After offering you two new galette des rois (King cake) recipes (hazelnut lemon and pecan, caramelised apple), it was high time I published the recipe for the puff pastry I used to make them. It’s a basic recipe that may seem scary at first, but believe me when I tell you it isn’t as difficult as all that.
Here, I chose to make an inverse puff pastry following Christophe Felder’s recipe and the video tips from La pâte de Dom. If the photo explanations aren’t enough for you, I strongly encourage you to watch Dominique’s video, which is very well done (like all his videos, for that matter).
In the past, I’d already made a puff pastry and an inverse puff pastry, but without much conviction. I have to admit that bread baking isn’t really my thing. Last year, I’d actually given up on making it and bought François puff pastry (excellent quality), which you can find online or at G Detou. You should know that it’s easier to make an inverse puff pastry because here, the butter is on the outside. So no risk of the butter escaping. Despite a few cracks (probably due to the cold), I found the dough pleasant to work with. In the end, I got a bit carried away and made this recipe 5 times. So I got 20 blocks of dough, enough to make 10 galettes if the mood takes me (puff pastry freezes very well). You can of course make other treats: millefeuilles, pies, little sweet or savoury pastries…
Taste-wise, you’ll see that inverse puff pastry just melts in the mouth. Try it and you’ll be hooked! Find all the tips and tricks for successful inverse puff pastry at the end of the article ????
Laminating Tips
1) To work puff pastry correctly, the room must not be too warm (otherwise the butter will melt). Ideally, the temperature should be around 21°C / 70°F.
2) The resting times between folds are absolutely non-negotiable. I know — it’s a long wait, even a bit tedious… but it’s what guarantees the success of your pastry and its rise during baking. Plan to make it over 2 days!
3) Be careful not to overwork the détrempe at the start. You would be developing the gluten in the flour, making the dough too elastic (which risks it shrinking during baking).
4) The beurre manié and the détrempe must have the same texture. This is why it’s better to remove the beurre manié from the fridge before the détrempe.
Baking Tips
1) Chiquetage: this involves notching the edge of the galette with the back of a small knife to seal the pastry discs firmly together and prevent the galette from opening. Until now, I’ve always done this, whether with homemade or shop-bought puff pastry. This year, I decided to drop this technique to avoid distorting the edges. There is admittedly a small risk of the galette opening if the discs haven’t been sealed properly… but the result without chiquetage is beautiful, I think!
2) The trick for a perfectly flat-topped galette is to prevent it from rising uncontrollably during baking. There are two ways to do this. Personally, I bake the galette in the middle of the oven, lay a sheet of baking paper on top and place the drip tray on the rack above. I leave it to bake for 30 minutes, then remove the drip tray and the baking paper and continue baking. The other method involves placing an object approximately 4 cm (1.6 in) tall (oven-safe, obviously) at each of the four corners of the baking tray. You then place a sheet of baking paper over the galette, followed by another tray with a weight on top.
3) For a beautifully shiny galette, brush it with a sugar syrup. It’s very simple: place 20 g (0.7 oz) of sugar and 20 g (0.7 oz) of water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. When the galette comes out of the oven, use a brush to apply the sugar syrup. Guaranteed shine!
Ingredients & method
11 components · Full recipe
Butter-Flour Mixture (beurre manié)
Ingredients
- 375 g (13.2 oz) tourage butter (or dry AOC butter)
- 150 g (5.3 oz) T45 flour
Method
1
Using a 30×80 cm (31.5 in) sheet of baking paper, prepare a template measuring 20×36 cm (14.2 in).
2
Place the sifted flour in the bowl of a stand mixer.
3
Cut the softened butter into small cubes and add to the flour.
4
Mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until a creamy result is obtained. Gradually increase the speed until a smooth, homogeneous ball of dough forms.
5
Place the beurre manié in the centre of the 20×36 cm (14.2 in) template and use a rolling pin to create a flat slab of butter. Once the butter is evenly spread within the baking paper, press down with a baking tray to flatten it uniformly.
