30 Insanely Delicious Puff Pastry Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to puff pastry? ›

The trick is to work large pieces of cold butter into dry ingredients and hydrate it all with ice cold water (as if you were making pie crust). Sometimes bakers grate butter into the mix or use a food processor. There's lots of ways to make rough puff pastry.

The dough, at its simplest, is a mixture of flour, water, salt and butter. Many recipes, mine included, also include a little lemon juice or vinegar and a touch of sugar. The acid helps to tenderise the dough and also helps make the dough a touch easier to roll out.

The keys to ensuring that you get crisp, flaky layers from your pastry are concerned with temperature and handling. Pastry should be at room temperature for rolling (to make it more pliable), but chilled before baking (so the buttery layers remain separate).

Egg wash is the most reliable but it can be very thick and sticky. Milk wash will go on more evenly but it can soak into pastry and make it weaker. Melted butter works nicely after the crust has set but it can make the crust greasy and weaker.

Heat is the enemy of Puff Pastry—it handles best when cold. So avoid working with it on hot, humid days, in a stifling hot kitchen or next to your oven.

But there are two much more important perks to using vinegar: it provides a little insurance against overworking the dough. And, that splash of vinegar will keep your dough from oxidizing and turning gray.

Puff pastry needs to be thawed before you can work with it. Remove the number of sheets you need from the packet while still frozen, a long knife or pallet knife can be helpful here. Tightly repackage leftover pastry to avoid freezer burn and return to the freezer.

You can brush an egg-wash glaze (1 egg plus 1 tsp. water) over the Puff Pastry to create a rich, golden sheen when baked. Use an egg wash to help seal filled pastries and connect Puff Pastry pieces: mix 1 egg plus 1 tsp. water, brush between layers, then pinch or press together.

It's a simple mixture of egg and liquid called an egg wash. Aside from adding a nice glimmer, they are workhorses in the pastry world, and can be used to seal edges, add shine, add a crisper crust, or enhance the golden color of baked goods.

About halfway through baking, peek into the oven to see how the pastry is baking. Always bake Puff Pastry Shells in a preheated 425° F oven. Bake Puff Pastry Cups in a preheated 400° F oven for 20 minutes. Do not bake either Shells or Cups in a microwave or toaster oven.

Is butter or egg better on puff pastry? ›

The Los Angeles Times notes that butter can still be used as a "wash," but it yields different results than egg: Instead of imparting color or crispness, it offers a more luxurious flavor and softness.

Chill time

A step you should never miss is chilling the dough after you make it (regardless on whether it's elastic or not). It's also a good idea to do it before once you've assembled your pastry creation, before baking. This also sets the butter, and helps the pastry to keep its shape in the oven.

Problem: Your Pastry is Hard and Tough

You've added too much water to the flour but not enough fat. It is important to keep the pastry cool during rolling and the oven needs to be hot.

To create a tart with an extra puffy crust: take a knife and score two lines around the edge, then prick the area inside this border with a fork. Puff Pastry fillings should be at room temperature. If they're hot, they can begin to melt the pastry layers, which will affect the pastry's ability to rise and puff.

Temperature is a key factor in baking up puff pasty that actually puffs. Set the oven dial too low, and the pastry is likely to fall flat. Follow this tip: As a rule of thumb, a higher oven temperature (400°F is ideal) results in puff pastry with a higher rise.