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A wonderfully rich and flaky pastry, puff
pastry is made by enclosing butter inside a sheet of pastry. Once the
pastry is wrapped around the butter, the dough is rolled and folded
several times to make many thin layers of butter and pastry. When it is
baked, the pastry rises and separates into layers as the steam released
from the butter lifts up the thin sheets of dough. Puff pastry makes
incredibly luscious sweet and savory baked goods, including tart shells
and napoleons. Yeast is sometimes added to puff pastry to make the dough
used for croissants.
When storing, wrap well in plastic wrap and
aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Dip
the cookie cutter into flour to prevent it from sticking when cutting
shapes out of dough. To avoid an uneven rise, use a cookie cutter that
has a relatively sharp edge. Cut straight down and lift straight up
without twisting from side to side. If you are slicing pastry dough, use
a pastry wheel or pizza cutter. If you are using knife, it should be
sharp. Press the blade through rather than dragging it through the
dough. Also, make sure that any egg wash that you brush onto the cutouts
does not drip down the sides.
To save preparation time, stock commercially
prepared, frozen puff pastry. It is widely available and is such a
versatile product that it should be a staple in every home cook's
freezer. Defrost the pastry in the refrigerator for 2 hours before
using.
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