How to make puff pastry rise?

Puff pastry is a highly recognized laminated dough in world confectionery. Its layers are achieved by folds or folds, which are called “turns.” The ingredients of this type of dough can be found in any kitchen: flour, water, butter, and salt. However, its preparation is not so simple, as it requires some dedication and some practice.

So, if you prepared puff pastry but it did not turn out as you expected or plan to do it for the first time, take a look at the best tricks on making puff pastry rise. You will be impressed with the result!

How to make puff pastry rise?

The puff pastry grows because the butter encased in its folds boils during baking, its moisture joins with the moisture of the dough and both condense, forming steam, which rises, pushing the sheets. But what happens when the puff pastry does not rise well? There are mainly 4 factors:

The inconsistent temperature in the process. During the preparation of puff pastry, you must maintain two constant temperatures: very cold during kneading and before baking; and very hot during baking. Both allow the correct development of the dough in its different stages and, therefore, favor obtaining a high and even puff pastry.

The incorrect temperature during baking. If you exceed 220 ° C, the puff pastry rises too fast. For this reason, it does not grow straight and tends to fall. On the contrary, if the temperature is below 220 ° C, development is slow, causing incomplete growth, cracking, and puffiness. In addition, knowing everything about how to bake puff pastry is very important because it can help you a lot since every detail counts at this stage of the preparation.

Inadequate kneading. Stretching the dough too far at the edges, leaving it too thin in general, bending it incorrectly, or putting too much pressure on it are wrong practices during kneading that will compress the dough and prevent it from growing.

Neglecting the details. Many things can negatively affect our dough: improper flour, a poorly cut, poor handling of the filling, etc. For this reason, it is very important to learn some tricks so that the puff pastry is crunchy and rises well!

Tricks to make the puff pastry rise well

Believe it or not, achieving a good puff pastry depends above all on the details. For this reason, we have put together the best tricks to make the puff pastry crispy and also rise well:

1. Use the appropriate flour. Strength flour is not suitable, as it is more difficult to stretch, laminate and requires more standing time. For its part, loose flour requires less resting and is easy to work during kneading, but it has more moisture and, if not properly subtracted from the recipe, it will not grow completely. It will crack and not puff. The ideal flour is 000, as it allows better lamination. It handles very well with the roller and requires almost no rest.
2. Rectify the temperature of the dough every time you handle it. The puff pastry must be very cold. If not, you must put it in the fridge before rolling the dough and stretching it. Cover it with plastic wrap every time it sits in the fridge.
3. The butter and the dough should be about the same temperature. When you put the butter into the dough, it won’t layer properly if it gets too soft. For this reason, consider this recommendation one of the most relevant among the tricks so that the puff pastry is crunchy and grows correctly.
4. Add the butter evenly and use the same thickness. Distribute it this way over the entire surface, so you will get the dough to rise the same on all sides.
5. Roll out the dough from the center to the edges. Avoid stretching it beyond that limit or the layers will be compressed. That is, due to the pressure exerted on the edges, the levels will not separate properly and consequently, the puff pastry will not rise.
6. Avoid pressing the dough too hard with the rolling pin as you roll it out. Manipulating it like this will also compress the layers.
7. Check the edges of the dough as you fold. Try to make them even and not overlap.
8. Use a sharp knife to cut through the puff pastry. If you use pasta cutters, prefer a thin edge one and never choose a pizza cutter for this task.
9. Cut the puff pastry cleanly and without pressing the edges. Make a dry cut, dropping the knife blade in a straight line. If the puff pastry is longer than the knife, lift it and place the tip exactly where you need to continue cutting. Never cut it as if you were slicing bread as you drag the dough. If you do not do this, although the center of the puff pastry is separated correctly, during baking, the edges will stick together and you will get a product with a pillow-like appearance.

If you have gotten a crooked piece, don’t worry. Straighten it carefully but quickly, because if it cools before, it will break.

How to make the puff pastry not fall?

Preparing puff pastry has its job. Why are we going to deny it, but once the work is done, the satisfaction is very great. But, can you imagine that during baking or when coming out of the oven, the puff pastry is lowered? Nobody wants that to happen. For this reason, the following tips and some tricks so that the puff pastry rises well and does not fall will serve you well:

• Respect the breaks of the dough and put it in the fridge. Otherwise, during baking, it will grow too large and will tend to collapse.
• No pastry overbake above 220 ° C. If you exceed this temperature, the puff pastry will rise too quickly. For this reason, it will not grow straight and will tend to fall.
• Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar. Open it about 5 centimeters for 10 minutes, so the steam will escape slowly, losing heat from the oven. Thanks to this trick, the puff pastry will not be exposed to a sudden change in temperature and, therefore, will keep its size.
• Let cool in a warm or lukewarm place. Avoid very drastic temperature contrast after taking it out of the oven. That is, neither excessively cold nor drafts.

What to do so that the puff pastry does not become soft?

You look at your work with emotion because the puff pastry has been perfect, tall, its growth is even, it is slightly golden, etc., now, you have to fill it, what could go wrong? Well, the most common factor in these cases is temperature. Thinking about this, below we will share with you some tricks so that the puff pastry does not soften, remains crunchy and grows properly.

Wait until the puff pastry has cooled down well. As soon as it comes out of the oven, put it on a rack and let it rest. This applies most of all too sweet preparations that have the filling on the outside. Refrigerate the dessert in the fridge. Once filled, keep it there until serving time.

Use only very cold and consistent fillings. This applies to both sweet and savory preparations. For savory fillings, use heavy cream or béchamel sauce to thicken them. This way, you avoid that the juices of the vegetables when cooking softens the dough. Consider this data among the most relevant among the tricks to make the puff pastry crunchy because it works very well in preparations such as spinach, artichokes, mushrooms, sautéed vegetables, etc.

If the puff pastry is to be served hot, reheat it in the oven at 180ºC. This way, the heat will be distributed evenly and the dough will not become soft.