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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Homemade Puff Pastry Sheets from Scratch & Tuna Puffs with Home made pastry sheets !!

Puff pastry sheets are nothing but layers of flour separated by layers of butter and when it is placed in the oven, the butter creates the steam and puffs up the layers. Did you know a perfect made puff pastry sheet had 729 layers?? Though puff pastry sheets are easily available here in stores, yet I wished to try these to keep this as a keeper esp when we get back to India and to identify the amount of ingredients & efforts being put in it while making these sheets. And I must say am now addicted to these homemade puff pastry sheets. They were real buttery, flaky and delicious than the store ones.


This is my second attempt in preparing these sheets. In my first attempt, I forgot to click the step wise snaps and so this time could click some. The only thing I would like to tell is you need to have a lot of patience to roll and wait for the next fold. You may find the word 'fold' and 'turn' frequently used in making these sheets.' Fold' refers to folding the dough in third like a letter, and 'turn' refers to turning the dough so that it face you like a book (see pictures to understand better). Please do read the points to remember before you start making the sheets. The recipe is bookmarked from Naughty Curry, Thanx Deepa for the recipe so well explained that it was very easy to follow. Do check this out and enjoy baking them:-)




INGREDIENTS
FOR PREPARING PUFF PASTRY SHEETS
all purpose flour 2 cups(250gms)
unsalted butter 25 gms,2 tbsp (chilled and cut in cubes)
vinegar /lemon juice 1 tsp
salt 1/2 tsp
water(ice cold water ) 3/4 cup

to place in b/w layers
unsalted butter 2sticks (226gm) ,1 cup

FOR PREPARING TUNA PUFFS
puff pastry sheets 8 pieces
beaten egg white 1(for glaze)
tuna packet 180gm
onion 1 fine chopped
ginger-garlic paste 1tsp
tomato 1 small chopped
cilantro 3-4 sprigs
coriander powder 1  tsp
chilly powder 3/4 tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
pepper powder 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt

METHOD-
FOR PREPARING PUFF PASTRY SHEETS
-Sift the flours and salt together.
-Add the chilled,cubed pieces of butter in it.Gently rub the butter along with flour to get a coarse mixture or grainy with your hand or food processor.
-Add vinegar and ice cold water.Knead into a smooth pliable dough.Refrigerate immediately by wrapping in a cling wrap until next use.

Mixing the butter with flour & Whacking the other 2 sticks of butter


-Put the other unsalted butter(cold) mentioned in the list in between two layers of cling wrap or Ziploc bags and whack using the rolling pin into a mashed form or shape it in the form of a rectangle 5"* 8"(approx)
-Flour a rolling surface(refer notes) and roll out the refrigerated cold dough into a rectangle of 8"*12". Roll out in such a way that each side has a protruding dog ear. Brush off the excess flour using pastry brush.
-Place the whacked butter slab in between the rolled dough and fold the four edges of the dough to cover the dough & seal it completely such that the butter should not be visible.
-Gently press and rock the rolling pin back & forth over the dough, slowly stretching the butter and the dough to form a rectangle. Rock in between to stretch the butter but make sure the butter doesn't seep out the dough. Brush off excess of any flour.

'Fold' like business letter as shown on left & then rolling out after the final fold)
-Fold in third like a business letter(as in pic), make sure to brush excess flour and this completes the first fold.
-Wrap it in a cling wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
-Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn to place in such a way that it faces you like a book. Lightly dust with flour and placing it facing you like a book, roll using a rolling pin and stretch again to form a rectangle with rocking and pressing motion. And then brush the excess flour and turn it by 90 degrees to face you like a book and fold in third like a business letter as shown before. This completes the 2nd fold.
-Refrigerate again half an hour and repeat the same step until you complete 6th fold -7th fold. I completed in 7th fold.
-After the final turn, roll it out into half inch thick rectangle. Either store as it is or cut in small pieces of 4" squares and separate each with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Freeze by wrapping in cling film until next use.

Servings ~ 15 pieces of 4" square pieces (2 sheets)

POINTS TO REMEMBER WHILE MAKING PUFF PASTRY SHEETS

* Butter should be kept cold at all times. If you feel butter is melting or oozing at any point of time when rolling, refrigerate immediately.

