To make the finest puff pastry, with many delicate layers as shown below in this final product of a Strawberry Turn - Over
This Fine Puff Paste recipe is from the middle 1800's or earlier. The butter and lard are to be measured as a "teacup" which is a scant 3/4 cup.
The taste is unique and is more like a pie crust taste, yet having a light layered texture structure.
To begin I get all of my ingredients ready. In a previous post on this web site I show how to make beef tallow (beef lard) from beef suet.
Fine Puff Paste
Here is what you will need;
4 cups of All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
1 teaspoon of Salt
Teacup (Scant 3/4 cup) of Beef Tallow (Beef Lard) Cold and Hard
Teacup (Scant 3/4) cup of Butter Very Soft
1/2 cup of ICE Cold Water
1 egg white beaten well
Measure out the flour and Sift it, to this add the baking soda and salt, mix in well with a fork. Sift this mixture 3 more times.
Rub the beef tallow into the flour, salt, baking soda mixture until all the pieces of tallow have been rubbed in.
This will make a paste material that will stick together when squeezed, but will fall apart when touched.
Note: this is not like making biscuits you want to make sure all the pieces of lard are rubbed in until it is a fine, smooth, and even consistancy.
Mix the beaten egg white with the 1/2 cup of ICE COLD water, now slowly stir this into the paste forming a dough which will be crumbly, but when pressed together will make a stiff dough. Form the dough together by pressing it.
On a floured surface use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin sheet.
After you have rolled it out, spread it with about 1/4 of the teacup of soft butter. Sprinkle with a dusting of flour.
Roll up the dough starting at one end
Pinch the ends with a knife hand strike
Tuck the ends under to make a nice roll with the ends sealed.
Now with the rolling pin, roll out again to a large thin sheet and repeat the steps until all the butter is used up.
Note: You may roll any direction you wish to.
After you have used up the remaining butter, follow the same steps to roll up the dough into a scroll. Pinch the ends and flatten out into about 1/2 inch (1 cm) with the rolling pin. You can cut into two square pieces and stack with wax paper between each layer. Place in refrigerator wrapped in wax paper for an hour or two to cool down before final rolling and shaping.
Now you have the best Puff Pastry to make your dishes with. This is for use with pastry style baking and not make for pies. I have a recipe for pies which is strikingly different.
Turn Overs with this Puff Paste in the next Post.