Rough Puff Pastry

Rough Puff Pastry

makes ~500g, enough for one large plait or pie

Ingredients

Makes ~500g

plain flour      300g
cold butter      50g
frozen butter    120g
cold water       100g
salt             pinch

The frozen butter is the key. Freeze the 120g at least 2 hours ahead, ideally overnight. Grate it straight from frozen on a box grater.
Keep everything cold throughout. If the butter starts to soften and smear, stop and put the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes before continuing.

Recipe

1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the cold 50g butter cut into small cubes. Rub it in with your fingertips until the mix looks like coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps.

2. Add the cold water a splash at a time, stirring with a knife between each addition. Stop as soon as the dough just comes together. It will look rough and shaggy. Pat into a flat rectangle, wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Roll the dough out to roughly 20x40cm on a lightly floured surface. Grate half the frozen butter (60g) evenly over the bottom two-thirds of the rectangle.

4. First fold: Fold the top third down over the middle. Fold the bottom third up over both. Rotate 90°.

5. Roll out to 20x40cm again. Grate the remaining 60g of frozen butter over the bottom two-thirds.

6. Second fold: Fold the same way as before. Rotate 90°. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

7. For cleaner layers, roll out one more time and do a third fold without adding any butter. Refrigerate for another 20 minutes before using.

8. Roll to 3-4mm thick for pastry cases or plaits.