Quick and Easy Rough Puff Pastry (Using a Food Processor)

Rough puff pastry has a reputation it doesn't deserve. Most people assume it's too technical, too time-consuming, or just not worth attempting at home. But after years of making pastry in professional bakery kitchens, I can tell you that the shortcut version is not just easier - it's genuinely impressive, and absolutely within your reach.

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At one of my bakery jobs, we made a lot of crusts for pies and tarts. One that was mixed in a food processor had this incredible texture after baking - lots of visible layers, crispy and flaky, almost like puff pastry. I filed that away for later. Eventually I borrowed that food processor method, added in the folding technique you see in a true puff, and started testing. The results were fantastic, and this is the version I have come back to over and over again.

The best part is that this dough is incredibly versatile. I use it for galettes, tarts, danishes, in place of pie crust in pot pies, and even simple cookies that shatter when you bite into them. If you are looking for something to try it on right away, my blueberry galette is a great starting point - homemade rough puff pastry makes it next level.

What is Rough Puff Pastry?

Classic puff pastry is a light, flaky pastry made from alternating layers of butter and dough. You make it by encasing a slab of butter inside a dough, then rolling and folding it a set number of times in a process called lamination. Between each fold, the dough has to chill and rest so the butter stays firm and the layers stay distinct.

True puff pastry requires a lot of time, patience, and a certain level of skill. I have two of those things. I'll leave you to figure out which ones.

Rough puff pastry is also known as shortcut puff or cheater's puff pastry, and I am completely fine with that. When you don't have hours to spare, taking a shortcut is not just acceptable - it's smart. Instead of a single slab of butter, rough puff incorporates pieces of butter directly into the dough. As you work through a series of folds, those pieces get smaller and flatter, forming layers throughout the dough much like a true puff.

Those thin pieces of butter behave essentially the same way as full lamination does. When the dough hits a hot oven, the water in the butter turns to steam and pushes the layers apart. It is not going to be as precisely layered as a classic puff pastry, but unless you are sitting there counting layers, you probably won't even notice. The dough puffs, rises, and gets crispy and flaky and buttery - without all the work. Count me in.

❤️ What you'll love about this recipe

• Affordable - At the time of this writing, the most popular name brand frozen puff pastry runs about $4.99. The ingredients for this homemade version come in around $1.97. Math wins.
• Easy - A food processor does most of the work in seconds. Follow the steps and photos and you will see that making your own flaky pastry dough is completely within your reach.
• Delicious - Once you taste homemade, you will be amazed at how much more flavor it has than store-bought. It is an especially great substitute for pie dough in recipes like my peach frangipane galette.
• Versatile - Tarts, galettes, danishes, turnovers, pot pies, and more. This dough does it all.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here is what you need to make this rough puff pastry. Just four simple ingredients - nothing fancy, nothing that requires a special trip to the store.

• All-purpose flour - Regular all-purpose flour is all you need here. Some traditional puff pastry recipes call for bread flour, but we are intentionally keeping the gluten content lower so the dough stays smooth and easy to roll and fold.
• Kosher salt - I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt because its crystalline structure gives you great flavor without being harsh or too salty. If you only have Morton's kosher salt, use half the amount called for. I don't recommend table salt here - the flavor can be too sharp for a simple dough like this one.
• Unsalted butter - Always unsalted so you control the salt level yourself. The sweetness of real butter really comes through in a dough with so few ingredients. You will use 4 tablespoons at cool or room temperature, and the remaining 12 tablespoons frozen solid.
• Ice water - I fill a cup with water and ice and dip my tablespoon in to measure. That way I get the coldest water possible and help keep everything else cold too.

Instructions

Take a breath. This dough is more forgiving than it looks. Follow the step-by-step photos, check the photos, and trust the process. Shaggy and rough-looking is exactly what you want at every stage until the very end.

Step 1: Combine flour, salt, and some of the butter. Place the flour, salt, and 4 tablespoons of cool or room temperature butter into the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until the butter is fully incorporated and the texture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. This step coats the flour in fat, which keeps the dough tender and prevents it from getting tough when you add water.

Note: The reason I have you fully incorporate part of the butter into the flour is because the fat helps break down the gluten into shorter strands (think of tender shortbread, which starts in a similar way). Coating the flour in butter also prevents the flour from absorbing too much of the water, reducing the formation of gluten, making the dough more pliable when rolling out.

Step 2: Add frozen butter and ice water. Add your frozen butter chunks to the flour mixture. Pulse 4 times, about one second each. Add 3 tablespoons of ice water and pulse twice. Add 3 more tablespoons of cold water and pulse two final times. The mixture will look shaggy and loose and like it is not holding together at all - that is exactly right. If you still have a lot of dry flour at the bottom, add one more tablespoon of water and pulse once.

Step 3: Form into a dough. Dump the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper and your hands, press and gather everything into a rough 1-inch thick square. It does not need to look smooth or polished. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour.

Step 4: First set of folds. Place your rested dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to about a 15-by-6-inch rectangle, roughly ¼ inch thick. Exact measurements are not critical - just aim for that general shape. Use a bench scraper to keep the sides as straight as possible. Fold the bottom third of the dough up over the center, then bring the top third down over that, like you are folding a letter. You have just completed your first fold!

Step 5: Continue folding. Turn the dough 90 degrees so the open ends are now facing up and down. Roll back out to your 15-by-6-inch rectangle and repeat the letter fold. You will complete 6 total folds. Turn and roll and fold, turn and roll and fold - the rhythm becomes automatic after the second one.

Step 6: Final folds. Roll out for the sixth and final time, complete your fold, and you are done. The dough should look smooth and feel slightly elastic.

Note: If you were to slice into your puff, you would be able to see the layers peeking out from the sides.

Cynthia's Helpful Tips

• Sticking dough - If the dough is sticking to the surface, use your bench scraper to loosen it and dust a little flour underneath. Don't add too much or the dough can become dry.
• Butter pieces poking out - If any butter is sticking out the sides, tuck it back into the middle before folding so it stays incorporated.
• Excess flour on the surface - Use a pastry brush to sweep away any extra flour from the top of the dough before each fold. You don't want to roll dry flour back into the layers.
• Dough feeling too soft - If the butter starts to soften or the dough feels squishy, stop, press a few fingers into the top to mark which fold you are on, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before continuing.
• Keeping track of your folds - Six folds sounds easy to track, but you'd be surprised. I learned this trick from my friend Rebecca from thepracticalkitchen.com. Put six small snacks on the counter - pretzels, M&Ms, whatever you have - and eat one each time you complete a fold. It's a little like rewarding a parrot, but I ain't mad at it. Highly effective. Highly delicious.

Storage instructions

Refrigerator: When all six folds are done, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes. This gives the butter time to firm back up before baking. I usually divide the dough in half, double wrap each piece, and keep it in the fridge until I am ready to use it.

Freezer: After double wrapping in plastic, place the dough in a freezer bag or wrap again in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. To defrost, move it to the refrigerator overnight before using.

What can I make with Rough Puff Pastry?

If you are looking for ways to use up your homemade pastry, my full collection of dessert recipes is a great place to start.

Anything you can make with store-bought puff pastry, you can make with this. Tarts, galettes, danishes, turnovers, pot pies, hand pies - this dough handles it all beautifully.

One of my favorite things to make are Palmiers and Papillons, simple French sugar cookies made by rolling puff pastry out over sugar, folding it, slicing, and baking. The sugar caramelizes in the oven and you get this shattery, crispy, sweet little cookie that you never knew you needed. Highly recommended.

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