Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Partly-Sprouted Puff Pastry

Who new such a fancy treat could be so attainable in any ol’ kitchen?  I have been sad that Trader Joe’s no longer carries their all butter puff pastry. Other health food stores ask a steep price, while regular grocers only carry the hydrogenated types.  I always assumed it to be too complicated to make myself.  Although it turned out great my first try, it was after my second that I found my groove and decided this was a recipe to be made again and again.

I adapted this recipe for Peter Reinhart’s "Laminated Dough" in his cookbook Artisan Breads Everyday, which is a GREAT read.  Recently I made a double batch and have a nice stack in my freezer for quick dinners and desserts.  I canned some apple pie filling this fall, which means SUPER fast and easy apple turnovers!

¾ cup milk
¼ cup yogurt or kefir
½ cup water
2 tablespoons butter
2 ½ cups sprouted or whole grain flour
2 cups white flour (plus more for texture and rolling)
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoons yeast

Mix all ingredients in mixer with dough hook for 1 minute.  Add more white flour as necessary.  Dough should be very sticky, but not batter like. Knead an additional 1 minute.  Place dough in oiled bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight and up to 2 days.

Butter Block:  Just before removing dough from the fridge, cut up 1 ½ cups cold butter into ¼ inch pieces.  Whisk with 2 tablespoons sprouted flour, scraping down the sides as needed to make a smooth paste.  Form into a 6 inch square about ½ inch thick, smooth the top and square the corners.  Envelope in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Roll dough into a rectangle that is just wider than the 6 inch butter block and twice as long dusting the counter with white flour as needed.  Place butter block on one half of the rectangle and fold the other half over to encase.  Seal the edges by pinching all around the sides.  Rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. 

After rest time, roll dough to a large rectangle about 16 by 9 inches taking care to keep the butter inside the dough.  Fold dough into thirds, rest in refrigerator and repeat 2 more times.

After final rest, roll out dough to final thickness, depending on the recipe.  I like to roll out to ½ inch thick, cut into large squares and freeze between sheets of parchment.  The dough can always be rolled thinner once thawed.  This pastry should be risen slightly before baked at 400 degrees until golden brown, approximately 7 minutes.

links; Real Food Wednesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Top Ten Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Whole Foods for the Holiday's

13 comments:

  1. Hi Kara and welcome to the hearth and soul hop! I am now following your lovely blog and I really dig your tag line, so true, what good IS a healthy recipe if no one will eat it? Soooo true! I love that you figured out how to make something you used to buy at a store, and now it is much healthier and the accomplishment makes you feel so darn good! I will be bookmarking this recipe to try very soon. All the best! Alex@amoderatelife

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  2. I love it when I finally try and make something homemade and realize it wasn't so hard and so worth the effort! I can see that puff pastry is definitely one of those things for you! Thanks for sharing this with us at the hearth and soul hop!

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  3. Do you think this would work with Coconut oil and almond milk? Darn allergies : /

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  4. I think it would more likely work with palm shortening. Coconut oil never is smooth and pliable the way cold butter is. I would think the almond milk wouldn't matter so much. Let me know if you try it.

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  5. Have you tried this with all sprouted flour? I sprouted soft white wheat also, and was wondering why you think it wouldn't work to go all the way sprouted.

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  6. Anything whole grain is heavier since the fiber tends to cut holes in the gluten structure. Puff pastry is dependent on the dough's ability to stretch into thin sheets between thin sheets of butter. Without the gluten to hold those thin stretches of dough together, the butter would run out instead of letting the steam puff the pastry as it cooks. I am sure with all the butter, making this with 100% sprouted flour would still be tasty. It would not, however, resemble puff pastry.

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  7. I love your blog. My husband and I are really just beginning our real-food journey and we are loving it. I have a hard time cutting out sweets though. I'm also confused about all of this "sprouted business." What does that mean?

    itsallaboutalifestyle.blogspot.com

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  8. Sydney, take a look at this post http://goodlookingcook.blogspot.com/2009/08/home-sprouted-flour.html for the jist, or this one http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/12/sprouting-grains-2.html for the full run-down.

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  9. I was just lamenting recently how it is nearly impossible to find all-butter puff pastry in the store anymore . . . even our Whole Foods carries the brand with hydrogenated oils, ugh! I love that you made extra for your freezer and may have to add this to my project list! I've made layered doughs before via a Danish Braid, but not "puff pastry" specifically . . . thank you for the fantastic tutorial and recipe!

    Best,
    Sarah

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  10. You have to watch those health food stores! STILL have to read lables. Good catch, Sarah :)

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  12. Could one add in some Vital Wheat Gluten instead, thus being able to use 100% sprouted wheat flour and still hope to get a decent puff pastry that's deliciously healthy?

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  13. That might help, I am thinking that they would still be quite heavy. Let me know hiw it turns out.

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It's rude to eat and run. Humor me with conversation please!

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