Category Archives: Rough puff pastry

Patisserie de Paris for Trivia Night

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We are participating in a Trivia Night at our clubhouse tonight and I volunteered to make desserts. Our tables theme is “France” and our team name is Les Quizerables, (a take on Les Miserables.)

I made filled puff pastries in the color of the French flag (blue, white and red.) I made blueberry, white chocolate/cream cheese ganache, and raspberry pastries.

I combined and re-rolled the scraps from cutting the 12” square to make a few pain de chocolat, just because, why not?

The puff pastry is Sally’s recipe and method and it is fantastic. I made three batches of Sally’s raspberry sauce before I found the right formula for my use, but hit the blueberry on the first try.

Roll the dough
Trim into a 12” square
Cut into 4”x4” squares
Fold and cut, unfold and wrap
Dock the centers and bake
Fill with sauces and ganach

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache

Makes 3 cups

INGREDIENTS
• 200 g white chocolate
• 200 g heavy cream
• 300 g cream cheese full fat, not skim or low fat

METHOD

  1. Finely chop the white chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl.
  2. Heat the cream on the stovetop until just below boiling point, or heat in microwave (stirring between bursts) in 30 second then 15 second then 5 second bursts until the cream is scalding (not boiling) 170-180 deg
  3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.
  4. Use a hand whisk to mix until the chocolate has fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
  5. Cover the surface with cling wrap, ensuring it touches the surface, and refrigerate overnight or until completely chilled.
  6. In a new bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth, light, and fluffy. Scrape the bowl occasionally to ensure even mixing.
  7. Add the whipped cream cheese to the chilled chocolate mixture. Mix until well combined, stiff, and thick. The ganache should have a smooth, silky texture.

Raspberry Dessert Sauce

Makes ~1 cup

INGREDIENTS
• 1 Tbl water
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 375g (3 c) fresh or frozen raspberries
• 50g ( ¼ c) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (do not leave out)
• optional: ½ tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

  1. Whisk the cornstarch and water together until all the cornstarch has dissolved. Combine cornstarch mixture, raspberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Using a silicone spatula, stir the mixture while lightly mashing the raspberries as they begin to heat.
  2. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 3 full minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and—if desired for a richer flavor—stir in vanilla extract, and if desired, a few fresh raspberries.
  3. OPTIONAL (SKIP for a thicker sauce) Press the warm sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, if desired. I use the back of a spoon to press the liquid through the strainer, held over a bowl. It takes a couple minutes to really squeeze it all out.
  4. Feel free to serve warm over warm desserts, but it should be cooled to really thicken up. Cool the sauce completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools, but the strained version is still liquid and perfect for drizzling.
  5. Cover and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Notes

  1. Freezing Instructions: After the raspberry sauce cools completely, freeze in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3–6 months. Thaw on the counter or in the refrigerator. Warm up in the microwave or on the stove, if desired.
  2. Other Berries: You can substitute blackberries with no changes to the recipe.

Chunky Blueberry Sauce – Sally

INGREDIENTS
• 80g (1/3 c) warm water
• 15g (1 Tbl) fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ tsp cornstarch
• 280g (2 c) fresh or frozen blueberries (if using frozen, do not thaw)
• 25g (2 Tbl) granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

METHOD

  1. Whisk the cornstarch, water, and lemon juice together until all the cornstarch has dissolved. (I just use a fork to mix—very easy.) Set aside.
  2. Warm the blueberries and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. With a wooden spoon or sturdy silicone spatula, stir continuously for 3 minutes, gently smashing the berries against the sides of the pan to help them release some juices. For chunkier sauce leave some berries whole. (If you used frozen blueberries, you won’t need to smash them as much because they will naturally break down as they thaw over heat.)
  3. After 3 minutes, add the cornstarch mixture and continue to stir for another 2–3 minutes, smashing more berries if needed. The mixture will start to thicken.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool. The mixture is liquid and drippy, but thickens considerably as it cools.
  5. You can serve the sauce warm before it cools completely if desired, or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Blueberry topping will be thick after refrigeration, so microwave for 15 seconds or warm on the stove to thin out, if desired.

Blueberry-Cream Cheese or Fig Puff Pastry

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Sally’s Rough Puff Pastry is near perfect (my only changes are to tweak it for my baking style. Sally is catering to a larger, international audience while I am catering to myself and my QC Cadre neighbors.)

This bake required a little planning and forethought for me to make/create these pastries, (i.e. where to put the cream cheese or fig, where to place the berries and where/when to slit the dough.) I actually made a life size paper model.

The proof is in the pudding, err… pastry. The Cadre returned a unanimous decision: “Delicious”, “Flakey and Good”, “Wow. Very delicious!! They leave a lingering taste of warm sweetness ! Good job!”

