Quick & Easy Homemade Puff Pastry
This Homemade Puff Pastry, is so quick and easy and so much better than store bought puff pastry sheets. You will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner! Learn how to make it and use it in all your recipes that call for flaky, buttery pastry.
I have been dying to make puff pastry for years, since the first time I saw my sister-in-law make it. Unfortunately, I kept putting it off and putting it off because it was always just too much work and time consuming.
This is absolutely the BEST (and easiest) pastry recipe I’ve come across! So flaky and crispy!! I’ve always hand mixed but the food processor is the way to go in ensuring just enough mixing without making the dough tough. This is my new go-to recipe!
Christine hammerstone
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I was lucky enough to find this recipe on the Food Network website called the quickest puff pastry recipe. Now this was an amazing discovery. I can make puff pastry and save myself so much time and effort. Yeah, I like that!
This pastry is flaky, crispy and buttery, just like the classic puff pastry which takes time and lots of rolling. Another bonus point is, that you can fill it with any filling that suits your tastes, from savory to sweet.
Ingredients
- Very cold salted butter cut into cubes, do not use margarine
- Very cold water
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
How to Make Puff Pastry
I used my food processor to bring this puff pastry dough together and it was so easy, a few pulses and you are ready to go!
Place the flour and some of the butter cubes in the food processor. Pulse until the butter is worked into the dough. Add the rest of the butter and pulse just a few more times. Adding the butter in batches ensures it is worked evenly through the flour.
Add the cold water and pulse several more times or until the dough forms a ball. It’s very important to not over process the dough at this point – it should only take four to five more pulses for this step.
At this point, your dough will have bits of butter throughout but don’t worry, that is what makes this dough flaky.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. One thing I noticed is you have to make sure to keep your surface lightly floured all the time, gently form into a compact ball.
Lightly flour your rolling-pin, roll the dough out to a rectangle approximately 12×18 inches (30×45 cm).
To create all the flaky layers, fold the rectangle in half and then in half again, like an envelope.
Fold it one more time in half and then wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it for one to two hours. Once your puff pastry dough is chilled it’s ready to use!
Storage and Freezing Tips
- Store the homemade puff pastry in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Be sure it is sealed in plastic wrap.
- You can also freeze it. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag or container, it will keep in the freezer for up to a month.
- Before using the frozen dough, leave it folded and wrapped and thaw it in the fridge overnight. Roll the dough out without unfolding it first.
How to Use It
There are countless ways to use your puff pastry sheets, both savory and sweet. Here I’m sharing two different pastry recipes that you might like to try!
Savory Filling
With the first part, I rolled the dough into a rectangle, lined it with slices of Cooked Ham and Shredded Gruyere Cheese, although any cream cheese would work.
I rolled it up as tight as possible, wrapped it in plastic and refrigerated it for about 20 minutes.
Then with a very sharp knife I made 1/4 inch slices, placed them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, sprinkled a little more shredded cheese and baked them for about 20 minutes
They make the perfect appetizers and were gone in minutes!
Sweet Filling
The remaining dough I rolled the pastry into a circle and made 8 triangles, on each triangle, on the bottom (large part) I placed one or two thin slices of pear, some chopped walnuts and a sprinkling of chocolate chips.
I then rolled them up starting at the bottom (large part) and placed the on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
I brushed them with an egg wash and baked them for about 10-15 minutes. Let them cool and a little dusting of Powdered Sugar is all they need.
If pears aren’t to your liking, then you could fill them with 2-3 apples slices tossed with a little brown sugar and cinnamon.
If you have any leftover dough you could always make some double cheese savory twists. They would be perfect with a big bowl of Soup or Stew.
I hope you decide to give this 10 Minute Homemade Puff Pastry a go. Let me know what you think and how you filled yours. Enjoy!
Quick & Easy Homemade Puff Pastry
Ingredients
FOR THE PUFF PASTRY
- 1¼ cup very cold butter (salted)* cut into cubes
- ½ cup very cold water
- ¼ teaspoon salt*
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
*If using unsalted butter then add ¾ teaspoon of salt. Be sure to use a good quality butter, apparently this year 2022, store brand butter quality is not what it used to be.
