Every laminated dough, be it puff pastry, croissant or Danish, begins its life as a thick slab of butter encased in a dough “envelope”. This 3-layer dough-butter-dough package is then flattened and folded however many times it takes to get the number of layers the maker is after. A folded flaky pastry for say, a galette, can have as few as 27 layers. Croissants often have 81, Danish 243, and puff pastry can have as many as 2187 (though I prefer the less flaky version of 729).
What these oddly specific numbers have in common is that they’re all factors of the number three. 243 is three to the fifth power which is what you get when you “turn” (i.e. execute a letter fold on) a three-layer dough five times. Pretty neat stuff that requires nowhere near the work you’d think. So let’s begin then, shall we?
Puff pastry (which is the specific dough I’m making here) is one of the easier laminated doughs. Its composition is easy enough to remember: for every pound of butter, one pound of flour and one cup of water, plus one teaspoon each of salt and lemon juice. It begins not unlike a pie crust, by rubbing a small quantity (about 5%) of the butter into the flour and salt mixture:
Once that’s done just enough of the water/lemon juice mixture is added to bring the dough together. As with all laminated doughs, it’s best to knead it as little as possible, since you want to activate as little gluten as you can. Notice the finished dough looks a bit dry and shaggy:
Park that on the counter for 20 minutes and meanwhile make the butter block. It’s a pretty straightforward affair, requiring only the most rudimentary tools, primarily this:
A club. Actually a Chinese rolling pin, but the overall effect is the same. Next we need a some butter, large pieces, ideally left out of the fridge for about 20 minutes. Below is about a pound of it sitting on a double layer of plastic wrap. It’s the minimum I usually work with, since I figure if I’m going to the trouble of rolling pastry, I’d like to have some left over to freeze. Notice there’s flour on top. That helps the butter maintain its consistency longer, which is important for reasons you’ll soon see. Add about three tablespoons per pound of butter.
So now all we do is cover the butter and flour with another double-thick layer of plastic, and apply Club A to Butter Pile B.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Feel good? You bet it does. And if your spouse and/or children aren’t running into the room looking terror-stricken, you’re not hitting hard enough. Keep letting out your pent-up frustration until it looks rather flat. Take off the plastic wrap (don’t worry if you’ve beaten a couple of holes in it) and using a knife or bench scraper cut it into a rough square and pile the trimmings back up on top. Repeat the merciless beating.
What’s it all for other than stress release? Good question. What you’re shooting for here is a butter consistency rather like play dough. Not too firm, since you want it to spread as you roll the dough out. But then not too soft either, since if the butter actually melts it’ll soak into the dough and ruin the layering effect. What you’re after is a plastic texture that isn’t at all greasy looking or feeling. If the butter starts to shine, it’s too warm. Put it back in the fridge for half an hour and start over with the tension release (hey, why not?).
The magic texture may take only one good pounding. It all depends on the temperature of the butter and the room. That consistency looks like this: a
pale, dull powdery-looking surface.
Once you’re there you want to lightly shove it back into the shape of a big butter pat, using the side of your club, like so:
Set it aside for a moment. Now is the time to retrieve your dough and roll it out into a square slightly larger than the butter pat. Don’t worry if it looks scaly and nasty, all will be made right in the end.
Put the butter pat on top like so…
And begin to fold it up:
As you’re doing this you want to pull the dough up around the corners and edges to make sure it’s as taught as reasonably possible. Next squeeze the all the holes and seams closed (use a little water if you like):
So now what do you think is next? If you guessed more of this:
…you’d be right. Because when making pastry, violence is always the first resort. You want to start by making cross-shaped impressions in the dough…
…then start whacking the envelope at perpendicular angles. The point of all this: to drive the softened butter as far as possible to the edges of the packet.
Smack it, then rotate the package a quarter turn and do the next edge. Smack, turn. Smack, turn. Smack, turn. And of course along the way if you see any conspicuous mounds of butter push up in the middle, give them a smack for good measure (no need to discriminate). A minute or two of this and the dough should be starting to flatten out, which means it’s time to produce the rolling pin. Here a big ol’ honkin’ 25-inch pin is nice, but a small one will work too if that’s all you’ve got.
