Puff pastry without yeast
4 servings
30 minutes
Puff pastry is a refined art of European cuisine rooted in ancient French baking traditions. Its airy structure and lightness are achieved through a special mixing method where layers of dough alternate with margarine, creating delicate, crispy sheets. It has a soft taste with a barely noticeable creamy note that pairs wonderfully with sweet and savory fillings. This pastry is used for baking croissants, pies, and tarts, allowing the depth of flavor and texture to shine through. Preparation requires patience, but the result is worth the effort—puff pastry transforms any creation into a true gastronomic masterpiece.
1
First, let's prepare the dough 1. The margarine should be cold, not softened, and not too hard. We will put flour in a bowl and add margarine cut into pieces. Using a knife, we will chop the margarine with the flour into crumbs. It's important to get the smallest lumps possible, so this dough will spread more evenly in dough 2 and won't have separate inclusions!
- Wheat flour: 0.7 glass
- Margarine: 200 g
2
We are making a ball from margarine and flour crumbs. No kneading is needed, just combine the mass into one. We set it aside for now.
3
Now let's prepare dough 2. Pour flour into a bowl. It's better to take a little less flour at first because the dough should be soft, not stiff, and then add more while kneading. Add vinegar (or lemon juice) and salt to the flour. Crack an egg into a glass. Add water to make 2/3 of the glass full. I usually use room temperature boiled water, which is always available in my kitchen, so the water temperature is not critical! Lightly beat with a spoon to mix the egg with the water, and pour it into the flour. Knead the dough well, first with a spoon, then by hand on a floured surface. Add more flour if necessary. This dough should not be stiff, otherwise, it will turn out to be tough puff pastry. Now roll out dough 2 into a small rectangle. Not too thin, otherwise, it will tear later. Place the first dough closer to one edge in the middle, so it can be wrapped like an envelope. Now fold it, first covering with the nearest edge. Then fold the sides. Finally, close it with the remaining 'tail'. We get the first dough in an envelope. Place the dough on a floured plate and send it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Place the dough 'seam' down to better secure the edges. When sending the dough to the refrigerator, do not cover it. Otherwise, droplets will form, and the dough will become wet, which we do not want at all. After 30 minutes, take the dough out of the refrigerator, place it on the rolling surface in the same way it was on the plate, and roll it out with a rolling pin, not too much, so it can be folded into an envelope again. Fold it and send it back to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take the dough out. Roll it out on a floured surface and fold it into an envelope again. Send it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Now our dough is ready. You can start cooking with it right away.
- Wheat flour: 0.7 glass
- Vinegar: 0.3 teaspoon
- Salt: to taste
- Chicken egg: 1 piece
- Water: 20 ml
- Wheat flour: 0.7 glass