Puff Pastry | 3 Ingredients + 15 Minutes (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure.

Puff pastry dough is fast and easy to make by hand or with afood processor. One batch replaces 1 box frozen puff pastry sheets from the market. It bakes up light and flaky with a delicate crunch. Use it to make savory recipes and desserts. It’s money saving and delicious.

📌 Pin Puff Pastry Dough

💚 Why We Love This Recipe

Making homemade puff pastry may seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually incredibly easy. All it takes are just a few pantry staples you might already have on hand. Here are plenty of reasons to stop buying puff pastry sheets at the market, even when it’s on sale.

• It’s an essential recipe. Rough puff pastry dough is the ideal option for quick, easy puff pastry sheets. Made with chopped up butter, it’s a faster, less expensive option compared to classic puff pastry which requires adding a large, flat slab of butter to the dough.
• All you need are 4 basic pantry staples (flour, butter, granulated sugar, salt) plus ice-cold water. The puff pastry sheets bake up light, crisp and flaky with a delicate crunch.
• The dough comes together fast – in just 15 minutes plus chill time. It’s how many bakeries create their own puff pastry sheets from scratch. Just roll the chilled dough into a rectangle and it’s ready to be sliced, cut or shaped for your various recipes.
• 👉🏻 You can make this recipe vegan. Instead of dairy butter, use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks instead. The results are wonderful.
• This is a money-saving recipe everyone needs. Especially right now with the skyrocketing price of groceries. Why buy puff pastry sheets at the market when you can make them at home for a fraction of the cost? At my local store, the price for 1 14-ounce box of Dufour all-butter puff pastry (with 1 pastry sheet in the box) is $10.99. At Whole Foods it’s $14. When you need several boxes at a time, it can be very expensive.
• This recipe’s a real time saver. During the holiday season many supermarkets have trouble keeping puff pastry dough in stock. But when you make it at home, you eliminate the need to travel to multiple stores hoping to find this essential dough. And when you need a large quantity of puff pastry, just make multiple batches of this easy recipe.
• Puff pastry dough is very versatile. You can use the puff pastry sheets as the base for making a variety of appetizers, dinners and desserts.

🛒 Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure for the dough. When mixed with water, it develops an elastic gluten framework that stretches and gives the dough strength.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to the dough.
• Kosher Salt: Perks up and brightens the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Butter: It must be very cold. It’s the layers of butter throughout the dough that are responsible for that amazing rise we get in puff pastry. And because of butter, our delicate pastry has a light flaky texture and a rich delicious flavor.
• Ice-Cold Water: This super-cold water helps prevent the little chunks of cold butter from warming. For puff pastry that’s delicate and flaky, the butter must stay solidified.

📖 Recipe Steps

By Hand – Without a Food Processor

Many seasoned bakers prefer making puff pastry dough in a bowl with their hands to ensure the dough is not over-worked. Here’s how to do it in a large mixing bowl with a fork and your hands.

1. Freeze the butter for 10 to 15 minutes. Grate cold butter on a box grater, or cut the butter into tiny pieces. Return the butter to the freezer for 5 minutes to get it super cold again.
2. In a large bowl, stir or whisk dry ingredients together. Add butter to the bowl. Toss it with the flour until it’s well coated. Drizzle in water. Continue to mix with your hands until a crumbly dough forms.
3. On a lightly floured board, knead the dough a few times with the heels of your hands to bring it together. Pat it into a square. Wrap it in plastic and chill it for 1 hour.
4. Continue with the recipe instructions on this page for rolling, folding and rotating the dough. View the images below to see the process at a glance. Then follow the step-by-step instructions a bit father down the page – starting with Step 5.

Expert Tip: It’s important to keep the dough cold at all times. If your hands are warm, cool them off before working with the dough. Place them under cold running water or in a bowl of ice water just until they’re no longer warm. Dry your hands well with a lint-free kitchen towel.

Using a Food Processor

RECIPE TIP: If you need twice the amount of dough, don’t double the recipe. Instead, make 2 separate batches. This is important as it will help prevent the dough from being over-worked.

1. Add the flour, sugar, salt and half the butter to the bowl of the food processor.
2. Pulse just until the flour is incorporated. Do not over-process.
3. Add remaining butter and super-cold water to the bowl. Pulse just until a dough forms and comes together into a ball. Again, do not over-process. We need tiny chunks of butter throughout the dough. Those scattered little bits will make the pastry light and flaky.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly-floured board. Quickly knead it a few times with the heel of your hands. Pat the dough into a 1/2-inch thick square. Wrap it in plastic and chill it in the fridge for 1 hour.

