmare.

Greaseproof paper. The waxed paper from inside cereal packets is even better.

Update! Greaseproof paper, rolled out between two sheets like a dream. I've just popped the base in to blind bake - with baking beans and darned greaseproof paper! 😆

Just to say that, because I live on my own, I don't have any of the other great suggestions you've all made. Ten years ago, I'd have had cereal with their wrappers, cornflour, porridge oats - actual flour as well! But, since the DC left home, I'm not as well stocked.

But! Tadaaaaa! Thank you all!

Excellent!

You might never go back after using the greasproof method. After all, flouring the work surface is:

a) Messy.
b) Makes your pastry less, "Short" (I believe that is the correct terminology)

I used to carefully line the pastry with greaseproof paper, then baking beads, when the pastry rose, I often left a bead in, then a few years ago someone I met through gardening,who bakes her own bread the lot (farming family) she told me to crunch up the paper first, before putting on the pastry and adding the beads. I had to laugh at the list of what you DON'T have,most people haven't heard of baking beads!

@Redheadedstepchild You're absolutely right! I stopped making my own pastry because of the mess, that's why the ready rolled stuff is so good. Things have changed now, greaseproof paper all the way!

@Nannyfannybanny Ah, I have every cooking and baking gadget and doodib known to mankind 😆 Just no ingredients anymore!

Your story made me laugh, I can imagine someone chomping down on a baking bean/bead like shot in a pheasant. Oh, imagine making a pheasant pie, you'd have to prebook a dentist appointment!! Good tip about scrunching.

You can make various flours by whizzing up dried grains in a blender.
Rice = rice flour
Lentils = lentil flour
Popping corn = cornflour/cornmeal
Porridge oats = oat flour/oatmeal

My oldest DD does actually have a false (blooming expensive) front tooth. I thought I had removed all the beads..... she found one in a quiche. Off subject,a couple of years ago, I chipped my middle front tooth on a cherry stone!