Puff pastry

[MitroP]

Puff pastry needs usually 5 single folds to be made and the recipe lasts ,very often, for more than a day (including overnight rest). Why can't we apply 2 double folds and 1 single fold (which makes up for 5 single turns, at least technically)?

Moreover can we make the invert puff pastry with the same principles as the traditional recipe but with single folds only? Why?

Any answers are welcome.

 

[chefross]

The dough needs the combination of multi folds and resting after each fold so you'll get the results you want. Good things come to those that wait.

 

[foodpump]

You can make puff with double folds, no one said it has to be only single.

It’s important to rest in between folds for two reasons:
1) The butter needs to be cold, if it gets too warm I it squishes and smears in between the layers.
2) The dough is just flour and water, it is very elastic. When you roll it out it stretches and it naturally wants to pull back to its former shape. If you do too many folds in quick succession you have a lot of tension built into the dough and it will behave badly— ie: cut out round pieces of dough going oval in the oven, contorted shapes after baking.

Hope this helps

 

[chefwriter]

Well the others have given some good advice. I'll just add, you can't do that because you can't.
Every time I hear questions about puff pastry it's always about how to speed it up in some way. What if I did this, what if I did that? I think all of those concerns miss the point.
Making puff pastry well means developing patience, paying attention to detail and learning to focus solely on what you are doing in the moment. When you finally get it finished and it reacts like it's supposed to, it's a thing of beauty that You created by putting in the necessary time and effort.
If it doesn't react like it's supposed to, it's flaws are the direct result of something you didn't do well at some point in the process. That includes the entirety of making the dough, cutting it evenly with a very sharp knife as well as making sure you pre heat the oven and that your oven is calibrated. Every single step is important.
With so many other things in cooking a bit of "personality" won't really affect the outcome of the dish in any substantial way. The beauty of making puff pastry is that it is completely unforgiving and that forces you to do it right all the way through. It's one of the best culinary teachers you can give yourself.

 

[retiredbaker]

Most bakers only follow what they were taught.
Its good to question methods and try to find a better way.

I video'd a small batch of reverse dough, I prefer to mix my own weak flour but AP works too.
It took less than 25 minutes from ingredients to finished,
5x3 folds.
I started with a 5 fold instead of the typical method.

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Puff pastry needs usually 5 single folds to be made and the recipe lasts ,very often, for more than a day (including overnight rest). Why can't we apply 2 double folds and 1 single fold (which makes up for 5 single turns, at least technically)?

Moreover can we make the invert puff pastry with the same principles as the traditional recipe but with single folds only? Why?

Any answers are welcome.

 

[retiredbaker]

Puff pastry needs usually 5 single folds to be made and the recipe lasts ,very often, for more than a day (including overnight rest). Why can't we apply 2 double folds and 1 single fold (which makes up for 5 single turns, at least technically)?

Moreover can we make the invert puff pastry with the same principles as the traditional recipe but with single folds only? Why?

Any answers are welcome.

Not so fast there, 2x4 +1 only gives you <150> layers.
Do the arithmetic.
If you start with dough butter dough thats 3.
x4 = 12
x4 = 48
x3 = 144
Not even close.

To help things along 5 fold the initial condition of butter into the dough or dough into butter if making reverse puff. But you'll still come up short.

If you start with a 5 fold and add 5 single turns you get 1200+.
If you start with a 3 fold initially you need 6 folds to go over 1000.
It also helps to add a bit of fat to the dough, oil, butter marg etc, lubrication I'm told.

 

[MitroP]

Thanks for the info! I guess that puff pastry indeed requires patience and care. No rush!