If you’ve beaten the envelope with sufficient ferocity, there should be butter within half an inch of all the edges. If not, it’s not the end of the world. Just grab the bench scraper and trim the dough until you can either see a thin layer of butter, or you can feel it close to the edge. Next give the dough a couple of more firm rolls with the pin until it’s about a third longer than it is wide.
At which point you brush any residual flour off of the inside and just fold it like a letter:
Repeat the rolling and folding process once more and park the dough on a cookie sheet in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
Having crested the difficulty hill, it is now time to crack a celebratory beer, because it’s all smooth sailing from here (whatever that curious mixture of metaphors means). All you have to do is pull the dough out every so often and give a turn or two depending on the dough you’re making.
In the early stages of a dough-rolling project, I find I can get away with two turns between chills. But judge for yourself. If the dough is feeling extremely limp, you find that you’re breaking layers just by handling it, or butter oozes out looking shiny, give it more fridge time. Alternately, if as you roll you notice that the butter just under the surface of the dough is rigid and breaking apart like icebergs off the Antarctic ice sheet, give it a little less.
If I’m making puff pastry (which requires six turns minimum), I can usually do two turns at a time early on. Much past four turns though, and the dough begins to get a.) elastic and b.) warm. So I let the dough chill for 20 minutes before the fifth and sixth turns, and half an hour for the seventh (if I’m doing one).
Once it’s all done I typically roll the dough into a long strip, cut it into roughly pound-size pieces, and freeze it in bags. Boy does this stuff ever come in handy.
Ok really…where was this post the first time I tried this!!
I am completely ready to put the apron back on and grab my rolling pin for another try! Go figure, all I needed were the pictures! Thanks Joe, you rock!!
Ha! Outstanding, Stephanie! Let me know how it turns out! – Joe
Hi Joe!
I just came across your website today!and the only thing i can say is, where have you been all this time?!!!:). Anyway, I attempted making puff pastries several times, trying out different recipes each time and I have researched and watched a dozen videos that could help me produce a successful puff pastry, it all turned out a failure. I am not sure if I already did it correctly, only not knowing it or not.Because when it came to the baking process, my puff pastry ends up raw on the inside?and they shrink, like really shrink unlike the ones I see in pictures and other websites. please could you help me?
many Thanks!
Casey
Ha! Right here is where I’ve been. Where have YOU been?
But really, I’m very pleased that you stopped in to see me. It’s possible that you’re not baking your pastry in an oven that’s hot enough. That might explain why the layers aren’t expanding and the butter is simply melting, creating the appearance of rawness when the issue is really just dough thoroughly soaked in butter. However it sounds to me like you don’t have the technique quite down yet. Adding more flour to the butter pat (as I’ve been discussing this past week) will probably help a lot. Or you can try Hermé’s inverse puff pastry, which is quite easy and will probably deliver a successful dough. As an afterthought, I wonder if you might be letting the dough get too warm before baking. That could cause the flakes to collapse as well.
Keep me updated on your progress, Casey. These sorts of issues always end up getting solved one way or another. Don’t despair. We’ll get you up and making champion pastry in no time.
Cheers,
- Joe
Maybe its because I am a very ambitious little baker, as i always wanted to bake everything from scratch and only thinks that there is only one way to make an impressive and delicious puff pastry, which is the traditional way:):) Thanks a lot Joe! I’ll try first Hermé’s inverse puff pastry your recommending and i’ll update you soon:). Yes, I admit the weather here is WARM! but after I have cut out the puff pastry to the shapes i want, I always put them back to the fridge and give them 15-20 mins of chilling before I bake them:):)
-Casey:)
Let me know how it goes. The extra flour in the butter pat will probably slow the melting down enough where you’ll notice an improvement. Ambition is a good thing — let me know how it goes!
Hi Joe!,
I have been referring to your site off an on for a few months now when I’m stuck making things at home. You’ve been a life saver! I have a question for you though. When proofing puff pastry in a proof box what is the ideal time and humidity level?
