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  • Five ingredients or fewer
  • Batch cooking

How to make puff pastry

Pastry pieces stacked on a wooden board with dough nearby. Kitchen background with warm lighting and soft focus appliances.

By Tom · Updated

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  • About 2 hours 40 min
  • Takes a bit of care

Learn how to make those golden, crispy layers with this simple puff pastry recipe. I'll show you how to make the perfect puff pastry from scratch that's buttery, flaky, and totally fuss-free. How to make flaky, buttery puff pastry - no fuss.

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The recipe

How to make puff pastry

Learn how to make those golden, crispy layers with this simple puff pastry recipe.

  • 10 min prep
  • Takes a bit of care

Times and difficulty are our estimates from the method, not stopwatch figures.

Quantities
Measurements

Ingredients

Tick things off as you go — they stay ticked if you close the page.

A dotted underline means the amount has been rounded to something you can measure.

Method

  1. Step 1: Make the dough

    In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour (300 g), salt (4 g), and cold water (150 ml). Mix until a rough dough forms. Shape into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to rest.

  2. Step 2: Prepare the butter block

    Slice the cold (150 ml) butter (200 g) into 1cm-thick pieces and arrange them on a sheet of parchment paper to form a rectangle (about 15x20cm).Place another piece of parchment on top and use a rolling pin to press and flatten the butter into an even slab. Chill the butter block in the fridge until firm and ready to use.

  3. Step 3: Encase the butter

    Lightly dust your work surface with flour (300 g). Roll out the rested dough into a rectangle large enough to wrap around the butter (200 g) block. Place the butter in the centre, then fold the dough over it like an envelope, fully enclosing the butter.

  4. Step 4

    First Turns(Lamination Begins).

  5. Step 5

    Roll the dough out into a long rectangle. Fold the bottom third of the dough up, then fold the top third down over it - like folding a letter (this is called a single turn).Rotate the dough 90°, roll it out again, and repeat the fold. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 1 hour.

  6. Step 6: More turns

    After 1 hour, repeat the roll-fold-rotate process twice more (2 more turns).Chill again for another hour. Then give it a final 2 turns after the second rest. Your puff pastry is now ready to use. It should have beautiful layers and a buttery texture.

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Questions people ask

How long does how to make puff pastry take?

About 2 hours 40 min from start to finish. That figure is worked out from the method rather than timed with a stopwatch, so give yourself a little more the first time.

How much does this make?

The original recipe did not state a yield, so nothing has been invented for it. The scale control on the recipe card multiplies the quantities instead, which is the honest version of the same thing.

Can I see the ingredients in ounces and pints?

Yes. The metric and imperial switch on the recipe card converts every quantity, rounded to amounts you can actually weigh or measure rather than to four decimal places. Your choice is remembered for every recipe on the site.

Can I cook it ahead?

This one sits in the batch cooking group, which means it was picked for cooking in quantity rather than eaten straight from the pan. Cool it quickly, and freeze it in the portion sizes you will actually want later.

Is it vegetarian?

Yes, as written. If you are cooking for a strict vegetarian, the one to check is the cheese: several hard cheeses are made with animal rennet.