HAM & CHEESE ROLL UPS
- 6-8 slices cooked Ham
- 1¼ cups Gruyere or cheese of choice shredded
PEAR, WALNUT & CHOCOLATE CHIP CRESCENTS
- ½ – 1 pear sliced (not too thick/firm but ripe)
- ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
EGG WASH
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
MORE RECIPE IDEAS
DOUBLE CHEESE TWISTS
- ¼ – ½ cup shredded cheese fontal or gruyere
- ¼ – ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian Parsley
APPLE CINNAMON FILLING
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 apple peeled, cored and sliced thin
Instructions
10 MINUTE PUFF PASTRY
- Using a food processor, fitted with the metal blade, add flour and salt to the bowl, then add ¾ cup (170 grams) cold butter cut in cubes and pulse until butter is absorbed (about 10 to 12 one second pulses), then add the remaining cold butter (cubed) and pulse two or three times (no more) to combine, add the cold water and pulse four or five times just until the dough comes together to form a ball (really important not to over process).
- On a lightly floured surface place dough and knead lightly approximately 10 times. With a lightly floured rolling- pin (lightly flour the dough so it doesn't stick) roll into a rectangle approximately 12 x 18 inches (30 x 45 cm).
- Fold the dough like an envelope (see photos) then fold in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours (I left mine in the fridge for two hours).
Pre-heat oven to 375° (190° celsius) (for all recipes).
HAM & CHEESE ROLL UPS
- Remove from the fridge and on a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling-pin roll the still folded dough (I cut the dough in two parts, refrigerate the unused dough until needed) into a rectangle (approximately 10 x 14 inches / 25 x 35 cm). I covered the dough with thin slices of cooked ham and sprinkled with shredded cheese.
- Roll up length wise as tight as possible and brush the edges with egg wash to seal. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 20-30 minutes. Unwrap and slice with a sharp knife into ¼ inch slices. Place on prepared cookie sheet, brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with more cheese, bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.
PEAR, WALNUT & CHOCOLATE CRESCENTS
- Roll the remaining dough into a large circle, make 8-10 triangles. Place 1-2 slices of pear on the large part of the triangle, top with some chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. Roll up from the large part, place on prepared cookie sheet, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with a little sugar and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden. Let cool then dust with powdered / icing sugar. Enjoy.
MORE RECIPES
DOUBLE CHEESE TWISTS
- In a small bowl mix together Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, set aside. Roll (½ or ⅓) the dough into an 1/8" thick oval, sprinkle shredded cheese on the top half of oval, bring up the bottom half to cover the top, brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with parmesan cheese mixture, slice into ½ inch strips, twist and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden. Eat warm. Enjoy!
APPLE CINNAMON FILLING
- In a small bowl toss together, sliced apples, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll out the dough into a large rectangle or square ⅛ " thick, then cut into 6-8 squares. Top each square with 2-3 apple slices, brush the edges of the square with egg mixture. Fold over and seal. Brush tops of pastry with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden. Drizzle with a little frosting if desired.
EGG WASH
- In a small bowl beat together the egg and water.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thanks to the foodnetwork.com.
I am republishing this recipe from October 19, 2014 with photo and video updates.
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Hi Timothy, thanks so much. Take care and have a great weekend!
Writing again to say thank you for posting your puff pastry recipe. I have used a couple of other recipes, almost identical ingredients but your procedure is best. Made Napoleons, cut circles and pressed over inverted muffin tin for puff pastry “bowls” to fill, even made double crust pie – all came out fantastic. It is a quick and easy recipe, counting pulses seems to be spot on and there is no guessing if the butter and flour is the size of a pea or resembles crumbs. From the other reviews you have made a large number of us better bakers having mastered puff pastry for our recipes. My thanks times ten!
Hi B.B. thanks so much, I am so happy I could help out! Take care and have a great weekend!
This recipe is fantastic!! I am gluten intolerant but I can use non GMO flour from Europe. I have tried gluten free puff pastry and it is so disappointing. This recipe is fabulous, EASY, and so tasty. Thank you so much for creating!! I am sharing it with all of my family. I used on a chicken pot pie last night and it was so beautiful! Now, can you create a recipe for phyloo dough????
Hi Ann, thanks so much, so glad it worked so well for you. I will have to check that out. Take care!
Love this pastry recipe. So easy to prepare works o well, this will be my go to puff pastry.
Thank you
Hi Gay, thanks so much, so glad you like it. Take care and have a great weekend!
I used this to make homemade cream horns. Amazing recipe!!! 99% of the time it’s perfect, but sometimes it doesn’t hold form. Any thoughts on what I could be doing wrong?
Hi Amber, in order to help it hold the form better make sure the pastry is cold, if needed put them in the fridge before baking. Take care!
This is absolutely the BEST (and easiest) pastry recipe I’ve come across! So flaky and crispy!! I’ve always hand mixed but the food processor is the way to go in ensuring just enough mixing without making the dough tough. This is my new go-to recipe!
