Everything in order to make Blitz Puff Pastry. This is for half a recipe, which will be more than enough.
Mini M&M cookie dough is done and now, on to Blitz Puff Pastry. This is all that’s needed.
Flour, salt and butter on the counter.Starting with the well in the center. I use a bench scraper to help fold all the mess together.After several additions, the dough is formed. I’ll use the bench scraper to lift the dough to a sheet pan and chill at least an hour to firm the butter and make the rolling and folding easier.
The process for rolling the pastry is easy but takes long rests of time in between. The most important things to remember are to keep the pastry evenly flat and as square, that is, uniform in shape, as possible.
Getting ready to roll the pastry. Keep flour at the ready to prevent sticking.Rolled once. Work to keep the shape as uniformly rectangular as possible to ensure even rise when it bakes.For Blitz puff, I start with letter folds, third then third.The last fold of the first roll. Puff pastry gets rolled and folded at least three times, sometimes 4. The more the dough is worked the more the gluten is developed and the risk rises that the pastry will be tough. The large chunks of butter will work themselves out in the next two rolls.
Roll and fold #2
The puff as we last saw itRolled to a rectangle. It is larger than the previous which is fine. It is also a bit thinner which is expected. As before, keep the edges straight and uniformI use the brush to remove the excess flour. I use the flour as I need for the rolling, but never need the extra in the foldsBack on the pan into the cooler to wait for roll 3. Depending on feel, which takes practice, I may opt for 4 folds today. Final use also dictates the number of folds
Roll #3
In some cases, proper, that is, not blitz, puff pastry will get three turns, but almost always both get 4. As before, the excess flour is brushed away. In large commercial kitchen, bakers have a habit of pressing indents into the dough to show how many rolls and fold the pastry has been given. This is also a helpful tip for the next baker.
Beginning the rolling and folding for the third timeRoll and fold 3 done. Note the indents to reveal which stage it is in
Roll #4
All done. Now it is ready for it’s final use, which, in this cases, will be wrapped around brie cheese with pecans, cranberries, and bacon.
Last time for rolling and foldingDone and done. Blitz puff will have larger chunks of butter in the dough than normal puff pastry. Blitz is fine and preferred for wrapping meats or cheese. Regular puff is preferred for desserts or Napoleon.
