Puff Paste

Ingredients

• 1 lb. flour
• 1 lb. fresh butter
• Lemon-juice

Method

1. 1

   Pass the flour through a hair-sieve, and dry it; put it into a basin; add the juice of half a lemon strained, and enough cold water to mix to a damp paste; turn the paste on to a floured board, and work it heavily with the palms of the hands till it is quite smooth; then flour a heavy rolling-pin, and roll it out in any direction to about a quarter of an inch in thickness.

2. 2

   Take the butter, put it into a clean, soft cloth, and press all the moisture from it; lay it in the middle of the paste, and cover it over tightly so as to seal the butter into the paste; then roll it out to about half a yard in length, being careful not to roll over the edges or to let the butter appear.

3. 3

   Fold the paste evenly in three, place it on a floured paper or sieve, and put it aside in a very cool place for fifteen minutes; then bring it to the board again, and roll it twice in the same manner, folding each time in three, and turning it half-way round; put it aside for fifteen minutes, and then give it two more turns, put it away for fifteen minutes, and finally, give it two more turns, making seven turns in all.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Chambers's cookery for young housewives (1894) by Annie M. Griggs, page 57. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

PUFF PASTE. 101 in the centre with any jam or preserved fruit. Decorate the top of the jam with narrow crossbars of flaky paste, or stamped leaves. Bake for half an hour. A FISH PIE. Lemon-juice. Flaky paste made with 10 oz. flour. Salt. Skin and fillet the sole ; half cook the fillets, let them get cold, and cut them in small pieces ; cut the eggs in small pieces also, and mix together the fish, eggs, Cayenne pepper, salt, and lemon-juice. Boll the paste to a square, and trim the edges ; wet the corners, and place the fish, &c. in the middle ; bring all the corners of the paste to the centre, making them overlap each other ; brush each section of the pastry with beaten egg, but do not touch the edges. Put the pie on a flat baking-tin, and place it in a brisk oven for about half an hour. Serve on a hot dish with a folded napkin, and garnish with parsley or curled cress. PUFF PASTE. i lb. flour. | i lb. fresh butter

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.