Quick and Easy Rough Puff Pastry

Step 1

Cut 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) of butter into small pieces. Place 12 tablespoons into the freezer for 30 minutes. Leave the remaining 4 tablespoons out on the counter.

Step 2

Place flour and salt into the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the 4 tablespoons of unfrozen butter into the food processor and run until completely incorporated. Add frozen butter and pulse 4 times (1 second each pulse.) Add 3 tablespoons of the water and pulse twice. Add 3 more tablespoons of water and pulse 2 more times. If there is still a lot of dry flour, you can add one more tablesppon of water. It will not look cohesive or form a ball.

Step 3

Dump onto a lightly floured counter and press together into a 1 inch thick square. If there are little flour bits still at the bottom of the bowl, dump them into the center of your square and fold the dough over to cover them. Those bits will hydrate while you rest your dough. Press back into a 1 inch square. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour.

Step 4

Lightly flour your work surface and place the dough down. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough and on your rolling pin. Roll into a rectangle approximately 15 inches by 6 inches. Fold the bottom third of the dough over the center and the top third down over that. Each time you roll the dough out into a rectangle, fold up and then down, is a fold. This is your first fold.

Step 5

Turn the dough 90° and again roll out to a 15 inch by 6 inch rectangle. Repeat the folding process; fold the bottom third up and fold the top third down. This is your second fold. Repeat this four more times, for a total of 6 folds.