How to Make Rough Puff Pastry...and what to do with it!

How to Make Rough Puff Pastry...and what to do with it!

Fellow fans of The Great British Baking Show (or The Great British Bake Off...why must this show have two names?) have heard of "rough puff" pastry. Somehow, Paul Hollywood makes it sound elegant.

Rough Puff is not something I'd planned to make in early January. Would you believe it was a spur of the moment decision?

On Epiphany, I saw that Mardi from Eat, Live, Travel, Write posted a traditional French Galette des Rois to celebrate. Unfortunately, I don't have her book yet (note to self: order In the French Kitchen with Kids), so I hopped on the internets and found a recipe. The recipe looked relatively simple and called for store-bought puff pastry.

Of course, with all of my other groceries in the cart, I stopped by the freezer case on my way to the checkout. NO FROZEN PUFF PASTRY. Maybe everyone else in the suburbs of Houston was making Galette des Rois, too? Oui?

There was no going back. I was making that dessert. So right there in the freezer aisle, I heard Paul Hollywood's voice, "Bridget, you can make a roooof poooof." (That's how Paul says it. In my head. This is getting weird.)

It's pretty easy, you guys! Let's make it! 




Like a pie crust, you'll need flour, cold butter, cold water, and salt.

How to Make Rough Puff Pastry...and what to do with it!

Start off mixing flour and butter. We're using bread flour.

How to Make Rough Puff Pastry...and what to do with it!

Then, add the water and the salt, mixing to form a dough.


You'll knead the dough a few times until it comes together and refrigerate.

What happens next is a series of rolling and folding. You'll roll the dough into a large rectangle...


How to Make Rough Puff Pastry...and what to do with it!

....then fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Do this 4 times. (I need to work on neater corners.)


Chill the dough once more before using.


Here's what it looks like cut in half before using. Can you see the layers?!?

How to Make Rough Puff Pastry...and what to do with it!  #GBBO

I used this to make the Galette des Rois. I'm going to play with this recipe (I want to tweak the filling) to have it ready for you for next Epiphany, BUT LOOK AT THOSE LAYERS!!! Oh my goodness.

How to Make Rough Puff Pastry...and what to do with it!

I only need 1/2 of this recipe for the galette, so the next morning, I used the remainder to make rough puff chocolate croissants! What??!?

How else can you use it? I'm planning to re-watch every episode of GBBO, but here are some ideas:






Rough Puff Pastry

3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup cold water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
plus all-purpose or bread flour for rolling

Beat the flour and butter pieces on low speed until there are large chunks of butter throughout. Stir together the water and salt. With the mixer on low, pour over the flour/butter mixture and beat until the dough just comes together.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it comes together. Pat the dough into a block. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Remove from the refrigerator to a lightly floured surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll to a rectangle, about 12x10." Starting with one short side, fold 1/3 of the dough toward the middle. Fold in the other 1/3. Flip the dough over, seam-side down, and repeat the rolling and letter-folding 3 more times. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using.

Roll and cut as needed for the recipe. 
*adapted from King Arthur Flour Blitz Puff Pastry, The Baker's Companion

How would you use Rough Puff Pastry? 
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