1. With a lightly-floured rolling pin, roll the chilled square of dough into an 8″x10″ rectangle.

1. Lightly dust both sides with flour. Starting from the shorter end, fold the rectangle into thirds – just like folding a business letter before placing it into an envelope.

1. Rotate the dough a quarter turn. Repeat the process 3 more times: rolling, folding and rotating.

1. Slip the folded rectangle of dough into a zip-top bag. Chill the dough in the fridge for 2 hours (or up to 2 days) before using.

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQ

These are the most commonly-asked questions when making puff pastry dough, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

🥣 Recipes to Make With Puff Pastry

Use puff pastry sheets to make a whole variety of different recipes. From breakfast and appetizers, to dinner and dessert. The ideas are endless. Below are a few of my all-time favorites. I know you’ll enjoy them too.

• Breakfast Pizza
• Cream Cheese Danish Pastry
• Twisted Cheese Straws
• Tomato Tart
• Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry
• Caramel Apple Tartlets
• French Palmiers (Heart Cookies)

Rate This Recipe⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flavor testers gave this easy puff pastry dough a 5-star rating. They tested it against a store-bought brand and 2 online recipes. When baking the puff pastry sheets, the outcome was magnificent – buttery, flaky and delicious.

If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox! 👩🏻‍🍳 Plus you’ll receive a few new recipes weekly.

* By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Confetti and Bliss.

Print

Puff Pastry Dough

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 20 reviews

• Author: Denay | Confetti and Bliss
• Total Time: 15 Minutes
• Yield: 1.5 Pounds 1x

Print Recipe

See Also

Melt In Your Mouth Italian Iced Orange Cookies | Ambitious KitchenPeanut Butter Fudge CakeGluten-Free Crispy Salted Coconut CookiesLemon OREO Icebox Pie {If you love Lemon OREO's you NEED this dessert!}

Save Recipe

Description

Puff pastry dough is quick and easy to make by hand or with a food processor. One batch replaces 1 box (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry from the market. It bakes up light and flaky with a delicate crunch.

Ingredients

UnitsScale

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cup (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter (very cold), cut into tiny pieces
• 1/2 cup ice-cold water

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

No food processor? No problem. Many seasoned bakers prefer making this easy recipe in a bowl with their hands to ensure the dough is not over-worked. See the “notes” for how to make the dough in a large mixing bowl with a fork and your hands.

1. Add the flour, sugar, salt and half the butter to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse just until the flour is incorporated. Do not over-process.
2. Add remaining butter and super-cold water to the bowl. Pulse just until a dough forms and comes together into a ball. Again, do not over-process. We need small chunks of butter scattered throughout the dough so our pastry is light and flaky with a delicate crunch.
3. Transfer dough to a lightly-floured board. Quickly knead it a few times with the heel of your hands. Pat the dough into a 1/2-inch thick square. Wrap it in plastic and chill it in the fridge for 1 hour.
4. With a lightly-floured rolling pin, roll the chilled square of dough into an 8″x10″ rectangle.Lightly dust both sides with flour. Starting from the shorter end, fold the rectangle into thirds – just like folding a business letter before placing it into an envelope.
5. Rotate the dough a quarter turn. Repeat the process 3 more times: rolling, folding and rotating. Slip the folded rectangle of dough into a zip-top bag. Chill the dough in the fridge for 2 hours (or up to 2 days) before using.

Equipment

Food Processor

Buy Now →

Rolling Pin

Buy Now →

Notes

Need twice the amount of dough? Don’t double the recipe. Instead, make 2 separate batches. This is important as it will help prevent the dough from being over-worked.

How to make the dough without a food processor: Freeze the butter for 10 to 15 minutes. Grate cold butter on a box grater or cut the butter into super tiny pieces. Return the grated butter to the freezer for 5 minutes to get it super cold again. In a large bowl, stir or whisk dry ingredients together. Add butter to the bowl. Toss it with the flour until it’s well coated. Drizzle in water. Continue to mix with your hands until a crumbly dough forms. On a lightly floured board, knead the dough a few times with the heels of your hands to bring it together. Pat it into a square. Wrap it in plastic and chill it for 1 hour. Continue with the recipe instructions on this page for rolling, folding and rotating the dough.

How to store the dough: Tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and slip it into a zip-top freezer bag (with the air pressed out) and store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Before using, defrost it in the fridge overnight rather than thawing it on the countertop.

• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• 3 Hours: Chill Time
• Cook Time: 0 Minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: No Bake
• Cuisine: American, French

Puff Pastry Dough 👉🏻 Join the Convo

What recipes will you make with your puff pastry dough? Share your thoughts on this easy rough puff pastry recipe in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.