Quick Blitz Puff Pastry

This quick homemade puff pastry is made of flour, butter, water, and salt. Equal amounts of butter and flour create the flaky, delicate layers that are so well-loved for both sweet and savory recipes. Learn a few simple tricks that can take this from a laborious project to an effortless afternoon in the kitchen!

If you love baking at home, I’ve got some other posts you’ll appreciate. These are the best buttermilk biscuits – I promise! Plus, you’ve got to try this hot cross buns recipe and this homemade pita bread recipe.

What is Puff Pastry?

Puff pastry is a flaky pastry dough that is made of sheeting lean dough and a slab of butter. With each repeated fold and chill time the dough is stretched into thin, thin layers of alternating dough and butter.

When baked the butter melts and creates steam which in turn expands and “puffs” the space between the layers of the dough. Thus the name “puff pastry”. 

Blitz Puff Pastry

So, what is Blitz puff pastry? Blitz puff pastry is your easy homemade version of the traditional puff pastry. To achieve the same puffed layers, the frozen butter is shredded into thin long strands that help create those same layers.

This method doesn’t require the extra chill time between repeated folds, hence the word “blitz” so we’re able to enjoy the puff pastry quicker than you would be able to with the original puff pastry recipe.

I use blitz puff pastry for both savory and sweet recipes. You really can’t go wrong either way!

As it bakes, air pockets form in between all those layers and create an irresistible dough.

This apple turnover was made with this easy blitz puff pastry. So buttery, so flaky, so good! Use this puff pastry recipe to make the easiest Apple Turnovers (just puff pastry, apples and sugar) like this one.

Quick Puff Pastry

I love having some of this quick puff pastry in the freezer because it allows me to make the most delicious desserts or appetizers at a minute’s notice. You could even say it’s one of my secret weapons!

You could just buy the store- bought puff pastry but it tends to leave a nasty film in the mouth when you’re eating it. This is because they often use margarine in place of butter along with another array of ingredients.

Margarine has a higher melting point, which is why the margarine-based pastry leaves a film on the roof of the mouth while the butter pastry doesn’t.

This quick puff pastry recipe is so lightweight and tender. It has a beautiful mouthfeel—you’ll instantly taste the difference! It doesn’t compare to store-bought and once you see just how simple it is to make at home, you’ll have no reason to ever try anything else.

While the store-bought version is convenient, the taste doesn’t compare at all to the homemade.

Pro-Tips for Beautiful, Flaky Easy Puff Pastry:

• Cold ingredients – the pieces of butter must stay in small chunks to create the signature flakiness. Warm ingredients or even warm hands can melt the butter into the flour, which will create more of a cookie texture rather than a flaky texture.
• Uniform butter pieces: this easy puff pastry recipe can be made by cutting the butter into the flour using a blender, a knife, or even a pastry cutter. But, from my experience, using a cheese grater creates the best texture. This is because the grater makes the same thickness butter pieces, which helps to form uniform flaky layers.
• Sift the flour: sifting will help to aerate the flour and get rid of any flour clumps. This in turn will minimize the amount of mixing the dough will need. Less mixing = less handling = less breaking up of butter pieces = flakier puff pastry.
• Let it rest: resting the dough after bringing it together will give the flour time to absorb all the liquid and form gluten bonds which will manifest themselves as beautiful layers when baked.
  Also, allowing the shaped pastries to rest in the fridge before baking will prevent them from shrinking in the oven and help to keep their shape.The extra rest time will allow the gluten to relax, which prevents shrinkage. The chill time will firm up the butter between the layers, which will help the pastries keep their shape when baking.
• Use a sharp knife: when cutting the puff pastry make sure your knife is sharp so that there’s no “drag” as you make the cut. Dragging seals the layers together. A sharp confident cut helps to keep the layer separate.
• Stay off the edges: When brushing the pastries with the egg wash stay away from the edges. The egg wash can hinder the formation of separate layers.
• Keep it flat: make sure to poke the dough with a fork or to place another baking sheet on top when baking for recipes that require flat layers (like the Napoleon cake) to prevent unsightly and uneven pockets of air.

Recipe at a Glance: How to Make Puff Pastry

I use blitz puff pastry for both savory and sweet recipes. You really can’t go wrong either way!

For detailed recipe instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Whisk together flour and salt.
• Then, grate in butter, and toss into the flour.

• In a separate bowl, mix together water and white vinegar.
• Next, drizzle the water/vinegar mixture into the flour/butter mixture from above.
• Mix and stir until you get a shaggy dough (see the image below for a visual).

• Dump the dough onto your working surface.
• Flatten it slightly, then visually divide the dough into thirds.
• Create envelope folds in the dough until it becomes more malleable.
• Roll out the dough, repeat the folds, then store it in the fridge covered in plastic wrap for about an hour. After that the dough can be rolled out and used for a recipe. Or, continue to next step to improve the texture even further.

