Anyway, I've been working on making Puff Pastry for a while now, and I've had a lot of experience with pie crust and choux pastry(cream puffs). In my knowledge of puff pastry, and pastries in general I've gathered a good sum of tips and tricks to get the pastry just right.
Here are some tips and tricks that you can use for just about any pastry:
- Add acid to the dough. Acid shortens the gluten strands and weakens the network for a lighter delicate pastry, and prevents the toughness from working the dough.
- Replace half your water with Vodka. First off Gluten doesn't form in alcohol, making your pastry more tender and light, second alcohol evaporates faster than water giving your pastry more rise. I learned this from a pie recipe, however you can use this for puff pastry and phillo also.
- Use soft flours. Use 1 part soft flour, 3 part all purpose, this gives you a lower gluten level but keeps enough to hold the pastry together.
- Cut off the edge or pokes a few holes. When your pastry bakes the water vaporizes, if it has no escape from the pastry it will settle again and your pastry will be doughy in the middle. Poke a few holes around the edge with a fork.
- Keep the dough cold! If you let the dough warm up while you are working it the fat will melt and blend with your flour, thus not rising.
- Let the pastry rest. After working the pastry give it a while to rest so the gluten network can settle.
- Don't over work the dough. If you work the dough you develop the gluten network, and your pastry gets tough.
- Parchment paper is your friend. Parchment paper makes removing your pastry from the pan a breeze, and you can easily slide the paper off and use it too cool your product, also makes cleaning up much easier. Parchment paper is good for a lot of things, if you bake, get some.
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