Ordinary plain flour is
fine. If you are making puff pastry, however, you want the gluten to develop into sheets – these will be your flaky layers – so adding a little strong bread flour with lots of protein to your plain flour can be a good idea.
Which flour is best for pastry?
| Dish Flour required | Pastry Plain flour | Pizza Strong flour AKA breadmaking flour | Scones Self-raising flour OR strong flour | Sauces Plain flour (or cornflour) |
|---|
Can bread flour be used for puff pastry?
Chilling the pastry between each roll and fold allows the butter to harden so you can build up clean, even layers of dough and butter. I use a proportion of
high-gluten bread flour
in puff pastry to give it the strength it needs to hold its multi-layered structure.
Is cake flour good for puff pastry?
Use a little cake flour for the most tender dough. All-purpose is fine, but
one part cake flour to three parts all-purpose is better
. Keep everything cold. Keeping the dough chilled as you work is important to the success of any puff pastry — otherwise, the butter melts and will no longer form distinct layers.
Why is using the right flour important when making puff pastry?
It is best to use a pastry flour because it is has no bran (which will cause the product to have dark specks) and
a high protein content
(a minimum of 10%). Some protein becomes gluten when wet and this makes the paste elastic and strong and capable of forming layers when cooked.
What is the difference between pastry flour and regular flour?
Pastry flour is a low-protein flour designed to make pastries lighter and more delicate than those made with all-
purpose
flour. It bakes tender pastries, chewy cookies and is an excellent solution for pie crusts.
What happens if you use plain flour instead of self-raising flour?
Partly as keeping just one type of flour saves on storage space and partly as if you don’t use self-raising flour regularly then
it will lose its raising power over time
. “It is fairly easy to make your own self-raising flour. Just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour.
What is the ratio of fat to flour in puff pastry?
Typical flaky pastry has a fat-to-flour ratio of
3:4
and is rolled and folded only four times. Traditionally, lard and butter were used in flaky pastry preparation.
What temperature should puff pastry be baked at?
Bake in a preheated oven of
at least 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
to get the maximum puff from your pastry.
Do you proof puff pastry?
Whether it’s store-bought or made from scratch, puff pastry should be rolled out to ensure the dough has an even thickness. Forget to dust your work surface with a light coating of flour and
the dough is likely to stick and prove tougher to work with
.
Can cake flour make pastry?
According to Baking 911, you can
mix 1 cup of cake flour and 2 cups of all-purpose flour
and get a good close protein mix to use for pastry flour, although this is not always a completely reliable substitution. Cake flour generally has 7% – 8.5% protein.
How many times do you fold puff pastry?
If you’ve successfully rolled it out and folded it
twice
, you’ve completed two turns. Classic puff pastry gets six. Continue refrigerating it after each two turns (or more often if necessary) until all six turns are completed. Keep track of how many turns you’ve made.
How do you make puff pastry in hot weather?
- Always keep the ingredients as cool as possible. Make sure you butter and water are well chilled. …
- Use a food processor to make your pastry. …
- Use a cold bench top to roll your pastry. …
- Handle the pastry as little as possible when mixing and rolling. …
- Always rest the pastry.
What is the best fat to use for pastry?
Butter
is the perfect fat as it provides both shortness and flavour. Many chefs prefer unsalted butter, as it has a fresher, purer flavour, but salted butter can be used in all recipes. You will need to adjust the amount of salt added to the pastry according to the type of butter used.
How do you keep puff pastry from sticking to the tray?
To keep puff pastry from sticking to your baking sheet, line it
with parchment paper
or a nonstick silicone baking mat like a Silpat. After baking, transfer the pastries to a cooling rack. If you’re baking on parchment paper, you can slide the parchment right onto the rack, pastries and all.
How thick should you roll out puff pastry?
Puff pastry should be rolled out to
approx. 4-5 mm depth
. To re- roll puff pastry once you have cut something out from the main piece, layer up all the trimmings, folding to achieve approximately an even stack.
