French Puff-Paste, or Feuilletage

The Book of Household Management · Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary) · 1861

Source: The Book of Household Management
Status: success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (6)

Equal quantities of flour and butter—say 1 lb. of each ↝ Flour, 00 [Cereal Grains and Pasta]
Equal quantities of flour and butter—say 1 lb. of each ↝ Butter, stick, unsalted [Dairy and Egg Products]
1/2 saltspoonful of salt ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
the yolks of 2 eggs ↝ Egg, yolk only, raw [Eggs and omelets]
rather more than 1/4 pint of water ↝ Water, tap [Tap water]
2 oz. of the butter ↝ Butter, stick, unsalted [Dairy and Egg Products]

Instructions (17)

Weigh the flour; ascertain that it is perfectly dry, and sift it.
Squeeze all the water from the butter, and wring it in a clean cloth till there is no moisture remaining.
Put the flour on the paste-board, work lightly into it 2 oz. of the butter.
Make a hole in the centre; into this well put the yolks of 2 eggs, the salt, and about 1/4 pint of water (the quantity of this latter ingredient must be regulated by the cook, as it is impossible to give the exact proportion of it).
Knead up the paste quickly and lightly, and, when quite smooth, roll it out square to the thickness of about 1/2 inch.
Presuming that the butter is perfectly free from moisture, and as cool as possible, roll it into a ball, and place this ball of butter on the paste.
Fold the paste over the butter all round, and secure it by wrapping it well all over.
Flatten the paste by rolling it lightly with the rolling-pin until it is quite thin, but not thin enough to allow the butter to break through, and keep the board and paste dredged lightly with flour during the process of making it. This rolling gives it the first turn.
Now fold the paste in three, and roll out again.
Should the weather be very warm, put it in a cold place on the ground to cool between the several turns; for, unless this is particularly attended to, the paste will be spoiled.
Roll out the paste again twice, put it by to cool, then roll it out twice more, which will make 6 turnings in all.
Now fold the paste in two, and it will be ready for use.
If properly baked and well made, this crust will be delicious, and should rise in the oven about 5 or 6 inches.
The paste should be made rather firm in the first instance, as the ball of butter is liable to break through.
Great attention must also be paid to keeping the butter very cool, as, if this is in a liquid and soft state, the paste will not answer at all.
Should the cook be dexterous enough to succeed in making this, the paste will have a much better appearance than that made by the process of dividing the butter into 4 parts, and placing it over the rolled-out paste; but, until experience has been acquired, we recommend puff-paste made by recipe No. 1205.
The above paste is used for vols-au-vent, small articles of pastry, and, in fact, everything that requires very light crust.

Original Text

FRENCH PUFF-PASTE, or FEUILLETAGE.

(Founded on M. Ude's Recipe.)

1208. INGREDIENTS.—Equal quantities of flour and butter—say 1 lb. of each; 1/2 saltspoonful of salt, the yolks of 2 eggs, rather more than 1/4 pint of water.

Mode.—Weigh the flour; ascertain that it is perfectly dry, and sift it; squeeze all the water from the butter, and wring it in a clean cloth till there is no moisture remaining. Put the flour on the paste-board, work lightly into it 2 oz. of the butter, and then make a hole in the centre; into this well put the yolks of 2 eggs, the salt, and about 1/4 pint of water (the quantity of this latter ingredient must be regulated by the cook, as it is impossible to give the exact proportion of it); knead up the paste quickly and lightly, and, when quite smooth, roll it out square to the thickness of about 1/2 inch. Presuming that the butter is perfectly free from moisture, and as cool as possible, roll it into a ball, and place this ball of butter on the paste; fold the paste over the butter all round, and secure it by wrapping it well all over. Flatten the paste by rolling it lightly with the rolling-pin until it is quite thin, but not thin enough to allow the butter to break through, and keep the board and paste dredged lightly with flour during the process of making it. This rolling gives it the first turn. Now fold the paste in three, and roll out again, and, should the weather be very warm, put it in a cold place on the ground to cool between the several turns; for, unless this is particularly attended to, the paste will be spoiled. Roll out the paste again twice, put it by to cool, then roll it out twice more, which will make 6 turnings in all. Now fold the paste in two, and it will be ready for use. If properly baked and well made, this crust will be delicious, and should rise in the oven about 5 or 6 inches. The paste should be made rather firm in the first instance, as the ball of butter is liable to break through. Great attention must also be paid to keeping the butter very cool, as, if this is in a liquid and soft state, the paste will not answer at all. Should the cook be dexterous enough to succeed in making this, the paste will have a much better appearance than that made by the process of dividing the butter into 4 parts, and placing it over the rolled-out paste; but, until experience has been acquired, we recommend puff-paste made by recipe No. 1205. The above paste is used for vols-au-vent, small articles of pastry, and, in fact, everything that requires very light crust.

Average cost, 1s. 6d. per lb.

WHAT TO DO WITH RANCID BUTTER.—When butter has become very rancid, it should be melted several times by a moderate heat, with or without the addition of water, and as soon as it has been well kneaded, after the cooling, in order to extract any water it may have retained, it should be put into brown freestone pots, sheltered from the contact of the air. The French often add to it, after it has been melted, a piece of toasted bread, which helps to destroy the tendency of the batter to rancidity.

Notes

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