Hi Christine, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care!
I had to make a lot of pastry dishes for an event and couldn’t afford premade dough. So I decided to make it homemade for the first time. Even though I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right, I kept making more dough. I made five batches and every single one came out perfect!!!!!! Everyone loved them. I want to make more!
Hi Stephanie, thanks so much, so glad you and everyone like it. Take care!
Im getting ready to make a batch myself. I love the fact I can use the food processor! Like you, I too found the “already made” pastries too expensive and couldn’t find them in a store brand option. So im making it from scratch! I decided to make this because I like the cream cheese/strawberry pies from Micky Das, but they never have them ready and I dont have time to wait 12-14 minutes for one. It happened 3 times one week! That’s when I decided to make my own using puff pastry instead of pie dough. So much better! Now that I’m making it all from scratch, I can make them whenever I want!
I usually read comments for any tweaks that those who have made the recipe offer to help make it better, and these comments looked straightforward without any issues mentioned. Well, here is mine. Followed recipe exactly, fluffed the flour and measured 2 level cups, 1/2 cup ice water, counted the pulses exactly, and after 2 pulses the dough appeared to come together, so I stopped and went to press it together and roll out. But it was a crumbly mess and would not press or roll together. Used a light touch to not compress to much but finally was smashing my fists and the rolling pin into the dough. Treated it like concrete mix. I was able to fight the overwhelming urge to throw it out as my thrifty upbringing said not to waste, so I just tried to get the da*n thing rolled out as best as possible, bake and crumble for topping or whatever. Guess what? Even after abusing the dough (really smacked it around) it puffed higher than any other puff pastry I have made in the past and produced a flakey and tender product. Though it could have benn tough from rough handling (as happens with pie dough) it was light and tender. I was able to trim the sheet and fill with pastry cream and top with fresh fruit and it was wonderful. Writing to let others know this seems to have a forgiveness curve and although I do not know why it was crumbly (dry) after using correct measures, it still baked into a light and flakey pastry that looked exactly like professional bakery pastry. This will be my go-to recipe without question from now on and I extend my thank you for sharing it with everyone. As a P.S., two things: I did keep the dough cold, putting it in the fridge after each “punching” session, and I was able to see pieces of butter in the dough each time. Second, when dough finally seemed to be coming together, I did do the “letter fold” and turn technique a number of times as with regular puff pastry dough. Don’t know if this helped with the flakey layers I got but again, it rose high and was tender after all the man handling.
Hi BB when you find the dough (whatever dough) won’t come together add more liquid or as in the case more butter. Different flours absorb differently. Glad you liked though. Take care!
Making puff pastry seems like it shouldn’t be this easy. I used my stand mixer and it worked great! It puffed and browned beautifully in the oven, and had all those flaky layers you dream of. Not to mention the flavor real ingredients gives it compared to the storebought stuff.
Hi Mindy, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. I know so hard to believe it’s so easy! Take care!
This recipe is phenomenal and so easy to make. I have used it for danishes twice now and have been blown away by how incredible they’ve turned out both times. Will definitely forever be my go-to puff pastry recipe.
Hi Jess, thanks so much, so glad you enjoy the recipe. Take care!
Despite popular Italian belief (my husband is Italian) you don’t need to use butter. You can use margarine, cashew butter, or any plant based butter.
Hi Kari, that is true, but butter tastes better. I don’t use margarine so I don’t recommend that. Take care!
Make sure u use the right amount of butter and make sure it’s cold….
Mines never formed into a ball but after I took it out the processer I added more flour and it worked perfectly
Love this recipe, easy to follow no fuss and sooo good, flaky an buttery, thank you for sharing this recipe
Hi Ludwina, thanks so much and you’re welcome. Glad you like it. Take care!
Can you make this using a stand mixer and what attachment do I use? do I use the hook attachment to mix it? can I make the star bread and cinnamon twists out of this pastry? I want to make some fancy pastries for our christmas party this coming christmas so how do I go about it?
Hi Michelle, I would use the flat beaters but do not over beat, just to bring the dough together. And yes you can make both with it. Take care.
Rosemary, if making only half the recipe, should I get at least 15 crescents out of it – or more, or less?
I looked all over, but I didn’t see how many squares (or whatever shapes you make) the recipe will make approximately.
Thank you, I can’t wait to try!
Hi Christibe, I can’t really say it depends on how big you make them, half the recipe would make about 3/4 pound of dough. I don’t think you would get 15 though. Take care!