Homemade flaky puff pastry & Vegetable Puff

Homemade flaky puff pastry & Vegetable puff

Recipe from Thangam Philip’s Modern cookery Part- 2

Makes: 15

Ingredients

For Pastry Dough :

225 g refined flour ( maida )
170 g ghee
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
110 ml ice- cold water to mix
Extra 1 cup flour
1 beaten egg
Filling as desired

Method

1, Sieve flour and salt . Rub in 30 g ghee with flour and make a well. Take about 110 ml cold water , add lemon juice or vinegar in it and put into the well. Knead to a soft and smooth dough adding more water if necessary.

2, Keep the dough covered with wet cloth for 30 minutes. ( The dough should be kept in the fridge for summer ).

3, Cream ghee in order to make it smooth and free from lumps. Divide the remaining ghee into 3 parts.

4, Roll the dough into rectangular shape- make it as big as possible. Use plenty of dry flour to avoid stickiness.

5, Put one part of the ghee on 2/3 rd part of rolled dough, leaving 1/3 rd of the surface without any fat. Fold into 3, folding empty side first. Wrap in a grease proof paper and then in a wet cloth. Keep in the refrigerator again for 20 minutes.

6,Take out from refrigerator and roll it out into a rectangular shape. Apply the second lot of ghee on 2/3 rd of rolled dough as before. Fold in the same way and keep aside.

7, Repeat this process again the third lot of the ghee ( This will be the third rolling with the ghee).

8, Roll again once more into rectangular shape and fold into 3 without using any ghee. Keep to rest in fridge for at least 1 hour. Then it is ready to use. This type of dough is called flaky pastry dough.

Final procedure :

1, Now roll out flaky pastry dough into rectangular shape 1/4 - inch thick and cut out 5 - inch wide long strips. Place desired filling in the centre of each strip.

2, Apply water on the edges and fold into 2 to corner the filling. Cut this strip into equal portions.

3, If you want to make the puff into rectangular shape , roll the dough in square shape 3 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 inch. Keep the filling in the centre; apply water on the edges and fold and lightly coat with beaten egg.

4, Preheat oven ( OTG ) at 450 * F or 230 * C.

5, Place these puffs on a watered tray ( baking tray with little water on it is called ‘’ watered tray “ ). Bake first at 230 * C or 450 * F for about 10 minutes. Take out. Cool for 15 minutes and bake again at 180 * C for about 20 to 25 minutes or till puffs are golden brown.