Spread Cream Cheese, Blueberries and folded pastry
Spread Fig Preserves, Slits and folded pastry
Fig Pasty in front, Blueberry in back
Both Pastries cut in half to show layers.

Blueberry-Cream Cheese or Fig Puff Pastry

INGREDIENTS
• Puff Pastry (either store bought or recommended rough puff from recipe below)
• 1 Tbl Sugar
• ~ ½ c. Blueberries (~9 blueberries/pastry)
• Cream Cheese (It’s easiest to use spreadable cream cheese)
• (For fig pastry replace sugar, blueberries and cream cheese with fig preserves)

METHOD

  1. Wash blueberries and toss with a tablespoon of sugar.
  2. Roll puff (or rough puff) pastry out to a 13”x13” square.
  3. Measure and cut with a pizza cutter six 4”x6” rectangles and position horizontally. (There will be some left over after squaring up the sides.)
  4. Cut staggered diagonal slits on middle 3” of the rectangle
  5. Spread cream cheese on 1½” x 4” edge of the rectangle, being careful not to coat the edges of the pastry.
  6. Place blueberries on the center of the pastry (over the slits). I used ~ 12 blueberries per pastry.
  7. Use your finger to wet the outer 4” edge of the pastry and fold over to the center of the pastry. Repeat with the other cream cheese coated edge, butting the end up against the first fold. Press gently to seal.
  8. Use your fingers, with a little flour if the dough is sticky, to seal the ends. Turn over and place on a parchment paper line baking sheet.
  9. Bake at 400 F for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans midway.

Rough Puff Pastry


INGREDIENTS
• 166 g (1⅓ c) all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring hands, surface, and dough
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 170 g (¾ c or 1½ sticks) unsalted Kerry Gold butter, very cold and cubed
• 6–8 Tbl ice cold water

METHOD

  1. Cut the butter into ~1/4” cubes then return to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Place the cold and cubed butter on top. Gently toss the flour and butter together with your hands, and then briefly rub the butter into the flour to begin combining. Do not break down the butter too much in this step. This step is only possible if the butter is very cold.
  3. Begin adding the ice cold water 1 Tablespoon at a time until dough forms 1 large shaggy clump with big chunks of butter in your bowl. Use your hands to toss the mixture together after you add each Tablespoon. (Start with 2 Tablespoons of water before tossing together.) As the dough begins to hydrate after about 4 Tablespoons of water, you can start lightly squeezing or clumping the dough together with your hands to help bring it together. Mixture will still be very shaggy. If your dough feels sticky and wet before adding 6 Tablespoons of water, your butter was likely too warm– you can continue with the recipe, but the dough will not be as flaky.
  4. Pour the shaggy clump of dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. There will still be large chunks of butter at this point and that’s a good thing. Begin patting the dough down with lightly floured hands until it’s ¾ – 1” thick, about a 5×8” rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds as if you were folding a business letter. Use your hands to gently flatten and smooth out any cracks in your dough. Wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap.
  5. 1st refrigeration: Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
  6. Roll & Fold: Take the dough out of the refrigerator to begin the “rolling and folding” process. If the dough chilled for longer than about 3 hours, it’s likely very stiff so let it rest for about 5 minutes before you begin rolling. Lightly flour a work surface. The dough gets sticky, so make sure you have more flour nearby as you roll and fold. Use your hands to gently flatten the dough into a small square. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 6”×12”x ½” thick. The exact dimensions are not important, but the thickness is. As you roll, it’s best to flip the dough over once or twice to make sure it’s not sticking to your work surface. Lightly flour your work surface as needed. Fold the rectangle into thirds as if it were a business letter. Turn it clockwise or counter clockwise and roll it out into a 6”×12”x ½” thick rectangle again. Then, fold into thirds again. Turn it clockwise or counter clockwise. You’ll repeat rolling and folding 4 more times for a total of 6 times.
  7. 2nd Refrigeration: Wrap up/seal tightly and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 24 hours before using in your recipe. You can also freeze the dough at this point. See freezing instructions.
  8. Use wherever you would use frozen store-bought puff pastry. To bake plain, roll pastry dough into a 10×16” rectangle and cut into desired portions. Fill if desired, and paint with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbl water.)
  9. Bake 400°F until golden brown and puffy, about 25-28 minutes.

NOTES

  1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare as instructed in steps 1-3. At this point the dough can be refrigerated up to 24 hours (see step 4). You can also prepare the dough through step 5. At this point the dough can be refrigerated for up to another 24 hours (see step 6).
  2. During or after this second chilling time, you could also freeze the dough for up to 1 month. (I don’t recommend freezing the dough before the rolling and folding step.) Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using in a recipe that calls for 1 lb puff pastry dough (or 1 store-bought package with 2 sheets puff pastry).

Can’t Get Enough of Sally’s Rough Puff!

