Perfect Puff Pastry

There's nothing quite like puff pastry; the perfect flaky pastry is so versatile, it really transforms and elevates both savoury and sweet recipes.

Unfortunately, puff pastry has also gotten an unfair reputation for being difficult. With just a little practice, it isn't really difficult at all (and it's really easy to recover if you feel you've done something wrong). The trick is to be patient; this dough can be made slowly over the course of a day or two (giving adequate time to chill between folds and rolls). it's also important to not cut corners; make sure to do the proper folds, proper rolling, and frequent chilling, and you will be just fine.

I feel the only real problem with puff pastry, is that it's near impossible to find dairy-free or vegan options. That's why I created my own recipe. I will admit that it took many trial runs (including some, er, less-than-successful attempts), but I feel I've finally mastered the art of puff pastry.

I'm including my instructions for turning this puff pastry into croissants and danishes, but you can use it in any recipe that calls for it; just follow the recipe's instructions. I've used my puff pastry to top pot pies and baked soup, and it works beautifully. It freezes well, and since this recipe makes a lot of dough, you can make it once and use it for many meals and/or treats.

Perfect Puff Pastry

Makes enough puff pastry for 6-16 croissants or danishes, depending on size.

3 tsp (or 15 ml) of active dry yeast

1 cup (or 250 ml) of warm water

1/3 cup (or 80 ml) of granulated sugar, I use organic cane

3 1/2 cups (or 875 ml) of unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp (or 10 ml) of sea salt

1/3 cup (or 80 ml) of vegan butter/margarine

1 cup (or 250 ml) of vegan butter/margarine

1/2 cup (or 250 ml) of unbleached all-purpose flour

1) In the bowl of a stand mixer, bloom the yeast with the water and sugar for 10 minutes, or until frothy. Add the flour, salt and 1/3 cup of vegan butter, and beat together with the dough hook for 6-10 minutes or until soft and elastic.

2) Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl or container, cover, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about one hour. In the meantime, mix the remaining 1 cup of vegan margarine with the 1/2 cup of flour until fully blended, then roll into a rectangle (I use two sheets of parchment, and refrigerate until cold and firm.

3) Punch down the dough, then roll into a large rectangle (twice the size of the butter rectangle). Place the butter in the centre, and fold the sides in toward the centre, covering the butter, in a tri-fold style; roll out into a large rectangle once more. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, and then tri-fold once more, then roll into a large rectangle again. Continue to do these turns, tri-folds and rectangle rolls until you have 12+ layers. If the butter gets too soft, simply pop the dough back in the refrigerator until firm once more. When satisfied with the layers, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before proceeding. Note that your dough will likely tear, and squeeze out some of the margarine/butter; this is perfectly okay! Simply use a little more flour to dust your dough each time you fold/roll. Eventually, the butter will stop squeezing out, and your dough will come together in nice, even layers.

4) Divide the dough into two or three pieces, and roll each out into a large rectangle. Use as directed in your favourite recipes, or cut your shapes (triangles for croissants, squares for danishes, etc).

-For croissants, roll each triangle as flat and wide as possible, cut a small slit into the bottom of each triangle (the longest side), then roll up and curve slightly. You can place some filling in the centre before rolling, if desired. I like to fill mine with good quality dark chocolate.

-For danishes, roll each square into a longer rectangle, press a line into the centre of each (I use the back of a knife), then place some filling onto the centre of one side. Slice vent slits in the other side, then fold over and press to seal (you can gently brush the dough with a little water if you're having trouble getting it to seal).

Allow to rise another hour at room temperature, or until doubled in size (this is very important, especially if you've frozen the dough after shaping!).

You can optionally brush the croissants/danishes with vegan milk, egg whites, or maple syrup for a shinier finish. I like to mix equal parts maple syrup and soy milk to brush mine.

5) Bake on a parchment-lined pan at 400°F/200°C for 5-10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F/175°C and bake for another 8-15 minutes, or until light golden brown and flaky.

Note:

-The croissants/danishes can be frozen after shaping/before rising for later use. Simply place the frozen dough onto a parchment-lined pan, cover, and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled, then bake as usual. Using this method, you can freeze croissants, danishes, or sheets of puff pastry for later use.

-You can use any filling you like. My favourites are homemade apple butter/jams and vegan cream cheese for danishes, and rich dark chocolate for croissants (if your dark chocolate is really hard, you can melt it with a little vegan margarine, coconut oil, or cacao butter first).

Here are some photos to show how it should look at various steps, as well as how I form my danishes:

This is how the sheet should look each time you roll it out (above)

This shows the many layers after several turns folding and rolling (above)

This is how I place the filling, as well as the vent slits I've cut into the dough (above)

And this is how the danish looks once sealed (above)

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