Ready-Made Puff Pastry
Cooking Skills: Pastry 1
Chapter 6 · Ready-Made Puff Pastry
Skill goal
Use bought puff pastry well: keep it cold, cut it cleanly and bake it hot so it rises into crisp layers.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Puff pastry rises because it has hundreds of thin layers of dough and fat. In the oven, the water in the fat turns to steam and pushes the layers apart. Making it from scratch is a long job, and it is covered in Pastry 2; here you start with ready-made all-butter puff, which is excellent and makes quick bakes. Look for butter on the label rather than vegetable fat, for taste.
Three habits make it rise: keep it cold (take it out of the fridge only when you are ready), cut with a sharp knife straight down (a blunt knife or sawing squashes the layers shut at the edges), and bake it hot. Egg wash on the cut edges glues the layers together, so keep it on the top only. Savoury pastry cases are in Cooking Skills: Pastry 1, chapter 3; sweet cases in chapter 5.
The method
- Keep the pastry in the fridge until the moment you use it, and chill shaped pieces for 15 minutes before baking if it warms.
- Cut with a very sharp knife or pizza wheel, pressing straight down, not sawing or dragging.
- Brush egg wash on the top only, not down the cut sides, or the layers glue together.
- Bake on a baking-parchment-lined tray at 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6), and keep the oven door closed for the first 15 minutes.
- Bake until deep golden, not pale: pale puff is doughy inside.
| Bake | Shape | Time (approximate) | Serve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese straws | Strips, twisted | 15 minutes | Warm or cold, with drinks |
| Sausage rolls | Rolled and cut | 30 minutes | Warm, with chutney or sauce |
| Palmiers | Folded and sliced | 25 minutes | Cold, with tea |
| Upside-down apple tart | Pastry lid on caramel | 40 minutes | Warm, with cream |
Hot oven, hot caramel and raw sausage meat
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Hot syrup and sugar: syrup and jam fillings become hotter than boiling water and stick to skin. Let a tart cool for 15 minutes before cutting, and take care with hot jam when eating tarts straight from the tin.
Raw chicken and meat: keep raw meat on its own board and plate, wash hands, knives and boards in hot soapy water afterwards, and cook meat fillings right through (no pink, juices running clear) before they go under a pastry lid.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Cheese straws
The easiest puff pastry bake. Cheese goes on the pastry, which is folded or cut, then twisted. Parmesan and Cheddar together give salt and flavour. A pinch of mustard powder lifts the cheese.
Ingredients (about 20 straws)
- 1 sheet of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry (320 g)
- 50 g mature Cheddar, finely grated
- 25 g Parmesan, finely grated
- ½ tsp English mustard powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Unroll the pastry and brush the top with egg. Scatter the cheeses and mustard powder over half, fold the other half over and roll lightly.
- Cut into strips about 1.5 cm wide with a sharp knife, twist each strip and lay on a lined tray, pressing the ends down.
- Brush with egg and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Cool for 5 minutes.
Hot oven and allergens
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg and mustard.
Level 2 · Savoury
Sausage rolls
Home-made sausage rolls beat shop ones. Mix good sausage meat with onion and sage, roll it into a log, wrap it in puff and cut it to size. Cook right through: pork must be cooked to 75°C in the middle, with no pink.
Ingredients (12 rolls)
- 2 sheets of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry (320 g each)
- 400 g pork sausage meat
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp chopped fresh sage
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 egg, beaten
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Mix the sausage meat, onion, sage and mustard. Cut each pastry sheet lengthways in half.
- Shape the meat into 4 long sausages and lay one along each pastry strip. Brush the edge with egg, fold the pastry over and press with a fork, seam side down. Cut into 6 rolls each and make 2 slits in each.
- Brush the tops with egg and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and cooked through, with no pink in the middle. Cool for 10 minutes.
Raw pork, hot oven and allergens
Raw chicken and meat: keep raw meat on its own board and plate, wash hands, knives and boards in hot soapy water afterwards, and cook meat fillings right through (no pink, juices running clear) before they go under a pastry lid.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Allergens: contains gluten, egg and mustard; sausage meat often contains sulphites and rusk (gluten).
Level 2 · Sweet
Palmiers
Palmiers, also called elephant ears, are puff pastry folded in on itself with sugar and baked until caramelised. Leave space between them: they spread and puff up.
