Perfect Puff

*I apologize for this photo angle but it was taken for A Level needs*

I love this puff pastry recipe, I used it so often while living at home and I will definitely be using it again soon so I thought I would share it with you. I developed it a bit through my A Level food coursework so now it is pretty fool proof. Just remember to give the pastry an egg or milk was before it goes in the oven and you will get the perfect finish every time.

Ingredients:

Puff pastry	100g glutenfree plain flour
	35  g corn flour
	1tsp xanthan gum
	25g cold butter cubed 1cm ish
	250ml cold water
	100g cold butter rolled out into sheets of 4 qual rectangular sheets then refrigerated
	1 egg + 40ml of water

Method:

• Sieve the dry ingredients into a medium bowl to mix them evenly then rub in the 25g  of cubed cold butter. Add water a little at a time until you form a soft dough. You can do these stages in a food processor if you are feeling lazy.
• On a floured surface toll out the dough into a rectangle about 0.5 cm thick. Place one slab of butter in the middle then fold the top and bottom of the dough over the butter making sure none of the butter is showing. Flour then roll out to 1cm thick. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Repeat with the other 3 slabs of butter making sure you flour the surface each time.
• For the last rest in the fridge, only leave it for 10-15 minutes before rolling it out and shaping it. Once shaped, brush with a watered down egg wash.

Tip: Use Gram flour to roll out the pastry. If you haven’t realized yet, I love the flavour and colour it gives pastry.  If you don’t have any, I would recommend buying some, it is so versatile and a great change to rice flour. It is available at most health food and ethical shops  but you can also get Doves Farm’s variety from some large supermarkets.

Serving suggestions:

Mini pain au chocolate – melt 200g of dark chocolate in the microwave then leave to cool for about 15 minutes. Cut the pastry into rectangles of about 12cm by 6cm. Spread 3tsp of the chocolate onto each rectangle the fold each side over into thirds. Brush with an egg wash then place in a 200C oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Sausage rolls – follow my blog post using Silly Yak pastry to make sausage rolls.

Cheese and bacon turnovers – Cut the pastry into 10cm squares. Turn the square to make it a diamond then place a slice of part cooked bacon a tablespoon of cheese in the center. Fold the middle points over the bacon and cheese into the center. Brush the pastry with an egg wash then bake until golden brown.

and  pie of course.

Hattie x