Makes: About 2½ pounds, enough for about 4 dozen small pastries
Time: About 2½ hours, largely unattended
This unorthodox technique—it closely resembles piecrust until you begin the rolling and folding process—gives you a dough that’s as versatile as Real Puff Pastry without all the waiting. The finished product isn’t quite so towering or intricately layered, but it’s still wonderfully crisp, golden, and tender.
1. Reserve ½ stick of the butter. Cut the rest into small cubes and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl or food processor. Cut the reserved butter into pieces and work it into the flour mixture with your fingers or by pulsing the processor once or twice; it should be combined but still in small, unincorporated chunks, about the size of peas.
2. Add the remaining butter from the freezer and work it in the same way you added the butter in Step 1. Add ¾ cup of the ice water and toss gently but thoroughly, until the flour evenly coats the chunks of butter. The dough will still be very crumbly, similar to that of an unrolled piecrust, but all the flour should be moistened; drizzle in the remaining water if there is any dry flour and stir until the water is evenly distributed.
3. Put a large piece of parchment paper on a work surface and lightly dust with flour. Empty the dough onto it and gently shape it into a log (you can use the parchment to work the dough without getting it too warm from your hands). Use a rolling pin to push it into a long rectangle, about 20 × 10 inches and ½ inch thick. It will seem impossible that the dough will come together, but keep at it; don’t worry about the crumbliness and don’t overwork. Lightly sprinkle on more flour as needed, but dust off any excess once you’ve shaped your rectangle.
4. Make a book-style fold by gently lifting the dough from each of the short ends and folding both to the center, then folding it in half along the center seam to make a 10 × 10-inch rectangle (see illustrations, page 463). A bench scraper, spatula, or the parchment can help you lift the dough if it’s too loose to handle. This is 1 turn; press a shallow fingerprint in the dough to help you keep track (make 2 indentations for the second turn, and so on). Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Take your time throughout this process—if at any point the dough starts to feel oily or warm before you’re finished rolling, chill it until it’s firm again, at least 15 minutes.
5. Repeat the rolling and folding from Step 4 twice or, preferably, three times, refrigerating as needed along the way; as you work, the dough will become more uniform. Dust off any excess flour, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using. If you like, divide the dough into 1-pound pieces before wrapping and storing for easy access. You’ll have an extra ½ pound, but you can easily halve any of the following recipes to use it. Tightly wrapped, this dough freezes beautifully for as long as 2 months; transfer to the fridge to thaw completely before you shape it.