6
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Détrempe
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) cold mineral water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 15 g (0.5 oz) fleur de sel (his updated recipe states 18 g (0.6 oz))
- 350 g (12.3 oz) T55 flour
- 115 g (4.1 oz) melted and cooled butter
Method
1
Using a 30×40 cm (15.7 in) sheet of baking paper, prepare a template measuring 15×18 cm (7.1 in).
2
In a bowl, melt the butter in the microwave, then leave to cool completely.
3
Pour the sifted flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
4
In a glass, dissolve the fleur de sel and white vinegar in the mineral water.
5
Add the contents of the glass to the flour and mix on low speed for a few moments.
6
Add the cooled butter and continue mixing until a smooth, homogeneous dough forms. This takes a few minutes. Be careful not to overwork the gluten from the start, as the pastry will shrink during baking.
7
Place the détrempe in the centre of the 15×18 cm (7.1 in) template and use a rolling pin to roll it out evenly. You can also press down with a baking tray to obtain a regular rectangle.
8
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Laminating
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
After at least 2 hours in the fridge, remove the beurre manié, then 30 minutes later remove the détrempe. The two dough pieces should have the same texture.
2
Place the détrempe in the centre of the beurre manié. Carefully fold the edges of the beurre manié over the détrempe, using the baking paper to help.
3
Seal all openings.
4
If the butter is not too soft, begin laminating. If the butter is melting under your fingers, refrigerate the dough for 10–15 minutes.
First Double Fold
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Lightly flour the work surface.
2
Using the rolling pin, press on the seam in the centre and at the edges. Start by pressing gently on the dough to extend it evenly.
3
Gradually roll the dough out into a regular rectangle. Don’t hesitate to tap the edges for more regularity. Fold the top quarter down and the bottom quarter up. Fold in half again. This is what is called a double fold or book fold. In my case, the dough may have been a little too cold and there were a few cracks. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2nd Double Fold (same as the 1st)
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Lightly flour the work surface.
2
Place the dough in front of you in the same orientation as after the 1st fold, then rotate a quarter turn (for me, the layered edge is on the left and the sealed fold is on the right). Start by pressing gently on the dough to extend it evenly.
3
Gradually roll the dough out into a regular rectangle. Don’t hesitate to tap the edges for more regularity. Fold the top quarter down and the bottom quarter up. Fold in half again. This is the second double fold. You can mark the dough with your fingers (two marks = one double fold, two more marks = a second double fold). Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3rd Single Fold
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Lightly flour the work surface.
2
Place the dough in front of you in the same orientation as after the 1st fold, then rotate a quarter turn (for me, the layered edge is on the left and the sealed fold is on the right).
3
Start by pressing gently on the dough to extend it evenly.
4
Gradually roll the dough out into a regular rectangle. Don’t hesitate to tap the edges for more regularity. Fold the top third down and then the bottom third up. This is what is called a single fold. You can mark the dough with a finger (one mark = one single fold). Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 2 hours before use. You can also cut this dough into 4 equal portions and freeze them.
Galette Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Lightly flour the work surface.
2
Roll the first dough portion out to 3 mm thick. Make sure the dough is not sticking to the work surface.
3
Do the same with the second portion.
4
Place both rolled-out pastry sheets in the fridge for about 1 hour. The pastry will tend to retract slightly. Roll it out again gently without forcing it.
5
Check with a 24 cm (9.4 in) ring that the pastry is the right size. Pipe the filling in the centre in a regular spiral, leaving 3 cm (1.2 in) free around the edge. Now is the moment to add the fève, near the outside 🙂
6
Using a pastry brush, moisten the edges of the galette with a little water on the 3 cm (1.2 in) of free space you left. Carefully place the second pastry sheet on top and position the upper layer correctly.
7
Press all around the edge of the galette to seal the two pastry discs together. I also press with a non-cutting ring. Place the 24 cm (9.4 in) ring on top and trim the excess pastry to make it easier to handle. Do not throw away the trimmings — they can be used for other preparations (see tips and tricks below).
