Inverse Puff Pastry

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Ingredients:

  Beurre Manié

  200 grams unsalted butter

    (84% butterfat), chilled

  100 grams bread flour

  Water Dough

  150 grams flour

  85 ml water

  5 grams sea salt

  Egg Wash

  1 egg (50 grams), beaten  2 egg yolks (40 grams), beaten

  1/4 cup milk

Preparation:

Work the flour and butter together with your hands to make beurre manié.  Roll into a rectangle and cover with plastic wrap.  Chill in refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Make the water dough by shaping the flour into a mound on a cool surface and making a well in the center.  Pour the water into the well and add the salt.  Working with your finger tips, gradually draw the flour into the well so it absorbs the water.  Using a pastry scraper, work the ingredients together to make a smooth dough.  Gather together and shape into a ball.  Make criss-cross cuts in the top of the dough with a knife to relax it. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

CHILL COUNTER TOP WITH GEL PACKS

Roll the dough into a rectangle 8 inches by 12 inches.  Soften the beurre manié with a rolling pin and roll into a rectangle the same width but twice the length of the dough.

Enclose the dough by folding the beurre manié over it, pressing firmly down on all sides to seal the edges.  Lightly dust the work surface with flour.  Roll the dough into a rectangle 10 inches by 24 inches.  Fold the dough ends to center then fold in half to make 4 layers or a a double turn.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 to 40 minutes.

CHILL COUNTER TOP WITH GEL PACKS

Place the dough on the floured work surface, making sure the flap is on one side.  Roll it out and fold in 4 again.  At this stage, the dough has undergone 4 turns.  Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 30 to 40 minutes.

CHILL COUNTER TOP WITH GEL PACKS

Palmier:

Make egg wash by combining egg, yolks and milk.  Cover and set aside.

Making sure the flap is on one side, roll out the dough again and sprinkle with superfine sugar.  Fold in thirds.   This is the 5th turn.  Cover in plastic wrap and chill 30 to 40 minutes before using.

CHILL COUNTER TOP WITH GEL PACKS

Roll dough into a 10 inch by 32 inch rectangle, sprinkle with more sugar.  Fold ends almost to the center.  Fold ends to center and press center with rolling pin.  Fold in half and wrap with plastic wrap.  Freeze for 30 minutes.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove from freezer and cut half inch slices.  Place cut side down on buttered cookie sheet.  Brush with egg wash.  Bake 10 minutes then turn palmier over.  Bake another 10 minutes until browned.  Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.

Variation:

Six tartlettes can be made from the same dough.  Make the 5th turn without adding sugar.  Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. Chill counter top then roll out dough large enough to cut six 6 inch scalloped rounds.  Roll center of round; brush edges with egg wash and place tablespoon of jam in center.  Fold in half and seal edges.  Turn over and place on cookie sheet.  Brush with egg wash and chill another 30 minutes.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove from refrigerator, brush with egg wash again then cut design in top with knife and pierce dough 5 times to let steam escape.  Place in oven and turn oven down to 375 degrees.  When done, remove from oven and brush with simple syrup glaze.

History:

I received the French Patisserie cookbook from Ellen (my granddaughter) for Christmas 2019.  These recipes are from this cookbook.

Arlette

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Makes 9 pastries.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

60 gr. strong white bread flour

60 gr. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

40 gr. unsalted butter, melted

50 ml cold water

For the butter layer:

125 gr. unsalted French butter, room temperature

25 gr. strong white bread flour

25 gr. all-purpose flour

For the filling:

50 gr. granulated sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preparation:

Put the flours, salt, butter and cold water in a bowl and gently mix to form an even dough with your fingers.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth.  Shape the dough into a 5 inch square, wrap in cling wrap and chill for an hour or freeze for 20-30 minutes. 

For the butter layer, cream the butter and flours together using an electric mixer.  Sandwich the mixture between two sheets of cling wrap and roll out to a rectangle (the same width as the dough) but twice as long 5 inch by 10 inch.  Chill in the fridge for 25 minutes.

Unwrap the chilled dough and butter layer.   Place the chilled butter sheet, short end facing towards you on a lightly floured surface and place the square of dough in the center of the butter sheet.  Make sure it is positioned neatly and covers almost to the edges.  Lift the top of the exposed butter sheet and fold it down over the dough, then fold the exposed butter sheet at the top, so the dough is completely enclosed in the butter sheet.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, short end towards you.  Roll out to a 6 inch by 12 inch rectangle, keeping the edges as even as possible.  Fold the top quarter down and the bottom quarter up to meet in the center.  Then fold the dough in half along the center line.  This is called a book turn.  Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 25 minutes. 

Remove the dough from the fridge and make another book turn.  Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 25 minutes.

For the filling, mix the granulated sugar and the cinnamon together in a bowl.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle as before and sprinkle over the sugar.

Make another book turn to incorporate the sugar, then roll out the pastry to 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick, to a rectangle 5 inch by 8 inch.  Roll up the pastry from the short end like a Swiss roll.  Wrap in cling wrap and chill for 25 minutes.

Preheat the Convection oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. 

Trim the ends of the roll and cut into nine 1/2 inch thick slices with a very sharp knife, dental floss or spectra fishing line.  Dust the work surface heavily with confectioner's sugar and roll each piece of dough out very thinly to an oval (1/8 inch), turning to coat in the sugar and to prevent sticking.  Place the pastries on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 5 to10 minutes or until pastry is beginning to crisp.  Turn pastry over and cook another 5 to 10 minutes (2 minutes at a time) or until golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

History:

This recipe comes from the Great British Bake Off.