Puff Pastry Recipe

Puff Pastry Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ lb (2 sticks) butter
2/3 cup iced water
½ teaspoon lemon juice.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add 50 g/ 2 oz (4 tablespoons) of the butter and rub into the flour. Bind the firm dough with the water and lemon juice
Roll out the dough to an 18 cm/7 inch square. Flatten the remaining butter in to a slab and place it in the center of the dough square. Fold the dough over to enclose the butter completely. Roll out the butter to a rectangle about 30 X 18 cm/ 12 X 7 inches. Fold into 3 and press the edges together to seal. Chill for 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough again, with the raw edges to one side. Fold and chill as before. Repeat the rolling, folding and chilling four times.
Variation:Rough puff pastry: Sift the flour with ¼ tablespoon salt and one teaspoon baking powder. Reduce the butter to 175 g/6 oz (12 tablespoons) and cut it into small nut-sized pieces. Add the flour all at once, then mix to a stiff lumpy dough with the water and lemon juice. Roll, fold and chill as above.