I have always wanted to try puff pastry, but never had the courage or motivation to make it. In the heart of hearts, I knew I’d only attempt it in the form of a Daring Bakers Challenge. So when the Daring Bakers Challenge for the month was announced, I was ecstatic! I made these well in advance as opposed to most of the challenges where I’ve procrastinated (and enjoyed every minute of it!); but this time I just didn’t feel like writing up a post for it. Or rather, I didn’t feel like writing at all since the 2 year anniversary post. Instead of posting this on Sunday, I spent the weekend making this cute yet comprehensive visual archive of all my posts. So back to the challenge – let me tell you about my attempts at making Puff Pastry.
First attempt: Disastrous!
What happened: Given that I made this during the day (30C+ weather here) the butter was never cold enough and the dough didn’t survive a single turn without the butter oozing out. I ended up making a royal mess and was covered in flour by the time I decided to call it a day. The folding wasn’t perfect either. When I knew I couldn’t go on, I chilled the dough, let the butter form chunks and then fished that out of the cold dough so that I could reuse it for my second attempt. Out of the 450g of butter I salvaged a good 250g. Now what do I do with that rich, buttery dough? Well, I will just make some parathas (thick, layered bread) and buttery rotis (thin, delicate bread)
Half glass full: Super buttery, flaky parathas
How to make parathas: Photo
Second attempt: Success!
What happened: I followed the instructions to the T: I literally smashed the butter down onto the inch-thick sheet with all the might of a 5’2″ girl(I didn’t do the first time around). I then methodically counted the turns and chilled after every turn, keeping in mind the weather conditions. And after the 6 turns, I let the dough sit in the fridge overnight just so I was certain about the butter being absolutely firm. With a lot of anticipation and doubt, I rolled out the dough, cut out circles, placed it on the Silpat, and put it into the oven. I stood staring at the oven door without batting an eyelid for the first batch. There it was. Right in front of me, I could hear it sizzle; I could see the butter froth. It was rising! Oh yes, it was! A moment of joy, elation and relief – I finally made puff pastry! But hang on, the moment of truth lies in the tasting. I waited for it to cool (oh yes, you HAVE to – the large amount of butter will make your mouth burn if you don’t!) and I took a bite of the Vols au Vent and the palmiers and instantly felt so proud of myself. I MADE SOME AWESOME PUFF PASTRY -wohooo!
I filled my Vols au Vent with Dulce de Leche and my oh my, was that the best decision I made. Butter rich puff pastry + milky caramel goodness = Love. And the cinnamon sugar mini palmiers? They were just too cute to eat. They looked as if they were made for a doll house!
Result (you already know, but just for the record): Light, buttery airy puff pastry for the Vols au Vent that rose beautifully and some palmiers just because I like how adorable they look.
How to make puff pastry: Click for printable recipe!
Blog checking info: The September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! Your vols-au-vent look beautiful. Glad it went better for you on your second try. The dulce de leche filling sounds divine!
awesome! and yes, great idea to fill with DDL
Ohhhh mouthwatering and mindblowing…..Superb photos and thanku so much for sharing the detailed recipe….
Congratulation the result is magnificent!! What risks the puff paste!!
I crack in front of your flights in the wind to the dulce de Leche, I like!!
The small palm trees are also very tasty, completed for a greedy coffee!!
Congrats! They look beautiful! I wish I could dig in
Those look amazing! Love the dulce de leche filling.
they are absolutely STRELING!! fabulous pics…
i meant sterling!!!
I can identify with your first attempt, and I'm glad to hear that you had so much success in just the second try! Kudos!
I'm officially impressed! I probably will never even try to make puff pastry. There is a brand in Whole Foods that is almost as good as homemade…hate to cheat, but……
Perfect Vols-Au-Vent my dear, love the filling, so rich!
Way to stick with it an do it again. Looks great.
Congratulations for getting your puff pastry right! Love the combination with dulce de leche!
What a challenge! You got lovely vol-au-vents, parathas and rotis.
loved reading your post! The step by step results of what worked and what failed was fun and informative. Your vols au vent ended up turning out gorgeous, such beautiful layers, and love the Palmiers..YUM!
Looks absolutely wonderful! I don't know if I would have had enough gusto to try it again if the first one flopped. Great job persevering. They look delicious!
They came out beautifully. Kudos to you.
From where can i buy puff pastry?
can i get puff pastry @ hypercity or Spar in bangalore?
Hi Rajasree, I wouldn’t know about Bangalore since I’m from Bombay. I haven’t seen puff pasty at my local Hypercity though.