* Winters or an air-conditioned room works best to prepare the dough. Use only your fingertips to handle the dough, or minimal handling when folding and turning. Our body temperature too transfers into the dough and the butter melts. The best temperature of the dough prepared is 16 degrees C or 60degrees F.

* Use a cold surface to roll out the dough. I usually use the back of a large tray so that I can leave it on top f it each time after rolling. Refrigerate both the rolling pin and the tray for best results.*The dough must be refrigerated after every fold for a minimum of half an hour to allow gluten in the flour to link up and retain layering.

* The vinegar or lime juice is used to make the dough more elastic and pliable so that it doesn't break while rolling & folding. I used vinegar.

* Keep an account of number of folds and turns so that you don't miss the number.

* For ideal results when baking, refrigerate the filled puffs for 15 minutes before placing in the oven.

* The original recipe uses 1 1/2 tsp of salt, though in my first attempt I found it was quite high . This time I reduced to 1/2 tsp and that was correct.

FOR TUNA PUFFS-
 Prepare the filling 

  • Rinse the tuna under running water and drain in a colander.(I used the packet one with less water in it)
  • Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions till translucent.
  • Saute the ginger -garlic paste till raw smell disppears.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes and add the chopped cilantro.Cook till slightly mushy.
  • Add in the spices and toss it well.Add in the drained tuna and add about 1/3 rd cup water.
  • Cook covered for 10 minutes.Then uncover the lid and dry up the water content.
  • Remove from flame and cool.
Preparing the puffs-
  • Thaw the pastry sheet for about half an hour -40 minutes outside or refrigerate overnight.
  • Take each piece and place about 2tsp of filling in it.Seal all the edges using a little water and press down with a fork to make a pattern.place on a tray with parchment paper.

  • Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F or 200 degreees C.
  • Apply the egg white using a brush on top of each sealed puffs.
  • Place it in the oven and bake for 15 mins.
  • Remove from oven,cool a bit.Serve warm with tea !!



Just to tempt you all,a last one :-)


49 comments:

Kavitha said... Best Blogger Tips

perfect pastry sheets....looks very crispy and well layered...
Thanks for sharing :)

Sanoli Ghosh said... Best Blogger Tips

Excellent, lots of effort you given to prepare this Tuna puffs. Perfect!!!

divyagcp said... Best Blogger Tips

Well explained about the pastry sheets..
Tuna puffs look delicious..

Divya's Culinary Journey
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Asmathnawaz@gmail.com said... Best Blogger Tips

bookmarked...gonna try this puff pastry from scratch....

Achu said... Best Blogger Tips

Yummiest tuna puffs :):)will bake it for sure :)

Az said... Best Blogger Tips

Looks delicious!!! You have so much patience to go through all this effort!!! I salute you and other bloggers for this...

Priyanka Verma said... Best Blogger Tips

wow very crispy and nice color ...filling is looking very tempting!!
grt ...efforts :)

Mahi said... Best Blogger Tips

Nice try Julie..worth it! :) Puffs looks so flaky with lot of layers!

Swathi said... Best Blogger Tips

Delicious puff pastry Julie, Nalla Tuna Puff. Chaya koode venam.

R.Punitha said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Julie ,

Looks Nice and very useful item !!!

Neat presentation :))

Requesting your regular support to me Dear...

www.southindiafoodrecipes.blogspot.in

Soni said... Best Blogger Tips

Oh my!I've never ever tried making puff pastry at home!These look really flaky and tasty!Love the filling too :)

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Good step by step pics. Was looking for this recipe. thanks Julie for sharing

jasna varcakovic said... Best Blogger Tips

Great tips...the other day I made croissants (basically the same procedure) - dangerously addictive!

cookingvarieties said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi julie, wow this is exciting- i must learn how to make my own pastry puffs- yours looks just the type that i like.
bookmarked with thanks and have a nice day

Square Meals said... Best Blogger Tips

Nicely done Julie. The puff looks nice and flaky :-)

Aparna

Vimitha Durai said... Best Blogger Tips

Wow dear they look so flaky n crunchy... Neatly done

Reshmi Mahesh said... Best Blogger Tips

Wooow...Great job...Adipoli ketto...Nicely explained and very clear notes..

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

I know the amount of effort required to make puff pastry.. these puffs have come out great!

Princy Vinoth said... Best Blogger Tips

This is good Julie i will try it soon as i cant find puff pastry sheets here anywhere.

