20-Minute Rough Puff Pastry
Flaky pastry, easy puff pastry, blitz pastry or rough puff — whatever you want to call it, this buttery, flaky, but not quite authentic puff pastry is the perfect homemade substitution for all your pastry delights. With a fraction of the effort required for traditional puff pastry, this version comes together in just 20 minutes with the help of a food processor and a rolling pin, but with a taste so good, you’ll be back for more.
An Easy Substitute for Authentic Puff Pastry
Anyone who has made authentic puff pastry from scratch will tell you it’s hard work. Turning a cold block of butter into hundreds of whisper-thin layers without letting the dough get warm enough to melt or risk breaking it if it gets too cold takes a lot of patience and arm work.
On the other hand, frozen puff pastry from the grocery store simply requires following the directions to thaw it out correctly. While it may be more accessible, many of them include commercial dough conditioners or emulsifiers and don’t allow you to control the ingredients or their quality.
As someone who loves a challenge, loves to bake and seeks out a minimally processed diet, neither of the above options suits me. So I started digging and discovered a cheater version of puff pastry, with an entire list of monikers, but most commonly known as rough puff pastry. While it might not be authentic enough to win a baking contest in Paris, it is just the ticket for creating delectable, buttery pastry delights and delicious desserts in your home kitchen.
Rough Puff Pastry vs Classic Puff Pastry
When comparing the end results of rough puff and authentic puff pastry, it can be difficult to tell them apart. The most significant difference between them is that in the rough version, you break the butter into small pieces before combining it with the flour instead of incorporating it as one large slab of butter.
Some bakers do this by chopping the butter into cubes, while others use a pastry cutter or a couple of forks. I opted for a combination of chopped cubes and the food processor. It’s quick, which means that the butter stays cold, and it’s efficient because it takes less than 2 minutes to mix the dough.
The most significant similarity between the two puff pastry types is the ingredient list. Both puff pastry versions contain four simple ingredients: unsalted butter, flour, salt, and water. To simplify the recipe further, you can use salted butter and omit the added salt.
How to Make Rough Puff Pastry Dough with A Food Processor
Rough puff pastry is made in two steps: using a food processor to combine the butter and flour, and then using a rolling pin to create flaky layers. The ingredients for rough puff are a weight-based ratio of two parts flour, two parts butter, and one part water. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Rolling out The Flaky Pastry Dough
The rolling process shouldn’t be difficult, but it is where things can get tricky. Use extra flour to prevent sticking, but excessive sticking is most likely due to the dough getting too warm. If the dough starts to break apart and stick anyway, it means that the dough is too warm. The actual time to roll the dough will vary based on your environment.
Repeat this process an additional four times until you have rolled and folded six times. This repetition gives us our flaky layers — 729 of them, to be exact.
Temperature Matters
The most important part of successfully making puff pastry dough is the temperature. The dough must start with cold butter and cold water, and it must stay cold. If your environment doesn’t support that, you must stop the rolling process and pop the dough into the freezer to chill it continually.
On a cold day in a kitchen with cold granite countertops, I was able to go straight from the food processor into the rolling phase and do all six rollouts without my pastry falling apart. Rolling time: 15 minutes.
On a cold day, with my oven preheated to 425º F, I could only complete two rollouts before the dough started to stick. I placed the dough on a plate, covered it with a damp tea towel, and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Set a timer so that you don’t forget about it! Rolling time: 25 minutes.
On a warm day, with the windows open and the oven running, the dough started to stick immediately. After the first, third, and fifth roll-outs, I let it rest in the freezer for 10 minutes each time. While it can be done, I don’t recommend making puff pastry in these conditions. Rolling time: 45 minutes.
The bottom line is that the colder your kitchen, the more quickly this dough will come together. In a cold kitchen, you should be able to mix and roll out this puff pastry in 20 minutes. If you work in a warm environment, allow extra time to chill the dough as you move through the rolling-out process.
Putting Your Rough Puff to Work
Once rolled out, this puff pastry must be chilled in the fridge for at LEAST one hour before shaping, stuffing, or baking. Cover it with a damp cloth if you plan to chill it for one to three hours. Place it in a reusable airtight container to chill for up to three days and keep it from drying out or absorbing smells from the fridge. For storage for over three days, freeze it in an airtight container, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Use this flaky, rough puff pastry in any recipe that calls for traditional puff pastry. Try filling it with homemade blueberry jam or strawberry rhubarb jam for homemade hand pies. Use it to create an apricot prosciutto pastry braid for your next brunch, or try something super simple with these homemade cinnamon twists. No matter how you choose to put it to work, it will have you coming back for more.
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20-Minute Rough Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 5 ounces all-purpose flour (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 tsp salt (finely ground)
- 5 ounces cold unsalted butter (10 tablespoons)
- 2.5 ounces ice cold water (1/3 cup)
Instructions
- Measure flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse twice to combine.
- Cut the butter into cubes and place into the food processor. Pulse 25 – 30 times, or until butter is in small chunks and resembles wet sand.
- While pulsing an additional 8 – 10 times slowly pour in the water. The dough should still be crumbly, but should start to come together.
- Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface and press together until it becomes a dough ball.
- Lightly flour the work surface, then shape the dough into a long rectangle. Roll it out into a longer rectangle until it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the top 1/3 down towards the middle, then fold the bottom 1/3 up towards the middle to create an envelope type shape. Turn it 90 degrees so that the openings are at the top and bottom. This completes 1 roll out.
- Check your work surface and add more flour if necessary. Roll the dough into a long rectangle again, until it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the top 1/3 down towards the middle, then fold the bottom 1/3 up towards the middle to create an envelope type shape. Turn it 90 degrees so that the openings are at the top and bottom. This completes 2 roll outs.
- Repeat until you have completed 6 total roll outs. *See notes about chilling dough as necessary throughout the process.*
- Cover the dough with a damp towel and refrigerate for at least one hour prior to using. **See notes about longer storage times.**
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
Hi Renee. I have yet to try making your rough puff pastry recipe. I do have one question before doing it, if you don’t mind? When baking it, how long and how hot should the oven temperature be? Is it the same for blind baking and when baking the pastry with the filling in it? Sorry for asking too much, I still have a lot to learn about puff pastries. Thank you very much.
Hi Anna! Don’t be sorry! We all learn by asking questions.
For most puff pastry recipes the oven temperature should be 425ºF. The high heat is needed in order for the puff pastry to puff. However, if you are following a specific recipe and it states to use a different temperature, follow the recipe instructions. This applies when baking the pastry on its own or when using it as a topping for something like chicken pot pie or filling it with jam for easy fruit pies. As with all pastry making, there is going to be some trial and error, so give yourself some grace while you are figuring it all out. Best of luck!
Renee
Good morning,
Love simple way you do things , first time visiting but do you do vegetarian or
Vegan that donot go the heavy spicy route ? Thanks from a beautiful wind still Saldanha bay, South Africa
Thank you Cynthia! Thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment. I do have some vegetarian recipes available, but I do not specialize in them. Most of my recipes are rich in flavor, but I’m not a fan of a lot of spicy heat either.
Renee
Thank you for creating a recipe that cuts the time down. Homemade puff pastry takes forevvvverrr. But 15 mins? That’s perfect.
Yep! As long as your kitchen is cold enough you can do this version in 15 minutes.
This sounds like a recipe I need to try. Better than buying the dough.
Agreed!! Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!