Hey Amanda! Puff pastry doesn’t need to be proofed since it has no yeast in it. Proofing will actually ruin it, since the butter will soften or even melt. Other laminated doughs like croissant and Danish dough need to be proofed, however. If you have a proofer that you can adjust you want a temperature between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and a humidity of 65-70%. As for the timing that’s going to vary. With a proper proofer set to 85 degrees, I’d start out with 30 minutes and see how much progress you’ve made. After that check at ten minute intervals until the pastries are slightly puffy but not soft.
Best of luck!
Hi Joe, I’ve tried many danish recipe from the internet and none have ever turned out right. Your recipe is pretty much the same as the others but your directions are more detailed for the proper lamination
and the proofing was never clear on any other recipe.
I really think this one will finally give me the real thing. The dough and butter are in the fridge, Ill let you know how they turn out.
I hope so Tony! If you have problems let me know and I’ll help you troubleshoot. Spreading the gospel of homemade Danish is a mission of mine!
Cheers,
- Joe
Joe,
Thank you for your recipes and your fantastic, explicit step by step instructions. I’ve earmarked a couple of recipes, and I’m trying to build up enough courage to try my hand at macarons. However, I thought I’d try to give croissants a shot first. I guess that’s like trying to climb K2 to see if you want to attempt Everest.
I thought I’d pass on a truly trivial observation regarding puff paste, although with my level of OCD, it probably bodes well for the eventual success of both croissants AND macarons. However, I think I’ll pose it as a puzzler:
Why is the number of layers in a normal puff paste 1459 not
2187 as believed? (Shocking, isn’t it?)
Excuse me while I go weigh out my flour.
Neil
Ha! Hi Neil…great question! While it’s commonly assumed that there’s some sort of international stand for the number of folds bakers put into laminated doughs, it’s really all an illusion. You get all different sorts of combinations depending on the texture the baker wants. There are “letter” folds, “book” folds and simple half folds which, depending on how many of each you make, can add up in all sorts of ways. Lately I’ve been interested in very minimally folded laminated doughs…under 100 layers or so. There’s a whole world to explore in the world of folding. Let me know how your first attempt goes…I’ll be curious!
- Joe
Hi Joe,
OK, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.
So, how, you ask, how do I come this startling conclusion? (And, yes, I am talking about the normal three-fold process you show above.)
So here’s the reason: As you make each fold in a “turn”, you match up dough to dough. Since there is no butter between these layers, they effectively act as only one layer, not two. So each “turn” has two folds, and loses two layers. And, through the magic of compounding, the total number of layers is reduced accordingly. (Ask your friendly banker for a definition of compounding. They used to pay enough interest to warrant a discussion of compounding. However it isn’t possible to compound zero interest, so they don’t talk about it any more.)
You can immediately see the effect of this stunning revelation in just the first turn. You start out with three layers in the “envelope” you show above: (dough-butter-dough). Alright, you say, now we’ll fold it twice like letterhead to complete the first “turn”. So, after the triple-fold of the first turn, the result is:
dough-butter-dough/dough-butter-dough/dough-butter-dough.
However, the “dough/dough” layers become only one layer of dough each, making a total of only 7 layers, not the nine you’d expect. So you loose two layers with each turn, and when you multiply the whole thing out you get 1459 . So, just losing two layers per turn causes you to loose 728 layers in the end. (It still sounds like my bank account.)
I suspect you’re now asking, why is this guy bothering with this inane discussion instead of actually doing something useful, like making croissants or macarons? The simple answer is that it’s easier than actually having to do the real work.
Anyhow, enough of the fun and games. Thanks for the superb recipes and research.
Neil
Hey Neil!
I had no idea you were setting me up for a brain-teaser when you wrote earlier, but this is great stuff — you’re exactly right! Heh.
Now get baking!
- Joe
How many turns for the danish?
I have a question about the way you first put the butter on the dough. I have seen several different ways of doing this. Sarabeth Levine (Sarabeth’s in NY) creates a dough ball, cuts an X in the top, lets it rest, then creates a 4 leaf clover pattern with a bump in the middle. She puts a thick piece of butter on the middle bump, f0lds the 4 dough leaves on top, rests and then starts the turning and rolling and letter folding.
I have also seen bakers who simply roll out the dough lengthwise, put the pounded-out butter slab on one side, fold the dough over the butter and start the “letter” process.
