By Savini Gauri
Rough Puff Dough Recipe
Course Multi-purpose Dough
Prep Time 120 minutes
Bake/Cook Time Depends on the recipe it is being used for
Chill + Proof Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 1 block of dough
Ingredients
1 ¾ cups (210 grams) pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp (5 grams) salt
60 ml (1/4 cup) water (that is ice cold)
3/8 cup (85 grams) unsalted butter (sliced and refrigerated for 15-20 minutes after slicing)
3/8 cup (85 grams) unsalted butter (frozen, make sure it is completely frozen since frozen butter is easy to handle and grate)
Tools and Utensils Required
Large Knife or Chef's Knife
Cutting Board
Small Plate with Extra Dry Flour
A Grater (Box or Plain)
Bench Scraper or Bench Knife
Plastic Wrap
Dowel Pin or Rolling Pin
Instructions
Preparing the Frozen Butter: Measure 85 grams of butter (try to have it in one piece only) and put it in the freezer for at least an hour.
Preparing the Butter Slices: Measure 85 grams of butter and cut it into thin slices. (about 1/4 cm thick)
Preparing the Dough: In a large bowl mix together the all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt. ***Make sure the bowl is really big to ensure ease of mixing***
Adding the Frozen Butter: Once the flour, sugar, and salt are completely mixed, take the grater and directly grate the frozen butter on top of the flour in the bowl. TIP: To ensure ease of grating and to avoid the butter from sticking to your hands, gently dip the piece of butter in the bowl of flour until it is lightly coated and continue grating.
Once all the butter is grated, using your hands gently coat all the butter with the dry flour. Do not press or apply any pressure. Lightly toss the butter and flour until coated. (Refer to video lesson)
Now take the sliced butter and put the slices in the flour. Ensure that no two slices are stuck together. Gently toss the slices in the flour until all of them are evenly coated in flour.
Hydrating the Dough: Now slowly start adding the ice-cold water to the flour. Do not knead this like regular dough. Instead, start tossing it and bunching it. (Refer to video lesson) Continue to add water until it starts to come together.
Once it starts coming together stop kneading. (don’t worry about the dry bits)
Spread a piece of plastic wrap and empty the dough bowl onto it. Now cover it with another piece of plastic wrap. Then fold it from all sides to seal it. Now press down on the flour and roughly make a square out of it.
Chilling the Dough: Refrigerate this plastic-wrapped dough for 60 minutes.
Getting ready for folding the dough: Clear out the workstation and have with you a plate with some dry all-purpose flour (for sprinkling), a rolling pin or dowel pin, and a bench knife.
1st Fold: Take out the dough from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Sprinkle some dry flour on the work surface and place the dough on it. Start by beating the dough with a rolling pin (about 15-20 times). Then start rolling the dough into a rectangle (1:3 ratio). To ensure straight sides use the bench knife to push in and collect the dough. Continue rolling until the dough is about ½ cm thick. (Refer to video lesson)
Then, using the bench knife make two rough marks on the dough diving it into three equal parts (lengthwise). Then fold the outer two parts onto the center one. (like you would fold a letter)
2nd Fold: Now place the dough with the open side of the fold on your right side. Beat the dough using the rolling pin (about 15-20 times) to lock in the layers. Then, using the bench knife make two rough marks on the dough diving it into three equal parts (lengthwise). Then fold the outer two parts onto the center one. (like you would fold a letter)
3rd Fold: Sprinkle some dry flour on the work surface. Repeat the previous step one more time.
Final Resting and Chilling: Now wrap the dough in plastic wrap and make sure it is sealed from all sides. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or up to 24 hours.
Note: If you stay in a hot place or your kitchen is too warm, you can always chill all the ingredients (including butter, flour, water) and tools (including glass bowl, rolling pin, and bench knife) in the refrigerator before using. This way things stay cooler for longer.
Preparing in advance:
Frozen Butter: You can freeze the butter well in advance. In fact, I like to keep a few pieces of butter in my freezer at all times in case I feel like making puff dough.
Butter Slices: You can slice the butter and keep it in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance.
Puff Dough: You can make the puff dough and store it in the freezer for up to a month. Whenever you intend to use it, simply transfer it into the refrigerator 12 hours before you plan to use it.
To learn the whole recipe with a variety of uses here is the detailed ROUGH PUFF DOUGH video course for a detailed step-by-step instruction process.
