What are the names of the 3 most common methods of making puff pastry (plus 1 commercial method)?
- English method
- French or Continental method
- Scotch or Blitz method
- (Commercial) Automatic method
Describe the English method of making puff paste.
(*Think 2/3)
- Sheet the dough into a rectangle
- Place the roll-in fat onto 2/3 of the paste
- Fold the untreated portion over onto the dough covered with fat.
- Fold one more time to cover the last portion of the dough covered with fat.
- Then give the paste half-turns or book folds.
Describe the French or Continental method of making puff paste.
(*Think blunt cross/envelope)
- Roll the paste into a square, and pin the corners more thinly.
- Place a square of roll-in fat onto the paste in the middle, offsetting the corners of the paste.
- Fold the corners of the dough toward the centre, like an envelope
- Roll into a rectangular shape and give half-turns or book folds
Describe the Scotch or Blitz method of making puff paste
(*Think of an epic pie dough)
- Combine flour, salt, shortening, and acid.
- Shape the roll-in fat into lumps, place in mixer, and add water.
- Mix slightly, transfer to the bench
- Give the dough half-turns or book folds
Describe the Automatic method of making puff paste
(*Think of stacking)
- Machines sheet the dough and fat, and layer together, one on top of another, until sufficient layers have been formed.
- No turning or folding involving
Based on the amount of fat in the dough, what are the 3 most common types of puff?
- Full puff
- Three-quarter puff
- Half puff
What is full puff?
Full puff is when the amount of fat is equal to the amount of flour.
Which type of puff is flakiest, and has the best volume?
Full puff
Which type of puff is made as an all-purpose puff?
Three-quarter puff
What type of flour is used for puff paste, and why?
Bread flour.
The dough must be capable of being stretched paper thin, without breaking (extensible and elastic). It must be able to expand during baking to produce aeration, and yet maintain the laminated structure produced during makeup. Bread flour has excellent hydration, and results in more water changing to steam.
Why is cream of tartar listed as one of the ingredients of puff paste?
Gluten extensibility is influenced by the pH of the dough, which should ideally be slightly acidic. A weak acid, such as cream of tartar is often included in the formula. However, too much acid will cause the paste to be wild.
Why is shortening included in the dough portion of the formula for puff paste?
Shortening provides lubrication for the gluten, aiding in extensibility of the dough.
What are the functions of water in puff paste dough?
- Water acts as a solvent for the acid.
- Necessary for gluten formation.
- Hydrates the starch
- Controls dough temperature
- Adjusts dough consistency
Describe the consistency of puff paste dough in relation to the roll-in fat used?
The consistency of the dough should be similar to that of the roll-in fat, because the two have to be rolled together.
If the fat is harder than the dough, it will break into pieces.
If the fat is softer than the dough, it will be squeezed out from between the dough layers.
Why do we turn puff dough 90 degrees after each fold?
To equalize stress, ensuring it doesn’t just shrink one way.
Describe the method of aeration of a puff product.
Physical leavening.
The water in the dough turns to steam, which pushes the layers apart, expanding the size of the puff pastry to 8x its original volume. The butter then melts, leaving gaps between the dough layers, and the gluten coagulates in this shape, giving the dough its characteristic flakiness.
What are 8 causes of Lack of Volume in puff products?
- Flour too soft; insufficient gluten strength
- Improperly developed gluten; dough lacks strength, tears, breaks.
- Rough treatment. Rough handling destroys layers
- Fat too soft; the fat separates
- Fat too hard; the fat lumps, and does not form layers
- Lack of turns; fat is in a thick layer
- Excess turns; layers are too thin, and break.
- Wrong bake temp: too cool for the water to quickly change to steam.
What are 6 causes of Misshaped puff products?
- Dough not cold; a cold dough will retain its shape better.
- Dough not relaxed; dough must be allowed to shrink back.
- Dough not shrunk back; excess tension causes wild breaks.
- Dough not square; dull utensils, breaking layers
- Dough not turned by 90degrees; shrink back dough in all directions.
- Wrong oven temperature; gluten coagulates before obtaining maximum volume.
How should you store unbaked puff units when freezing?
Cover with plastic to prevent freezer burn.
How should you store (pre)baked puff units when freezing, and how can you ready them for sale?
Lightly bake, and do not glaze or ice. Wrap the products only when fully cool, to prevent gumminess and shrinkage of the product. To defrost, thaw at room temperature, then zap in a hot oven (425-435F/218-224C) for about 3 minutes, to improve color. Finish products with glaze or icing.
What happens to a puff unit when there are too many turns?
Too many turns cause the layers to break down and will result in a loss of volume.
What happens to a puff unit when there are too few turns?
Too few turns will result in lack of volume, and possibly fat bleed-out.
One half turn _____ the number of layers in a puff dough.
Triples
Explain what a book fold does to the number of layers in a puff dough.
The book fold triples the number of layers, In Addition To that number of layers.
For example, in the English method there are 5 layers in the start, and one book fold increases the layers to 20
(5x3)+5=20.