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I made Sally’s rough puff pastry for the first time about three weeks ago. It was delicious, and while a little time consuming, totally worth it. My first attempt was a puff pastry wrapped Brie cheese, topped with fig jam and covered with roasted plum compote. EVERYONE including those who professed to not like plum, and/or Brie loved it.

I used Sally’s recipe again to make some “cover versions” of a blueberry/cream cheese pastry and a Feuillete au Chocolat (puff pastry and chocolate.)

Today, I used yet another third batch of her pastry to make my own version of the blueberry/cream cheese pastry and a fig filled (figs are ripe in my backyard) pastry.

Over the course of these bakes I mildly modified Sally’s recipe. In the first two trials I used high fat content (and expensive) Kerrygold butter. Today I used my standard Costco unsalted butter. I could not discern and difference in baking, taste of flake.

I also cut the butter into 1/4” cubes, then return it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to really firm up and chill the butter. (It’s worth it.)

I try to turn, roll and fold the dough 6-8 times, I really do, but usually lose count and simple repeat until it feels right. I chilled it overnight and I chilled it for 3 hours, other than it’s being hard to roll, no difference. I also froze one batch for 3 days and when thawed could not tell the difference between it and the unthawed batch.

Since I do all the measuring I can in grams, my version lists weights before volumes, but other than that, I follow her recipe to the letter.

Rough Puff Pastry – Sally


INGREDIENTS
• 166 g (1⅓ c) all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring hands, surface, and dough
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 170 g (¾ c or 1½ sticks) unsalted Kerrygold butter, very cold and cubed
• 6–8 Tbl ice cold water

METHOD

  1. Cut the butter into ~1/4” cubes return to the fridge to chill.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Place the cold and cubed butter on top. Gently toss the flour and butter together with your hands, and then briefly rub the butter into the flour to begin combining. Do not break down the butter too much in this step. This step is only possible if the butter is very cold.
  3. Begin adding the ice cold water 1 Tablespoon at a time until dough forms 1 large shaggy clump with big chunks of butter in your bowl. Use your hands to toss the mixture together after you add each Tablespoon. (Start with 2 Tablespoons of water before tossing together.) As the dough begins to hydrate after about 4 Tablespoons of water, you can start lightly squeezing or clumping the dough together with your hands to help bring it together. Mixture will still be very shaggy. If your dough feels sticky and wet before adding 6 Tablespoons of water, your butter was likely too warm– you can continue with the recipe, but the dough will not be as flaky.
  4. Pour the shaggy clump of dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. There will still be large chunks of butter at this point and that’s a good thing. Begin patting the dough down with lightly floured hands until it’s ¾ – 1” thick, about a 5×8” rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds as if you were folding a business letter. Use your hands to gently flatten and smooth out any cracks in your dough. Wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap.
  5. 1st refrigeration: Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
  6. Roll & Fold: Take the dough out of the refrigerator to begin the “rolling and folding” process. If the dough chilled for longer than about 3 hours, it’s likely very stiff so let it rest for about 5 minutes before you begin rolling. Lightly flour a work surface. The dough gets sticky, so make sure you have more flour nearby as you roll and fold. Use your hands to gently flatten the dough into a small square. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 6”×12”x ½” thick. The exact dimensions are not important, but the thickness is. As you roll, it’s best to flip the dough over once or twice to make sure it’s not sticking to your work surface. Lightly flour your work surface as needed. Fold the rectangle into thirds as if it were a business letter. Turn it clockwise or counter clockwise and roll it out into a 6”×12”x ½” thick rectangle again. Then, fold into thirds again. Turn it clockwise or counter clockwise. You’ll repeat rolling and folding 4 more times for a total of 6 times.
  7. 2nd Refrigeration: Wrap up/seal tightly and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 24 hours before using in your recipe. You can also freeze the dough at this point. See freezing instructions.
  8. Use wherever you would use frozen store-bought puff pastry. To bake plain, roll pastry dough into a 10×16” rectangle and cut into desired portions. Fill if desired, and paint with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbl water.)
  9. Bake 400°F until golden brown and puffy, about 25-28 minutes.

NOTES

  1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare as instructed in steps 1-3. At this point the dough can be refrigerated up to 24 hours (see step 4). You can also prepare the dough through step 5. At this point the dough can be refrigerated for up to another 24 hours (see step 6).
  2. During or after this second chilling time, you could also freeze the dough for up to 1 month. (I don’t recommend freezing the dough before the rolling and folding step.) Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using in a recipe that calls for 1 lb puff pastry dough (or 1 store-bought package with 2 sheets puff pastry).

SallysBakingAddiction Rough Puff Pastry

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I keep referring to Sally’s Rough Puff Pasty but I made a few changes to reflect my personal quirks and how I use the recipe. Here is my version, which is, of course Sally’s.

