Rye puff and rye flaky shortcrust pastries

Makes 830g Cakes, Bread and Pastries

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Method

Take the 70g butter out of the fridge, cut into 1cm cubes and leave to soften slightly for 10 minutes. Combine the water and vinegar in a jug. Put the flours, salt and butter cubes in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to break the butter into the flour until shards of butter the size of rolled oats are still visible. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the vinegar mixture and mix until the dough just comes together, being careful not to overwork it.

Flatten the dough into a rectangle around 1cm thick. Wrap and rest in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight.

Meanwhile, prepare the butter for laminating. Place the block between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll into a rectangle approx. 18 × 20 cm. Put in the fridge, still in the baking paper, for 2 hours, or overnight.

Remove the dough and rolled-out butter from the fridge around 30 minutes before you laminate the pastry – it should be malleable but not too soft.

To laminate the pastry, lightly dust your worktop with flour and lay the dough rectangle with one short side parallel with the edge of the worktop. Roll the dough away from you to form a rectangle measuring 20 × 40cm, still with the short side closest to you.

Put the rolled-out butter block in the middle of the dough, with the 20cm side of the butter parallel with the worktop. Fold both free short sides of the dough over the top of the butter so they meet in the middle, encasing the butter. Lightly pinch the ends together to seal (the seam should run parallel with the worktop).

Rotate the dough block 90 degrees so the seam is now perpendicular to the worktop. Using your rolling pin, gently press or stamp along the length of the dough to make it more malleable. Roll the dough away from you to form a 20 × 40cm rectangle, again with one short side parallel with the worktop. Starting from the side closest to you, fold the bottom third of the dough into the middle, then the top third over the top of that, as if folding a letter. Transfer to the fridge for 20 minutes.

Put the dough on the worktop with the open seam on your right-hand side and perpendicular to the edge of the worktop. Roll the dough away from you to form a 20 × 40cm rectangle. Fold the bottom third of the dough into the middle, then the top third over the top of that, as if folding a letter. Repeat this step until you have completed four single (or letter) folds in total. Put the pastry in the fridge for 1 hour after every two folds to keep the butter from getting too soft. If you have kept the pastry in the fridge for more than 1 hour, allow to stand for 10–15 minutes before continuing.

Once all four folds are done, wrap your pastry and rest it in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight. It will keep for 3–4 days in the fridge, or up to 1 month in the freezer.

To make rye flaky shortcrust pastry, use the recipe above, replacing wholemeal spelt flour with 180g rye flour and increasing the quantity of plain flour to 170g.

This recipe was taken from the October 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.