Ann Amernick's Puff Pastry
- Cuisine: American
- Course: Dessert
Summary:
As always with pastry, working in a cool room can save all manner of refrigerator use, as the dough might not need to be chilled between rolls and turns. This technique, which Ann Amernick learned from Antoon Van Tol, better incorporates the butter than the classic puff pastry technique, allowing for a dramatic rise and beautiful crisp-tender flakes. If making napoleons with the Mocha Custard (see recipe online at www.washingtonpost.com/recipes), use half of this recipe and freeze the other half of the dough for another day.
Makes sixteen 3 1/2-inch squares, plus scraps
Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup cake flour, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/8 pounds chilled unsalted butter (4 whole sticks, plus 4 tablespoons diced)
- 3/4 cup cold water (approximately)
Directions:
Line an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the flours, salt and the 4 tablespoons (half-stick) of diced butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is coarse, crumbly and well combined. With the mixer on low, add the water in a slow stream and mix until the dough is slightly damp and pliable and gathers into a ball around the paddle.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With your palms and fingertips, pat and stretch the dough into a square. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, dust each stick of the remaining butter with a little flour. Use a cheese slicer, truffle slicer, mandoline or adjustable vegetable slicer to slice each stick lengthwise into 7 or 8 slices between 1/8- and 3/16-inch thick. You should end up with 28 to 30 thin 5-by-1-inch slices of butter. Divide them into three groups (9 or 10 in each group) and place each on parchment paper, long slides slightly overlapping, and press together to form three 7 3/4-by-5-inch sheets of butter. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. (It is important for the dough and butter to be at the same firmness and temperature.)
Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface to a rectangle about 20 inches long and 8 inches wide. Use a ruler as a guide to mark the dough crosswise into four sections, each 5 inches wide. Counting the sections from left to right, place one 7 3/4-by-5-inch sheet of room-temperature butter on section two, the one left of center, so that it covers the section entirely. Fold section one of the dough over to the right, so that it covers the butter. The dough should now have 3 sections. Place a second sheet of butter on the middle section, then fold the right section over it to the left, over the butter. You will now have two sections of dough visible. Place the remaining sheet of butter on top of the left section of dough and fold the other half of the dough over. The dough should now be roughly 9 by 6 inches.
Using a rolling pin, gently press the dough at 1-inch intervals to distribute the butter, then roll the dough lengthwise into a rectangle about 18 inches long and 7 inches wide. Fold the rectangle into thirds like a business letter to create a rectangle of about 7 by 6 inches and rotate it 90 degrees. Use a pastry brush to brush off any excess flour. Place the dough on the prepared parchment-lined pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. You have now completed the equivalent of four turns.
Repeat the rolling, folding, turning and chilling of the dough three more times. The dimensions are not as important as the smoothness and homogenization of the butter into the dough. The dough should be uniform in color, with no patches of butter visible except at the edges, where it is normal for some butter to be showing.
Return it to the prepared baking sheet, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Position racks in the middle and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees, and line a separate 18-by-13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the chilled dough and cut it into four equal pieces. Return three of the pieces to the refrigerator. Roll out the remaining piece into a strip about-- inches long. The width and thickness are not important. Fold into thirds like a business letter, then roll again into a---inch-long strip. Fold into thirds again, then roll into a strip about-- inches long, 4 inches wide and 3/16-inch thick.
Using a ruler or trowel as a guide, and cutting with a sharp pizza cutter or paring knife (to avoid pinching the dough, which will inhibit the rise), cut the dough into 3 1/2-inch squares and place carefully on one of the parchment-lined pans. Repeat with the remaining three pieces, giving each of them two final sequences of folds and turns before cutting into squares and placing on the pans. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Place in the oven, immediately reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 15 minutes, until the puffs have fully risen, are well-browned and feel light as air (which indicates that there is no unbaked dough inside).
Recipe Source:
Adapted from pastry chef Ann Amernick.
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
(Julia Ewan)
