PUFF PASTRY

MAKES ENOUGH FOR TWO 22 CM (8½ INCH) PIES, OR A DOZEN 10 CM (4 INCH) PIES

Puff pastry had always been the bane of my existence until I stole this recipe. The irony is that my pastry-making skills probably have not improved that much, but now I take myself a whole lot less seriously! Full butter puff pastry just cannot be beaten, and once made and turned you can freeze it in pie-sized lumps, ready for easy execution at a moment’s notice. Never throw away any scraps of puff pastry when you’re making sausage rolls, pies or whatever. Stack the scraps on top of each other, then wrap them in plastic wrap and keep in the freezer, so you can pull the pastry out when you need it.

100 g (3½ oz) butter, plus 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) cold butter

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) strong flour

400 ml (14 fl oz) milk

100 ml (3½ fl oz) thin (pouring) cream

20 g (¾ oz) sea salt

Place the 100 g (3½ oz) of butter in a small saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, or until nut brown. Leave to cool.

Pour the browned butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour, milk, cream and salt. Using the pastry-mixing attachment, mix to a firm dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Pull out the dough and roll into a large square, about 3–4 cm (1¼–1½ inches) thick.

Roll the 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) cold butter into an even sheet about 1 cm (½ inch) thick. Place the sheet of butter on top of the dough, in the centre. Fold the corners of the dough in, as if making an envelope.

Now start to incorporate the butter into the dough, by rolling the dough out into a long strip, about 2–3 cm (¾–1¼ inches) thick. Fold each end of the pastry back into the centre, and then fold one half of the pastry over again. You will now have a square of dough, four layers thick. Turn the dough 90 degrees between each turn, so the dough resembles a book, and the opening is to the right, before repeating the process each time.

You will need to roll and turn the pastry three times in total, and rest the pastry in the fridge for at least 1 hour between each turn.

Do not attempt to speed up the process by shortening the chilling times, or you’ll end up with an inferior product.