Well, the real question is, why would you? If you're concerned with cholesterol, realize that margarine is loaded with trans fats. If you concerned about the cost of whole butter compared to stick margarine, realize that while margarine tries to mimic butter, margarine does not come unsalted, does not have the same aroma as butter, and is very far off from the taste of whole butter. Splurging calories and pennies for this treat is very much worth it. Puff pastry is a wonderful addition to add to your "freezer pantry" to use for desserts, appetizers and main dishes. Watching the finished product rise to its magical height because of the time you took to fold, roll out and refold the pastry dough is satisfying to say the least. And the best part of making this with the best ingredients you can find is watching friends and family enjoy a piece of heaven you created in your kitchen.
Below are two recipes for puff pastry. The first is a traditional puff dough recipe, with diagrams of how to fold. The second is an inverse dough puff pastry recipe. It is an industry recipe, so the quantity is suitable for large, professional settings.
2 c sweet butter
4 c flour
1 t salt
1 1/2 c water (may not use all)
Knead by hand the butter until it is waxy. Shape the butter into a flat, square cake, wrap in foil and chill. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Gradually add in the water and knead on a smooth floured surface until dough is elastic, about 20 minutes. Wrap the dough in foil; chill for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a square 1/2" thick. Roll the edges a little thinner than the center. Lightly flour the square of butter and place it in the center of the dough at an angle. Fold the 4 edges of the dough over the butter:
Straighten the dough square and proceed to roll out dough into a rectangle, rolling forward only in one direction, until the rectangle is roughly 8" by 16":
If the dough tears at all, take a little piece from the edges and patch up the whole immediately. This is important as this will trap in any air as the layers are built. Fold the top third of the dough toward you, making the ends as neat as possible, then fold the last third away from you, making three layers of the dough:
You now have three layers. Take this folded rectangle and give it a quarter-turn, so that the unfolded edge is facing you and the folded edges are facing your sides:
Roll out in one direction, until the dough is roughly the same as the first rectangle, about 8" by 16". You have just finished with one "turn." Wrap this dough and place in the refrigerator. Chill for 30 minutes. Unwrap dough and proceed as above with the rolling, folding and re-rolling and folding. You need to finish 4 more "turns" for the dough, chilling for 30 minutes between each turn so butter is firm enough and dough is stable enough to roll out. Always be sure that the unfolded edge of the dough is facing you.
Use this puff pastry dough for any recipe calling for puff dough.
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Inverse Puff Dough
Makes 2 Patons.
Flour AP 2#
10 oz. Mix together.
Plugra Butter 6# 12 oz. Divide in half.
(no substitutions)
Chill.
Flour Bread 6#
8 oz. Mix until
Salt 2
oz. forms ball.
Water 40 oz. Do
not
Vinegar 1/2 oz. Overmix.
Melted Butter 2 # Divide
in half.
Chill.
Place butter mixture on the outside, bread flour mixture on the inside. Seal edges and chill well. Roll out into long rectangle, a sheeter will be necessary to assist you. You need to do 3 times of double turns.
Chill well after each turn before completing next. After the double turns are completed, roll out and fold in half. Ready for use or for the freezer.
References used:
From the recipe files of Renee Shelton.
Editors
of Horizon Magazine. The Horizon Cookbook and Illustrated History of Eating
and Drinking
though the Ages. Part Two. Ed. in charge
Wendy Buehr. US: American, 1968.
Copyright © 2005 Beach Cuisine™ Inc and Renee Shelton.