Puff Pastry

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Makes about 2 3/4 lbs dough, making a 36- by 12-inch rectangle 1/4" thick.
To measure flours, scoop dry measure cups into a container and sweep off
excess with the flat edge of a knife. Rapidly cut the butter into big dice;
toss butter and flour together on your work surface. Mixing it rapidly with
the flour, flatten the chilled butter into lima-bean size. Do it by hand or
in an electric mixer with a flat beater. (A food processor cuts butter too
small.)  If butter has softened, chill everything 20 minutes. Blend in 3/4
cup of iced water, lifting and turning, adding droplets more until mixture
holds together.  A mess! Push, pat and roll dough into a rough rectangle;
flour the top lightly as necessary. If it breaks too much, sprinkle on
drops of water. It will look quite awful. When the rectangle is 18" long,
flip one end over onto the middle, then the other end, like folding a
letter, making 3 layers. Scrape and flour work surface. Turn dough so top
flap opens on your right.  Push, pat and roll it again into a rectangle.
Clean rolling pin and flour it lightly; if dough softens, refrigerate at
once.  Again fold the dough into 3; use a pastry sheet to help. Again roll
it out into a rectangle.  To prevent it from sticking, keep dough floured,
work surface clean. These rolls and folding into 3 layers are known as
"turns" -- you now have made 3 turns. Make the fourth turn, shoring up the
edges with side of rolling pin. By this time, you have a real dough. Wrap
and refrigerate for 45 minutes at least-- to relax it. Complete the fifth
and sixth turns and it is ready to roll out and form.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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