HOW TO MAKE PUFF PASTRY
Puff pastry can be bought in, but it is always better if you make it on your own. Many complexities surround the making of puff pastry but it is not really difficult as long as you remember two things: one, keep the pastry in good rectangular shape all the time without any overlapping or hanging edges when you fold it; two, don't roll the pin too hard and don't roll the pastry too thin or the butter will pop out through it. Also use sprinkled flour to keep the rolling pin from sticking to the dough, and the dough from sticking to the surface of the table.
To make one portion of pastry, enough for a family dish of your choice (you can always double the quantities if you need to do so), you will need:
250 g/8 oz plain flour
250 g/8 oz butter (set a piece of it, like 25 g/1 oz, aside)
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
120 mL/4 fl oz cold water
Mix flour and 25 g of butter in a bowl, making sure to distribute the butter into very fine particles (it is easily done by hand or in a blender). Add the vinegar, salt, and mix everything. Then add water in smaller portions while mixing the dough with a knife until you get a fine elastic dough. More or less water may be needed to get a good dough so go with the feeling here. When you have the dough ready, wrap into a cling film and put into refrigerator. Now take the remaining butter, cut it into thin slices and place them all together in a rectangle that should be about 12x15 cm/4x5 in, all on a sheet of floured aluminium foil. Then place a sheet of baking paper over it and place it all in a refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
After the time has passed, take out the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a rectangle slightly bigger than the butter rectangle you created before (see pictures below). Remember what I said before, keep the rectangle in fine shape, and trim as necessary. Place the butter over the dough.
Fold the dough once over the butter, making the two halves meet each other, make sure no air bubbles are trapped between the two halves, and close the edges together by pressing on them with your fingers.
Roll out the dough now, not too hard, until it is triple its original length. Only roll in one direction, and make sure the butter doesn't get through the dough. Then fold the dough in three - the top 1/3rd into the middle, and the bottom 1/3rd onto the folded parts. From a perspective view it looks like this. And the picture on the right shows how it looks like overall.
Then roll the dough again so that the short side becomes long again. Fold it in three, just as before. Now wrap the dough into a cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the butter harden.
Remove from the refrigerator and roll the dough again, in the same manner as before. Then fold it in three as before, and after that fold it in two. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate until it is ready to be used, at least 30 minutes. When it is about to be used just roll it out for the last time! The dough will keep in refrigerator for two days, and it can also be frozen for about a week.