Rough Puff Pastry – Sally


INGREDIENTS
• 166 g (1⅓ c) all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring hands, surface, and dough
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 170 g (¾ c or 1½ sticks) unsalted Kerry Gold butter, very cold and cubed
• 6–8 Tbl ice cold water

METHOD

  1. Cut the butter into ~1/4” cubes return to the fridge to chill.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Place the cold and cubed butter on top. Gently toss the flour and butter together with your hands, and then briefly rub the butter into the flour to begin combining. Do not break down the butter too much in this step. This step is only possible if the butter is very cold.
  3. Begin adding the ice cold water 1 Tablespoon at a time until dough forms 1 large shaggy clump with big chunks of butter in your bowl. Use your hands to toss the mixture together after you add each Tablespoon. (Start with 2 Tablespoons of water before tossing together.) As the dough begins to hydrate after about 4 Tablespoons of water, you can start lightly squeezing or clumping the dough together with your hands to help bring it together. Mixture will still be very shaggy. If your dough feels sticky and wet before adding 6 Tablespoons of water, your butter was likely too warm– you can continue with the recipe, but the dough will not be as flaky.
  4. Pour the shaggy clump of dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. There will still be large chunks of butter at this point and that’s a good thing. Begin patting the dough down with lightly floured hands until it’s ¾ – 1” thick, about a 5×8” rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds as if you were folding a business letter. Use your hands to gently flatten and smooth out any cracks in your dough. Wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap.
  5. 1st refrigeration: Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
  6. Roll & Fold: Take the dough out of the refrigerator to begin the “rolling and folding” process. If the dough chilled for longer than about 3 hours, it’s likely very stiff so let it rest for about 5 minutes before you begin rolling. Lightly flour a work surface. The dough gets sticky, so make sure you have more flour nearby as you roll and fold. Use your hands to gently flatten the dough into a small square. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 6”×12”x ½” thick. The exact dimensions are not important, but the thickness is. As you roll, it’s best to flip the dough over once or twice to make sure it’s not sticking to your work surface. Lightly flour your work surface as needed. Fold the rectangle into thirds as if it were a business letter. Turn it clockwise or counter clockwise and roll it out into a 6”×12”x ½” thick rectangle again. Then, fold into thirds again. Turn it clockwise or counter clockwise. You’ll repeat rolling and folding 4 more times for a total of 6 times.
  7. 2nd Refrigeration: Wrap up/seal tightly and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 24 hours before using in your recipe. You can also freeze the dough at this point. See freezing instructions.
  8. Use wherever you would use frozen store-bought puff pastry. To bake plain, roll pastry dough into a 10×16” rectangle and cut into desired portions. Fill if desired, and paint with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbl water.)
  9. Bake 400°F until golden brown and puffy, about 25-28 minutes.

NOTES

  1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare as instructed in steps 1-3. At this point the dough can be refrigerated up to 24 hours (see step 4). You can also prepare the dough through step 5. At this point the dough can be refrigerated for up to another 24 hours (see step 6).
  2. During or after this second chilling time, you could also freeze the dough for up to 1 month. (I don’t recommend freezing the dough before the rolling and folding step.) Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using in a recipe that calls for 1 lb puff pastry dough (or 1 store-bought package with 2 sheets puff pastry).

Homemade Rough Puff Pastry

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I really think every pastry baker needs to know how to make puff pastry. The easiest version is rough puff, which I made a couple of days ago. It is as easy, delicious, flakey and buttery as the Daring Gourmet claims ( find her recipe here: daringgourmet.com).

I had some issues turning and rolling to develop a smooth pastry, but after 8 turns it looked pretty good. Kept in the fridge for a couple of days and rolled out to about 1/8th inch thick this morning it looked great. I cut 3” circles, filled them with a cream cheese, sugar, white chocolate chip mixture and topped with a small raspberry. The edges were egg washed, folded and crimped with a fork before coating the top with more egg wash and sparkling sugar.

Actually, I both over-filled and under-sealed them so they are a mess. (See step #5 regarding my disregard of my own advice.) That in no way affects their taste. Using a 4” cutter might help. As advertised the puff pastry was excellent, the filling (my recipe) was likewise excellent, but then, the combination of chocolate and raspberries is hard to beat.

Ignore the artisan bread in the background. I had to heat up the oven anyway so why not?

Berry Hand Pie

INGREDIENTS
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but cool.
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoons granulated sugar or decorating sugar
• ¼ cup white chocolate chips
• 3 ounces berries
• 2 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 as many 3 -inch circles as you can. (Try a 4” cutter and settle for fewer, better looking pastries.)
  5. Brush the edges of the pastry circles with the egg mixture. Place about ½ tablespoon cream cheese mixture in the center of each. (Don’t overfill.) Top each with about one small or two halves of a large berry. Fold the circles in half, pinching the edges together. Crimp both edges with a fork. If you don’t seal them adequately or have to much filling it 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.