CHAPTER SEVEN

PUFF PASTRIES

We cannot emphasise enough that good puff pastry should be light and flaky. ‘Laminating’ — where you layer the pastry butter and dough repeatedly — is a crucial element to master. Carefully following (and practising!) the laminating directions is essential, because this is where things can really fall apart. You need an unusual mixture of precision, patience and speed when laminating. Unfortunately there is no room for error here.

Okay, so take a deep breath and go for it… what’s the worst that can happen? You throw it away and start again. All good bakers have done that plenty of times before they created a puff pastry masterpiece!