Can you tell me what the differences are and why you chose the method you did?
Thanks,
Dorothy
Hey Dorothy!
My feeling is that the differences aren’t terribly significant in terms of the final product, it’s more what the chef in question is comfortable with. I’ve seen both those methods. The dough cutting method involves that extra resting, which can be helpful in cutting down on the elasticity of the dough, making it easier to roll. But then if you rest the folded dough in the fridge for a good long while after the first turn, it probably works out about the same. As for the oblong slab method, if you can roll your dough out that perfectly, the precision fold probably helps ensure that the butter is pushed out to the very edges of the packet, and that will deliver more defined layers….which is good.
In the end I think most people just do it the way they’ve been trained. Maybe there are minute differences when all is said and done, but I’ve never been that much of a hair-splitter. Try them, though, and see what you think — then come back and file a report, because lots of readers will be interested!
- Joe
Thanks for the great question!
- Joe
Hello Sir,
Thank you very much for posting this wonderful tutorial on puff pastry. You made it look so easy n it inspired me to try it n MY PUFFY ROSE INSIDE THE OVEN. At the beginning, i could see big chunks of butter inside the dough but as I went on rolling and folding, i could not see any buttrey flecks. It was smooth and cool, just like yours. Although in order to make it tad bit “healthy” I did not rub butter into the flour, I just laminated the butter inside the dough. I also tried to make danish following your recipe and that worked as well. It would be great, if you could give me a step by step tutorial on shoe pastry and make cream puffs out of it. Including step by step tutorial on piping out the shoe pastry that takes the form of cream puffs. Making Cream puffs from scratch are something to brag about in front of monster in law. hehehe.
Glad to hear things went well for you, Payal! In fact I do have a choux pastry tutorial on the site. It’s right here:
http://www.joepastry.com/category/pastry-components/pate-a-choux/
Have fun!
- Joe
Thank you,i think you have done gud job,ever since i bump to your site it has been a great inspiration on bakery.i like pictoral and details account of your work,i work in the 5 star hotel before but not as a bakery.i plan to use knowlege from your site for guest dinner and breakfast
Thanks Mike! Please let me know how your projects turn out. I will be very interested!
- Joe
Hello Joe
I just want to say a big WELL DONE. I’ve been looking for Danish pastry and I found your website which is so helpfull to all of us. I love cooking . I read ‘Who is Joe pastry and actually I read a lot comments. Your website is awesome and the way you answer to all the people is so kind. 100 per cent I will try your recipes.
Best regards
Danny
You made my day with that, Danny. Thanks so much for the note. Please do check back in with me and let me know how the laminating goes. I’m around if I can answer any questions — about anything!
- Your New Friend Joe
Thank JO.
Hi Joe,
I’ve said it before but am saying it again..Your site is amazing. Its the best there is. I love all the info u put on it.
Any tips for making puff pastry or croissants in hot and humid weather? Should I even try it?
Thanks very much, Kamal!
It depends on how hot and humid. You’ll need plenty of refrigeration of course. However if the temperature is significantly above the melting point of your butter, you’re going to have some problems. How hot is it where you are?
- Joe
Its around 32C or 90F with about 75% humidity.
That should be alright for pastry making if you work in the morning and supplement the process with plenty of refrigeration time. I suggest starting with a small quantity and seeing how it goes!
- Joe
Thanks Joe. Will try and let u know the results.
Please do!
I made a batch of puff pastry using a different recipe (king arthur flour’s) and a slightly different folding technique. It turned out well for the most part.
I had some problems with the dough falling when used in an individual (4″) metal tart pan. I also had problems with the dough blowing up like a balloon when baking a rectangular tart. I ended up just popping the bubble with a knife mid bake and the result was satisfactory, but I’m wondering what caused these two problems and what I should look for next time.
Hey Chris! When you say “falling” do you mean shrinking up? Regarding the ballooning, it’s best to dock the dough (poke a few holes with a fork) when using it as a tart base.
- Joe
Yes it did shrink somewhat but also just sort of sagged down the side of the tart mold. Too much water? Stretching the dough? I tried to avoid both, but who knows.
