This quick homemade puff pastry (rough puff) is ideal for holiday baking. The active work takes just 10 minutes. The trick is to grate frozen butter into the flour instead of folding and layering. The result is a great homemade puff pastry for both savory and sweet bakes.
A teaspoon of vinegar is another key, helping keep the pastry tender. Simply freeze the dough and you have it on hand whenever you need it throughout the holidays. Will you give it a try?
How do you make quick homemade puff pastry?
Grate frozen butter into the flour. Add cold water with vinegar and salt. Just bring the dough together quickly without kneading it. Let it chill in the fridge for 2 hours before baking.
At a Glance
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Chilling time: at least 2 hours
- Servings: 2 portions of dough
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: about 390 kcal per 3.5 oz (100 g)
- Trend: Time saver
Ingredients
- 5 cups (650 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 3 1/4 sticks (360 g) butter, cold, ideally frozen
- scant 1 cup (220 ml) very cold water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Instructions
- First, stir the very cold water, salt, and vinegar together in a glass until the salt dissolves completely. Set aside (ideally in the fridge).
- Sift the flour into a large bowl.
- Use the large holes of a box grater. Grate the firm (frozen) butter gradually straight into the flour.
- As you grate, keep tossing the butter in the flour. You’ll get a mixture that looks like coarse semolina or crumbs.
- Quickly toss everything together with your hands so the butter is coated in flour. Try not to let the butter warm up.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the cold vinegar water.
- Work the dough quickly. Just bring it together until the ingredients are combined. Important: do not knead the dough for long! Pieces of butter must stay visible in it.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions. Wrap each in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (ideally overnight).
Video Recipe
Tips for Perfect Rough Puff Pastry
- Why vinegar? The vinegar helps relax the gluten in the flour. This makes the baked pastry much more tender and gives it nice flaky layers.
- Don’t knead: This dough is not worked like a yeast dough. Long kneading would blend the butter into the flour, and the result would be crumbly and shortbread-like instead of flaky.
Easy Variations
- Budget version: Instead of butter, you can use a good-quality stick baking margarine, also frozen. The flavor will differ from an all-butter pastry.
- Spelt version: Replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole-grain spelt (or whole wheat) flour for a nuttier flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is it really ready in 10 minutes? Yes, the active time (grating and bringing the dough together) really doesn’t exceed 10 minutes. The dough does need to rest for 2 hours in the cold before baking so the butter firms up.
Can I freeze this homemade puff pastry? Yes, it is ideal for that. Make it ahead, wrap it in plastic, and put it in the freezer. For holiday baking, just move it to the fridge the evening before.
Is this the same as “real” puff pastry? This is a so-called “quick” or “rough” puff pastry. It is less demanding to make, yet the result is very similar: it puffs up into beautiful layers and is tender.
You can bake just about anything with this dough: savory cheese straws, turnovers, strudel, and holiday pastries. Store it in the fridge (keeps for 3 days) or in the freezer (up to 3 months).
The recipe is based on a version by Калнина Наталья, adapted by the We Cook With Love team.
Enjoy! Try more recipes from our kitchen.
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