Puff yeast dough for French pastries
6 servings
300 minutes
Puff yeast dough is the base for exquisite French pastries, allowing for airy croissants, delicate millefeuille, and appetizing rolls. The origins of this dough date back centuries when French pastry chefs sought to achieve the perfect balance of lightness and rich flavor. Its texture consists of thin layers of dough soaked in butter, creating a crispy yet soft base. Thanks to the yeast, the dough gains lightness and a slight tanginess while the butter adds tenderness. This dough pairs perfectly with both sweet and savory fillings—from vanilla cream to cheese and ham. The finished pastries delight with their complex texture and rich aroma, with each bite melting in your mouth and leaving a pleasant buttery aftertaste. A true art captured in layers.
1
In half of the required warm cream (or milk), dissolve 7 g of dry yeast (or according to the proportion indicated on the dry yeast package, depending on the amount of flour). Add sugar and 100 g of flour. Mix, cover, and place in a warm place until the dough rises.
- Cream 10%: 0.5 glass
- Sugar: 1 glass
- Wheat flour: 400 g
2
When the dough rises, add the remaining cream, 150 g of flour, knead the dough, shape it into a small rectangle, cover it and place it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
- Cream 10%: 0.5 glass
- Wheat flour: 400 g
3
Pour 150 g of flour into a separate container; the flour will be needed for dusting the dough while rolling (more flour may be needed).
- Wheat flour: 400 g
4
Sprinkle the board where we will roll out the dough generously with flour, and also dust the rolling pin with flour. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and place it on the board. Dust all the dough with flour. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 25 cm wide and 30 cm long. The dough will be difficult to roll out. To avoid damaging the structure of the dough, roll it out carefully.
- Wheat flour: 400 g
5
Take 130 g of butter out of the fridge (the butter should not be softened), place it between two pieces of plastic wrap, and roll it out with a rolling pin into a rectangle or shape it by hand. The butter needs to be placed in the middle of the dough rectangle, so the height of the butter layer should match the width of the dough (about 25 cm), and it should be shorter in length (about 10 cm).
- Butter: 180 g
6
Sprinkle the dough with flour. Place a layer of butter on the floured dough. Close the dough by folding all edges towards the center: first the length edges and then the width edges. Dust the dough and rolling pin with flour. Carefully roll out the dough to a rectangle approximately 30 cm long and 25 cm wide. As you roll it out, butter will 'leak' from the dough; to prevent sticking to the rolling pin, sprinkle flour on both sides as soon as butter starts to leak and do this each time it happens until you reach the desired size. If butter leaks from the edges of the dough, remove excess with your hand or knife along the edge of the dough. To maintain the structure of the dough, once rolled out to size, sprinkle with flour and place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
- Wheat flour: 400 g
7
We take the dough out of the fridge. We sprinkle it with flour. We close the dough again, folding its edges to the center: first lengthwise, then widthwise. We roll out the dough, sprinkling flour on both sides each time when the butter starts to 'come out' of the dough. If the butter comes out from the edges of the dough, remove the excess butter with your hand or a knife along the edge of the dough. To maintain the structure of the dough, as soon as we roll it out to the required size (about 30 cm long and 25 cm wide), we stop rolling. To ensure the rectangle has straight (clear) edges, we shape the edges with our hands or trim them with a knife.
8
Beat 4 eggs. Melt 50 g of butter (you may need a bit more).
- Chicken egg: 4 pieces
- Butter: 180 g
9
First, brush the dough with beaten egg, then with oil, remove the excess egg and oil by 'brushing off' with your hand or a brush, the dough should be only coated, there should be no 'liquid' on the dough.
- Chicken egg: 4 pieces
- Butter: 180 g
10
We cut the dough into the shape needed for the type of pastry we are preparing: for croissants, millefeuille, or French 'snail rolls', or other French pastries that require puff yeast dough.
11
We cut the dough carefully to avoid damaging it and to keep the layers intact. We gently flip the dough and brush the ungreased side with beaten egg, then with melted butter.
- Chicken egg: 4 pieces
- Butter: 180 g
12
If needed, we add the filling or spread it on the dough, shape the pastry (rolling or stacking the cut pieces of dough), place it on a baking sheet, brush again with melted butter if necessary, and put it in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Usually, the dough bakes for 15 minutes.
- Butter: 180 g