With the rectangular tart base (no sides to fall), would you pre bake the shell? I tried one that I “docked” as you say, but then it still ballooned up, maybe because the filling filled up the holes.
I tried pre-baking and docking one of my 4″ tart shells and it turned out even (no balloon), but not very flaky, almost like a cracker. Maybe my oven temp was too low?
I guess I was wondering if I made a mistake somewhere in the rolling process. But if you think these other variables are at fault, I suppose all I can do is try again.
Thanks for your time.
Hey Chris! That sagging is probably shrinking in disguise. The dough circle is getting smaller. The problem is that the dough needs to be rested once it’s been rolled so the gluten relaxes and doesn’t snap back during baking. Ideally you want to rest it at least half an hour (an hour is better) any time you manipulate it al all. I know that sounds obsessive, but that’s how superior baking gets done.
And yes, docking only works if you’re pre-baking the crust. Otherwise as you point out, the filling just soaks right in. I think pre-baking makes sense as a rule, since it keeps crusts crispy. If you’re using a laminated (puffing) pastry, it’s a must.
As for how much you dock, you’ll have to experiment a little to see what you like. A little, a lot, or somewhere in between depending on how puffy you like the finished product.
Keep me updated on how things go!
- Joe
I am wondering if its possible to acheive a similar effect with margerine. I know, almost sac religious, but my daughter is allergic to dairy, soy, etc. would it work better to brush on melted margerine at each turn instead of trying to for a packet- which would be too soft, and ooze out everywhere…
Hi Karen!
Indeed margarine works just as well — over half the croissants in France are made with margarine these days! Definitely don’t melt it, however. Simply follow the directions as if you were using butter and all will be well!
Cheers,
- Joe
Hello Joe!
Thanks so much for your informative site. I made the croissant dough (three turns), used 1/3 and froze the other two pieces of dough. What I am wondering… after defrosting the dough can I then add 3+ more turns to achieve the puff dough or is it now done? Should all the turns be done before freezing?
Thanks!
H
Hey Holly!
Nice question. In fact you can’t really turn croissant dough into puff pastry, since puff pastry has no yeast in it. So it will definitely be a different thing. That’s not to say you can’t add turns if you feel like trying it. Just make sure the dough is completely thawed before you attempt it. Let me know how it goes!
- Joe
Wow such a duh moment – I knew that! Yet I had puff stuck in my head from reading above. I thought huh maybe there is another that I am not thinking of – ok will try that…. ummm nope it is technique I am reading. Check! Ok moving on now.
Once again much thanks for your info! Overnight defrost of the other two pounds of dough, rolled out and half stuffed with chocolate and the other half cinnamoned (new technical term) apple sticks.
I may have to hide that batch.
Cheers!
H
Whoa…you just might! Happy baking!
- Joe
Hey Joe,
Just had a quick question, I’m making croissants and had a quick question about this lamination procedure. After you have performed the first letter fold and need to then roll the rough out a second time, which direction do you roll it out?
Kind of a confusing question, but looking at the last picture of the post, would you then roll that dough out from top to bottom (the opposite direction as the first roll) or left to right (the same direction as the first roll). I’ve read elsewhere you want to develop the gluten in different direction and thus would go from top to bottom?
Hey Dallas!
Interesting question. Believe it or not, it really doesn’t matter. I do start out by rolling it from top to bottom at that stage, but only because it’s easier for me to spread the dough that way. The effect on the gluten would be the same no matter which direction I rolled. You do see different recipe writers getting almost mystical about details like the rolling direction, but in the end it really doesn’t make a difference. The big thing you want to achieve in the rolling phase is an even layer of butter…that’s really it. Whatever technique works best for you in that regard is the one you should use.
Thank you very much for the question. Let me know how the laminating goes!
- Joe
Hello Joe – just curious. I don’t make this often, so I decided to try it today. The butter was oozing out the pastry, and I can assume the temperature was too high. So now the pastry has blobs of butter here and there. Is there a way to rectify the current pastry that I have?
Hi M.K.!
A few blobs won’t hurt anything. Just press on. It takes practice to perfect the technique, but you can’t go too wrong with it. Bst of luck with the last couple of turns!