8
Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
9
Replace the 24 cm (9.4 in) ring on the galette and, using a scalpel or small paring knife, cut cleanly around the edge. Be careful not to press with the ring, as this would crush the layers (which would be a shame after all this work!). Return to the freezer for 20 minutes.
10
Straight from the freezer, turn the galette over and, using a pastry brush, glaze the top with a mixture of egg yolk and cream. Do not apply the egg mixture to the edges, as this would prevent the pastry from rising (that would also be a shame!). Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
11
Apply a second coat of egg and cream glaze.
12
Find the centre of the galette and make a small hole there, then create your chosen pattern using the back of a small knife or a cocktail stick, being careful not to pierce the pastry (you can use the central hole as a starting point). Pierce a few holes in the top of the galette (in the grooves) to prevent it from puffing up too much during baking.
13
Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Baking the Inverted Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F fan-assisted.
2
Place the galette in the middle of the oven, lay a sheet of baking paper on top and put the drip tray on the rack above. This will keep the top of the galette completely flat and prevent it from puffing up unevenly.
3
Bake for 30 minutes, then at the end of this first bake, carefully remove the drip tray and then the sheet of baking paper.
4
Continue baking for a further 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160°C / 325°F and continue for another 5 minutes (or longer if needed).
5
Once out of the oven, transfer the galette to a wire rack.
6
For a shiny finish, simply brush with a sugar syrup.
Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients
- T45 flour: This is also a “strong” flour, generally used for preparations requiring an elastic or leavened dough. It is the most common type and works for all preparations (choux pastry, bread, pizza, brioche, crêpes, viennoiseries, financiers-type cakes…)
- T55 flour: This is a “weak” flour, used when you want a less elastic dough, particularly for pastry cases (shortcrust, sweet and sablée pastry…). These doughs are less likely to shrink during baking.
Method
1
1) The flour: according to Thierry Mulhaupt, “the strength of a flour depends on the quality of one of its key components, gluten. For weak flours, which are particularly suited to sablée pastry, biscuits or crêpes, it is the starch — another component of flour — that plays an important role: we are looking for hydration capacity, not elasticity. Strong flours are preferable for choux pastry and leavened doughs such as brioche, where a more elastic result is desired.”
2
2) The vinegar preserves the pastry in the fridge for several days, preventing it from oxidising. Without it, small black dots may appear. This isn’t a problem as such, just slightly unsightly 🙂
3
3) Tourage butter is a drier butter than standard butter — it contains more fat and less water (84% fat vs. 82% for regular butter). This makes it easier to handle and roll out. It is ideal for laminated doughs (puff pastry, croissant dough, etc.). It can be found at Métro (that’s where I bought mine) or online (at Cook Shop, for example), but failing that, a quality butter (AOP Poitou-Charentes or Isigny) also works well.
4
4) To cut the pastry, use a very sharp small knife or even a scalpel (that’s what I use and it’s very practical). The idea is not to crush the layers when cutting. This is precisely why you should never cut the pastry by pressing with a tart ring.
Leftover Pastry
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Small galette made from puff pastry offcuts
2
Whatever you do, do not throw away your puff pastry offcuts (that would be a crime after all this effort!). Don’t ball them up either — you’d lose the precious layers. Simply stack the offcuts on top of one another or side by side, then roll the pastry out again. You can make small savoury bites for aperitifs (that’s what I did), another galette (the layers may not be as beautiful, but I did it and it was still very good), or other puff pastry desserts (millefeuille, Saint-Honoré…) Small galette made from puff pastry offcuts
Storage
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
1) The puff pastry keeps for 48 hours in the fridge once the final fold is complete.
2
2) You can of course freeze it, which is very handy. With this recipe, I cut my pastry into 4 roughly equal portions. I ended up with portions between 250 and 300 g (10.6 oz). Rolled out to 2 mm, I could make galettes up to 28 cm (11 in) in diameter, but I’d recommend rolling to 3 mm — you’ll be able to make galettes 22–24 cm (9.4 in) in diameter.
3
3) You can prepare your galette entirely in advance and freeze it raw. When the craving strikes, simply take it out the evening before to defrost in the fridge, glaze it as described in this article and bake it.
Gallery