Anonymous said... Best Blogger Tips

wow julie....looks like little hard work....but its worth it....so perfect...

Shabitha Karthikeyan said... Best Blogger Tips

You made puff pastry sheets at home.that is wonderful. Lovely puffs.

Mélange said... Best Blogger Tips

Wonderful post Julie..I loved the entire idea.

Akila said... Best Blogger Tips

That was really amazing... Bookmarked

Hamaree Rasoi said... Best Blogger Tips

you have tempted me enough to make these as soon as possible ...

Chitra said... Best Blogger Tips

Very well explained. Bookmarked !!

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Very neat n clear explanation...Never tried this at home...will try it soon...Thanks for sharing and stuffing sounds very delicious n yummy..

Reshmi said... Best Blogger Tips

what patience Julie... great... wish I was staying somewhere near urs.. :)

Swetha Sree said... Best Blogger Tips

wow julie...this is so amazing. I am always scared to try this due to its difficulty level. Will follow this post when i attempt. This is fantastic!

Samira said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanks a ton for sharing the puff pastry sheets recipe.. Though it involves quiet some time bt its all worth the efforts... amazing clicks and thanks for the step by step pics ....

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

perfectly made.. thanks for step by step presentation :)

radha said... Best Blogger Tips

You made these puff pastry sheets at home! Reminded me of my uncle who loved baking and even at the age of 70 when we visited him he made these puffs for us. I know the effort that goes into this. Hats off to you!

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Kudos to you girl! what a great effort..send me some sheets so that I can be spared of the idea of using that much butter!

PrathibhaSreejith said... Best Blogger Tips

Home made puff pastry have come out so well Julie and Tuna puffs looks just awesome :)

Rosh said... Best Blogger Tips

Looks perfect! Way to go Julie :-)

Kurryleaves said... Best Blogger Tips

awesome job dear!!! ive never tried making puff pastry at home...bookmarked!!

Treat and Trick said... Best Blogger Tips

Such a tedious process but you have done it with great result!

Manju @ Manjus Eating Delights said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi there Julie dear,

Before I even start complimenting let me say those puffs are making me drool....and Puffs are one things I absolutely miss eating here in Minneapolis.
Yours have come out perfect...I need to go back to your older posts and check out wat all yummy stuff I missed in the past few weeks during my vacation :)

and thank you soooooooooo much for writing such lovely comments on Appu's B'day post and on my facebook page and he really did love that cake :-)

See u more often then.
Manju
http://manjuseatingdelights.blogspot.com

Anonymous said... Best Blogger Tips

Puffs looks perfect and delicious.

Chicken puff with homemade puff pastry sheets was my first recipe I tried out when I bought my convec oven about 5 years back. I got the recipe from youtube video and it came out well.but unfortunately I didn't have food blog at that time. Now I have a food blog and since I am busy with my kids I don't get time to prepare these puff pastries, yet I can enjoy by seeing yours!!!!

mystylerecipes

Ganga Sreekanth said... Best Blogger Tips

Julie perfect dear........kure naalayi undakkanamennu karuthunnu.....naattinnu vannittu aatte njan undakkunnundu ktto

Archana said... Best Blogger Tips

Maam I salute you. Just yeaterday I saw these on wiki how to thought these are too much work. They definitely are. Lazy me would rather buy my puffs from bakery :)

Jayanthy Kumaran said... Best Blogger Tips

yummmm...such a great post dear..bookmarking ..:)
Tasty Appetite

Sobha Shyam said... Best Blogger Tips

wow, puff pastry looks perfect, a great job done !

Chocolate & Chillies said... Best Blogger Tips

Great step by step pics...and love the tuna filling too!

Spice up the Curry said... Best Blogger Tips

looks very good. It require some effort but its result is awesome.

Amina Creations said... Best Blogger Tips

wow... puff pastry looks perfect... delicious!!

Lifewithspices said... Best Blogger Tips

Looks like Bakery made puffs.. Perfect

Shabbu said... Best Blogger Tips

Perfect recipe...bookmarked..
Shabbu's Tasty Kitchen

Rachana said... Best Blogger Tips

I gotta try making these puff pastry sheets. Bookmarked.

Hema said... Best Blogger Tips

I've got to try this soon, I think we don't get the readymade sheets here in India, looks superb dear..