# Puff Pastry...Need Help!!



## gbhunter (Oct 14, 2004)

I made a puff pastry earlier today and it was the right height, but when you went to cut it it was raw dough on the inside? I tried ccoking it longer but it only burnt the outside and inside was still raw dough. Am I doing something wrong? Can anybody help me with this problem?:chef:


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## larcito (Dec 13, 2005)

I know it sounds obvious but try dropping your temperature slightly. If that fails, mix your fat with a little flour (about 10%) and if you are putting sugar in your mix, cut that out to prevent overcaramelisation and consequent burning.

Hope this helps!


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

Is your puff pastry homemade or is it store bought? At what temperature did you bake it at?


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## gbhunter (Oct 14, 2004)

Its home made and I tried it at 400F


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## momoreg (Mar 4, 2000)

Try rolling it thinner, and if possible, put a sheet of parchment and a sheetpan over it for the first half of baking, then remove the pan. This will also help it rise more evenly.


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

I'd love to keep this thread here, but it really belongs on the Pastry board. (Thanks, momoreg, for coming over and helping out!  )


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## gbhunter (Oct 14, 2004)

I bought a store made puff pastry and they both came out the same.. But it seems my pastry is a little more greasy. Too much butter perhaps? Too much butter in the dough maybe? Butter has too high fat content? I used that Plurga european butter. Also it seems that mine required a little more heat to puff up to the same height. the dough inside is not raw its just looks like dough that has been dunked in oil.


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Start at 425 F, after you get rise, bring it down to 350 F, this will cook out the raw dough.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Cape Chef is right on. Puff really needs a kick to start. I wouldn't hesitate to go 450 conventional. You need to get the butter to fry those layers. And yes, drop it down. 
pan


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Panini, 

Just for clarifications purposes. the butter doesn't fry, it releases steam that acts as the leaven.Right ?


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## jock (Dec 4, 2001)

That's right. Also, while you are rolling the dough if it gets too warm the butter can "leak" out between the layers of flour. That's why your product ends up swimming in fat. 

I have heard that Plugra and other European style butters are much richer and have a lower water content than American butters and you need to cut down on the amount called for. I've only used it a few time for croisants (sp?) and I found that reducing it by 25% worked best.

Jock


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## castironchef (Oct 10, 2005)

Also, invest in a quality oven thermometer.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

CC,
Right, I ment, you just need to get the butter moving. If you don't get that internal heat soon enough, the butter in the middle will seep and get soggy. That's just from what I know and probably not fact.


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Temp is very important.

Your detrempe and butter need to be at the same temp when you do your first in-closure.When I teach this to my students I use buttered toast as an example.If your butter is to cold it will tear the toast, if to warm it will smear and leak through the toast (the way I like toast :lips: )so everything must be at the correct temp.Also, you must remember to retard your fuilliette at least 20/30 minutes between turns.


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## jock (Dec 4, 2001)

I don't mean to contradict you Cape Chef but I always thought the butter and detrempe should be the same firmness, not necessarily the same temperature. I mean, if they are both say, 50 degrees the butter will be quite firm but the detrempe will be fairly soft. To have them both the same firmness the detrempe should be colder than the butter, say 45 degrees to the butter's 60 degrees. What do you think?

Jock


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## gbhunter (Oct 14, 2004)

I will post the recipe.

I use 2 TBS (30 ml) of butter
2 cups of all-purpose flour
And I use cold water as needed

Sift the flour into a bowl and put the butter in it. Then I rub the butter into the flour until it’s all rubbed in. After that I add water a little at a time until the dough just comes together. I score the dough ball and put it in the fridge for a while. Then I start the rolling out procedure.

I just made another one today. Same problem I put in into and oven at 450 then after about 10 min I turn it down to 350. The pastry rose from like ¼ inch to like 4 inches!!! I took it out after it browned, and left it on a cooling rack, 10 minutes later I opened it up and the top and bottom layers were crispy but everything in the middle was greasy (more chewy then anything else)
For all I know this is what it is supposed to be like but I have no idea. When I made the store bought stuff it turned out similar but not quite as greasy. How much butter should be rolled into the actual pastry? 
So far I use about 6-6.5 OZ but should I go less? Any suggestions?


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## gbhunter (Oct 14, 2004)

Perhaps the inside of my pastry is so greasy because it does have too much butter? Perhaps there is more than can be evaporated at one time.. Also I did notice several ways of making the detrempe , some use butter and some do not. Also some kneed the dough till its smooth and others do not.. ARGH I’m so confused.


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