Ingredients (about 16)
- 1 sheet of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry (320 g)
- 4 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for the tray
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Sprinkle half the sugar over the pastry. Fold the two long sides in to meet at the middle, sprinkle the rest of the sugar and fold again in half like a book.
- Chill for 15 minutes, then slice into 1.5 cm slices with a sharp knife and lay them cut side up, spaced well apart, on a lined tray.
- Bake for 8 minutes, turn each over and bake for 5 to 8 minutes more until deeply golden and caramelised. Cool on a rack.
Hot caramelised sugar and oven
Hot syrup and sugar: syrup and jam fillings become hotter than boiling water and stick to skin. Let a tart cool for 15 minutes before cutting, and take care with hot jam when eating tarts straight from the tin.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Level 3 · Caramel
An upside-down apple tart (no alcohol)
A simple tarte tatin: caramel in a pan, apples on top, pastry over everything, baked and turned upside down. Use a pan with an oven-safe handle. Traditional recipes sometimes include brandy; here there is none.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 75 g caster sugar
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 5 firm apples, peeled, cored and quartered
- 1 sheet of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry (320 g)
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). In an ovenproof 24 cm frying pan, melt the sugar and butter over a medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until amber caramel; don't stir, just swirl.
- Pack the apples tightly in the caramel, cook for 8 minutes, then cover with the pastry, tucking the edges down inside the pan. Prick the top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is deep golden. Rest for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a plate with oven gloves. Be quick, before the caramel sets.
Hot caramel, hot pan and turning out
Hot syrup and sugar: syrup and jam fillings become hotter than boiling water and stick to skin. Let a tart cool for 15 minutes before cutting, and take care with hot jam when eating tarts straight from the tin.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Turning out: the pan is hot and the caramel is scalding. Use oven gloves, hold the plate firmly over the pan, flip away from your body and keep your face back.
Experiments
Experiment
Scored or unscored
Rise.
- Bake one square of puff with a shallow score around the border and one without.
Look for: The scored square puffs around a frame, which is useful for tarts; the unscored one puffs unevenly.
Experiment
Chilled or room-temperature
Layers.
- Bake one cut shape straight from the fridge and another after 30 minutes at room temperature.
Look for: The chilled one rises tall in clear layers; the warm one is flat and greasy.
Experiment
Sharp or blunt knife
Cut edges.
- Cut puff with a very sharp knife and with a blunt one, and bake both.
Look for: The sharp cut rises straight; the blunt one squashes the layers shut and the edge rises crookedly.
Experiment
Egg wash or milk
Colour.
- Brush one half of a tray of puff pieces with egg and the other with milk.
Look for: The egg gives a deep golden shine, milk a paler matt finish.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese straws | ||||
| Sausage rolls | ||||
| Palmiers | ||||
| Upside-down apple tart | ||||
| Scored or unscored | ||||
| Chilled or room-temperature | ||||
| Sharp or blunt knife | ||||
| Egg wash or milk |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pastry didn't rise | Warm pastry or blunt knife | Keep it cold and cut cleanly |
| Rose lopsided | Egg wash ran down the edges | Brush the top only |
| Doughy inside | Underbaked | Bake until deep golden |
| Leaked fat on the tray | Warm pastry or too-low oven | Chill the shapes; bake hot |
| Sausage rolls raw inside | Rolled too thick | Use thinner logs; check there is no pink |
| Caramel burnt | Cooked too long or too hot | Take it off the heat as soon as it is amber |
Hot oven, hot caramel and leftovers
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Hot syrup and sugar: syrup and jam fillings become hotter than boiling water and stick to skin. Let a tart cool for 15 minutes before cutting, and take care with hot jam when eating tarts straight from the tin.
Keeping and freezing: raw pastry keeps in the fridge for about 2 days wrapped tightly, and freezes for about 3 months (general guidance). Cooked pies and tarts keep for about 2 days chilled; reheat pies until steaming hot all the way through, and freeze cooked pies for no more than about 2 to 3 months.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I know why puff pastry rises.
- I can cut puff cleanly and glaze it correctly.
- I can fold and slice a palmier.
- I can wrap a filling in puff.
- I can make and turn out a caramel tart.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Pastry 1, chapter 7 is Hand Pies and Turnovers: sealing, folding and crimping small pies.