Puff-Paste

The modern cook · Charles Elmé Francatelli · 1846
Source
The modern cook
Status
success · extracted 11 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (6)
for cooling
Instructions (22)
  1. Place the flour on the pastry-slab, spread it out in the centre so as to form a well.
  2. In the well, place the salt, a small piece of butter, the yolk of an egg, and about two-thirds of the quantity of water required to mix the paste.
  3. Spread out the fingers of the right hand, and mix the ingredients together gradually with the tips of the fingers, adding a little more water, if necessary.
  4. When the whole is thoroughly incorporated together, sprinkle a few drops of water over it, and work the paste to and fro on the slab for two minutes.
  5. The paste should be rather soft to the touch and present a perfectly smooth appearance.
  6. Spread out the paste on the slab with the hands.
  7. Press the butter in a cloth to extract any milk it may contain.
  8. Place the butter in the centre of the paste and partially spread it, or press on it with the cloth.
  9. Fold the four sides over so as entirely to cover the butter.
  10. Shake a little flour under and over it.
  11. Shape the paste in a square form, measuring about ten inches each way, by pressing it out with the hand.
  12. Place it on a clean baking-sheet, laid on some pounded rough ice.
  13. Place a deep sautapan also filled with ice upon it.
  14. About ten minutes after the paste has been made, take it from the ice, and place it on a marble slab.
  15. Shake a little flour over and under it, and then roll it out about two feet long, and ten inches wide.
  16. Observe that the paste must be kept square at both ends, as much of the success depends on due attention being paid to the turning and folding.
  17. Lay the paste in three equal folds.
  18. Roll over the folds to cause them to adhere together.
  19. Turn the paste round in the opposite direction and roll it out again in the same manner as before.
  20. Put the paste back on the ice.
  21. After allowing it to rest for about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, roll it out again, or give it two more turns.
  22. Roll the paste twice or three times more, as the case may require, preparatory to its being cut out for whatever purpose it may be intended.
Original Text
PUFF-PASTE. Place the flour on the pastry-slab, spread it out in the centre so as to form a well, in which place the salt, a small piece of butter, the yolk of an egg, and about two-thirds of the quantity of water required to mix the paste ; spread out the fingers of the right hand, and mix the ingredients together gradually with the tips of the fingers, adding a little more water, if necessary; when the whole is thoroughly incor- porated together, sprinkle a few drops of water over it, and work the paste to and fro on the slab for two minutes; after which it should be rather soft to the touch, and present a perfectly smooth appearance. The paste, thus far prepared, must now be spread out on the slab with the hands, and after the butter has been pressed in a cloth, to extract any milk it may contain, it should be placed in the centre of the paste, and partially spread, or pressing on it with the cloth ; the four sides should then be folded over so as entirely to cover the butter ; a little flour must next be shaken under and over it, and the paste should be shaped in a square form, measuring about ten inches each way; by pressing it out with the hand; it should then be placed on a clean baking-sheet, laid on some pounded rough ice,* and a deep sautapan also filled with ice should be placed upon it: by these means the paste will be kept cool and firm. About ten minutes after the paste has been made, take it from the ice, and place it on a marble slab, shake a little flour over and under it, and then roll it out about two feet long, and ten inches wide; observing that the paste must be kept square at both ends, as much of the success depends on due attention being paid to the turning and folding. The paste should then be laid in three equal folds, and after these have been rolled over to cause them to adhere together, the paste must next be turned round in the opposite direction and rolled out again in the same man- ner as before; it should then be put back on the ice, and after allow- ing it to rest for about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, roll it out again, or, as it is technically termed, give it two more turns; the paste must not be put back on the ice and again rolled twice or three times, as the case may require, preparatory to its being cut out for whatever purpose it may be intended.
Notes
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