You would think having been out of the chemistry laboratory since 1978 (please don’t do the math) I would lose some of my scientific method mentality, but I haven’t.

I made rough puff pastry for the first time this week. Also for the first time, I bought an exorbitantly expensive commercial puff pastry (Dufour’s.) For price comparison, the Dufour was $11.99 for two sheets about 8”x9”. Trader Joe’s at $4.99 are only available in October and November. (Buy a bunch and stock up… I do!) Pepperidge Farms is $6.25 for 2 sheets, and my rough puff pastry is $1.65 for an equivalent size and number of sheets. Yes, not a typo, $1.65. It does take a little elbow grease to roll the cold dough out, but aside from the sore wrist, it is nearly free.

As for performance: Trader Joe’s puffs the least, which for a number of applications is an advantage. Dufour’s puffs more than Trader Joe’s but not as much as Dede’s Rough Puff, which in turn was less than Pepperidge Farms. All four tasted excellent, but as humble as I am capable of being, my rough puff was outstanding. It was as flavorful, puffed as much and was as easy to roll as any of the other three.

(I have made so many pastries with both Trader Joe’s and Pepperidge Farms I didn’t include them in today’s head to head analysis.)

Pain au Chocolate

INGREDIENTS

• Puff pastry
• Chocolate
• Confectioner’s sugar
• 1 egg

METHOD

1. Roll out puff pastry
2. Dust with confectioner’s sugar
3. Cut into 2” wide (cut 5 long strips, then cut each in half)
4. Lay chocolate at one end, roll one time, press down gently and roll again, press gently again
5. Add second row of chocolate and roll one last time, press gently
6. Chill overnight or at least 2 hours.
7. Make egg wash with 1 egg and 1 Tbl water. Beat well with a fork.
8. Brush with egg wash
9. Paint the inner end of the roll to seal the end. Press firmly.
10. Bake 360 deg 20-25 min on parchment lined baking sheet

Berry Hand Pie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but cool.
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or decorating sugar
• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• 6 ounces berries
• 3 tablespoons coarse white sugar or decorating sugar

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.
2. Stir the cream cheese and granulated sugar in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth.  Stir in the white chocolate chips.
3. Cut large berries in half.
4. Sprinkle the flour on the work surface.  Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Using a round cutter, cut into 24 (2½ -inch) circles.
5. Brush the edges of 12 pastry circles with the egg mixture.  Place about ½ tablespoon cream cheese mixture in the center of each.  Top each with about one small or two halves of a large berry.  Place the remaining pastry circles over the filling.  Press the edges firmly to seal.  Crimp the edges with a fork. If you don’t seal them adequately the filling will leak out of the sides of the finished pastry.
6. Brush the pastries with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.  Using a sharp knife cut small slits in the tops of the filled pastries.  Place the pastries onto a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.
8. Eat. They are small. Eat again.

It’s really rough puff pastry and it’s magic that I made it! Usually, I buy either Pepperidge Farm, or Trader Joe’s puff pastry. Pepperidge Farm puffs up at least twice Trader Joe’s and I choose depending on what I am baking.

While significantly more work than driving the couple of miles to the supermarket, this is significantly less expensive and more self satisfying. I was pleasantly surprised with the resulting puff pastry and even more amazed at the resultant baked pastries.

Rough Puff Pastry has been in my “What’s Up in Dede’s Bakery” for months and to give you an idea how bored I was this morning, I decided today is the day!

I found an excellent blog (theflavorbender.com) with detailed, clear instructions. Her instructions, with minor edits, are below. The hardest part is grating the frozen butter (without skinning a knuckle) and the last few rolls of the laminated dough.

Rough Puff Pastry

INGREDIENTS
• 60 g unsalted frozen butter grated and kept in freezer while the flour chills
• 200 g unsalted frozen butter grated and kept in freezer while the flour chills (weigh the butter after grating it)
• 350 g AP flour that has been kept in the freezer for a couple of hours
• 1 tsp salt
• 120 – 150 g ice cold water I used about 9.5 tbsp (142ml)
• ½ tsp lemon / lime juice / white vinegar

Costs
• Butter ~ $1.50
• Flour ~ $0.15

METHOD

1. In a bowl, sieve the flour, salt and freeze for about 2 hours
2. Add the 60 g of frozen, grated butter. With your fingers quickly rub the butter into the flour.
3. Add the lemon and water, a tablespoon at a time, while mixing with a wooden spoon or your fingertips to bring the dough together.
4. Add enough water to form a firm dough (that is not tacky or too wet).
5. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about a minute and leave it to rest for about 5 minutes (in the fridge).
6. Roll the dough out into a long rectangle (about 6 – 7 inches wide, and 15 – 16 inches long).
7. Sprinkle 100 g of frozen, grated butter on 2/3rds of the area of this rectangle.
8. Fold over the portion without butter, towards the middle.
9. Then fold the first fold over the still butter exposed end. You completed one-fold (while laminating butter).
10. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll it out to form another long rectangle (about 5 – 6 inches wide, and 15 – 16 inches long).
11. Repeat with the rest of the butter and fold over, (completed 2nd fold with second lamination) and turn 90 degrees. Now you have incorporated all the butter in two folds.
12. Complete 3 more folds so you have folded the dough about 5 times. You shouldn’t need to refrigerate between folds, if you work quickly, HOWEVER if it’s a hot day and the butter starts to seep through, keep the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes to harden the butter and continue.
13. After the fifth and final folding, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge until needed.
14. Let it rest for at least 2 hours before using. (I prefer to leave it longer, even overnight for best results.)
15. If you’re not using it right away, cut the dough in half, wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap and store in the freezer.