- Joe
Hi Joe!
I came across your site looking for the how to on danish. I made danish awhile ago, not too ugly for the first time. But there were lots of room for improvements. I tried laminating the dough envelope style after spreading the butter on 2/3 of the dough.. but perhaps i rolled it too thin so there were small holes here and there and the butter leaked. The taste was oh so good, I ground some cardamom seeds and sprinkled it on the dough, so I guess I’m forgiven, eh?
Anyhow I was thinking.. If the difference between danish and puff is in the use of yeast, can I still use the technique of making puff pastry like you photographed above ( covering all the butter with the dough, seal by pinching, then roll and do the envelope thingy) for making danish pastry?
I mean since it’s sealed properly, unlike the 2/3 butter spread, the butter have a smaller chance to leak than just spread and fold.
Thanks a bunch!
Hi Amy!
And welcome. Yes indeed I start all my laminated doughs this way: Danish, puff pastry, croissant, etc.. I think it creates the most even butter layer. So yes, by all means! And let me know how it goes. Kudos to you for making your own laminated dough. Not many people have the courage to take on a project like that, but as you already discovered it’s not so hard. And if it doesn’t quite work out it’s still delicious! Let me know if I can be of help in any other way.
- Joe
No holey holes! YAY!
I just made a danish using your recipe with the seal and pinch. I took my time and refrigerate between turns. Though I think I made too much turns.. Lol..
Well, practice makes perfect and I’m gonna keep on doing it until I’m confident with it.
Though I did use 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup whole wheat out of curiosity and only 150 gr of butter not 227 gr (10 ounces as the recipe stated) because I ran out of butter.
Thanks a million!
Great, Amy! Let me know how it bakes!
Congratulations!
- Joe
Hi Joepastry,
I’m going to take my first crack at croissants this weekend. I have lots of bread-baking experience and I’m OK at it, but I feel like it’s always just a little too dense. What is the most important step in the dough-making and/or lamination process with croissants to ensure I get a light, flaky texture? Bread is no big deal to me anymore (I can always just smear chive-butter on it anyway), but if I invest all the laminating time and effort and end up with little seashell-shaped bricks, I’ll be very sad. Thanks in advance for your insight (in advance).
-Liz
Hey Liz!
Laminating always takes practice to perfect, but it sounds like you’ve got a great head start! Getting the right butter consistency is the big thing, I think. After that, not proofing too long. That’s where most people go wrong. Let me know how they turn out!
- Joe
hi joe . i want to know . how many folds in the puff party . like one is book fold .. plz tell me other type of fold if u know …
Hello!
I only know two types of folds: the 4-ply “book” fold and the 3-ply “letter” fold. I think that’s it!
- Joe
well this is the 2nd attempt i tried to make puff pastry, and luck against me this time around. the 1st attempt to butter a chunk of butter break through the dough and the dough itself are not elastic enough. the 2nd time same thing happen but i manage to the first fold but then after i spotted a few butter breakthrough and uneven butter spread through the dough but i know this time it not the problem with de trempe but the butter temperature. what is the best butter temperature for starting? should i put it during hard & cold or semi hard. it appear i cant get semi hard it well melted instead.
Hello Aliff!
I can’t tell you an exact temperature because the melting point of butter varies so much. You want to beat on it with the pin and work flour into it until it feels like clay. At that point it’s safe to proceed. But do use the dough you made just the same. I’m sure it will bake up well. Keep practicing! You’re doing something few people dare to attempt these days. Keep at it!
- Joe
You are the book !! Excelent job.
Thanks Mr. Zee!
- Joe
Hi,
Wish I had found this site yesterday!!!
Just finished first attempt at Danish pastries, and it has been a bit of a disaster. Rolled folded and chilled five times, spent time making pinwheels, home made creme patisserie, put them all together with raspberries and baked.
They have turned out “bready” with very little flake.
Any ideas?
Taste lovely, but not Danish pastries!
Cheers…
Hey Mike! Sorry to hear about the disappointment. If they didn’t rise well or fluff in the oven there might have been a rolling problem (perhaps the butter was too warm) or maybe they proofed for too long before they baked. Keep trying! These sorts of things take practice.
- Joe