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Article: Puff!; The Pastry Dough That's Tough to Make, Easy to Buy
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- November 10, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Have you ever tried to make puff pastry from scratch? It's an
"interesting" procedure. Translation: It takes most of the day.
True, few culinary happenings are as astounding to witness as the
transformation of mere flour, butter and water into light, buttery
puffed pastry. But this miracle occurs only after a very time-
consuming, labor-intensive process.
First, the dough must be rolled out, dotted with butter, carefully
folded and re-rolled. After chilling, that entire process is repeated-
-up to eight times. Then the pastry is cut into shapes and baked. As
the pastry heats up, the moisture in the dough and butter turns to
steam and rises, forcefully pushing the pastry layers apart. The ...