• Remove the plastic from the dough, then repeat the folds 4-5 more times.
• Freeze the dough. To use it, remove it from the freezer and let it come to room temperature. Then use as the recipe dictates.

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe with precise ingredient amounts.

Now use your puff pastry dough to make one of the following Desserts:

• Easy Apple Turnovers
• Puff Pastry Berries and Cream Tarts
• Russian Napolean Cake
• Honeycomb Puff Pastry Cherry Cake
• Russian Napolean with Pastry Cream
• Raspberry Cheesecake Danish

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Quick Puff Pastry Recipe

5 from 11 votes

This quick homemade puff pastry is made of flour, butter, water, and salt. Equal amounts of butter and flour create the flaky, delicate layers that are so well-loved for both sweet and savory recipes.

Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: blitz puff pastry, quick puff pastry

Calories: 605 kcal

Prep Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups unsalted butter cold or frozen
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

How to make the quick blitz puff pastry dough

1. Makes about 2 1/2 lbs of puff pastry dough, or two thick 12"x12" squares, which is equivalent to 4 store-bought puff pastry sheets.

   Flour & Butter: In a large bowl whisk 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons of salt. Then, grate 2 cups of cold or frozen butter, tossing the shreds of butter in flour as you grate.

2. Water & Vinegar: in a separate cup stir 1 tablespoon of white vinegar with 1 cup of cold water.

3. Combine: Drizzle the cold water mixture over the flour and butter mixture while tossing and pressing it together with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring and mixing until you get a shaggy dough with the flour mostly incorporated. Avoid handling the dough with hands as much as possible, the warmth of the hands will melt the butter and produce inferior puff pastry.

4. Fold: Then, invert the dough from the bowl onto your working surface and using a bench scraper flatten the mixture slightly.

   Visually divide the dough into 3. Fold the 1/3 furthest away from yourself towards the middle third, then fold the 1/3 closest to yourself over the middle. Then press down sith a rolling pin to flatten. Keep repeating until the mixture comes together into a dough.

   The dough will start out very shaggy and become more and more maliable, doughlike with each fold. Once it comes together into a dough, roll it out, repeat the folds, then flatten, cover with plastic wrap and refrigrate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

5. Use the dough or make it even better: after the resting period in the fridge the dough can be used for any recipe that uses a puff pastry.

   Or, to improve the texture and flakiess of the dough continue with the next steps.

6. Repeat the folds: unwrap the dough, repeat the folds sequence 4-5 more times then rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour and use as desired or per recipe.

   Make sure to flour the surface minimally as you work/fold, as it can make the dough too heavy.

7. To freeze: roll the dough into two 12"x12" inch squares, generously dust with flour, place a parchment paper on top and fold each square envelop style. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and freeze.

   To thaw: leave at room temp until pliable and you can unwrap the folds. Use as directed in the recipe.

Recipe Notes

Pro-Tips for Beautiful, Flaky Easy Puff Pastry:

• Cold ingredients - the pieces of butter must stay in small chunks to create the signature flakiness. Warm ingredients or even warm hands can melt the butter into the flour, which will create more of a cookie texture rather than a flaky texture.
• Uniform butter pieces: this easy puff pastry recipe can be made by cutting the butter into the flour using a blender, a knife, or even a pastry cutter. But, from my experience, using a cheese grater creates the best texture. This is because the grater makes the same thickness butter pieces, which helps to form uniform flaky layers.
• Sift the flour: sifting will help to aerate the flour and get rid of any flour clumps. This in turn will minimize the amount of mixing the dough will need. Less mixing = less handling = less breaking up of butter pieces = flakier puff pastry.
• Let it rest: resting the dough after bringing it together will give the flour time to absorb all the liquid and form gluten bonds which will manifest themselves as beautiful layers when baked.
  Also, allowing the shaped pastries to rest in the fridge before baking will prevent them from shrinking in the oven and help to keep their shape. The extra rest time will allow the gluten to relax, which prevents shrinkage. The chill time will firm up the butter between the layers, which will help the pastries keep their shape when baking.
• Use a sharp knife: when cutting the puff pastry make sure your knife is sharp so that there's no "drag" as you make the cut. Dragging seals the layers together. A sharp confident cut helps to keep the layer separate.
• Stay off the edges: When brushing the pastries with the egg wash stay away from the edges. The egg wash can hinder the formation of separate layers.
• Keep it flat: make sure to poke the dough with a fork or to place another baking sheet on top when baking for recipes that require flat layers (like the Napoleon cake) to prevent unsightly and uneven pockets of air.

Nutrition Facts

Quick Puff Pastry Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 605 Calories from Fat 423

% Daily Value*

Fat 47g72%

Saturated Fat 29g181%

Trans Fat 2g

Cholesterol 122mg41%

Sodium 590mg26%

Potassium 68mg2%

Carbohydrates 40g13%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 1419IU28%

Calcium 23mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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