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