If you like puff pastry and you like croissants and other Danish pastries I'm pretty sure you'll love this very versatile and delicious pastry.

Worried it's going to be complicated because it's puff pastry?

Don't be - it's much easier than making the wheat based stuff.

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour.    

 

Ingredients

400 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

45 g Sugar 

2 tsp Yeast

1/4 - 1/2 tsp Salt

150 g Boiling water

270 g Water (bit cooler than room temperature)

50 g Melted butter

Extra BM gf flour

 

Butter Block

~330 g Butter at room temperature

Sugar - I've made the pastry with different amounts of sugar (15 g to 75 g). 15 g is the bare minimum I'd put in however the flavour is better (probably because the yeast are more active) when 45 g is used. The pastry can still be used for savoury things, like the cheese sticks pictured when 45 g of sugar is used. If you want a little extra sweetness use 75 g of sugar (I wouldn't use this amount for savoury tarts). 

Butter - In the non-yeasted puff pastry I put a range for the amount of butter to use in the dough. Adding more butter (eg 75 g) in this recipe starts to inhibit the growth of the yeast (& therefore flavour of the finished product).

Water - The amount of water added can vary a little between 310 g and 330 g. Too little water results in a dough that is harder to seal in the butter, too much water results in the dough mixing between the layers. In the photo below you can see lines (arrows pointing to them) formed from rolling out and folding up of the dough.

    

 

Method

For warm water add together the boiling water and the cooler water. 

Pre-incubate the yeast at room temperature for approximately 5 - 8 mins in 100 g of warm water containing 15 g of sugar. Stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar & disperse the yeast. This gives the yeast a readily available food source & they can "revive" in a relatively undisturbed environment. After the allocated time the surface of the yeast mixture should be slightly frothy. This indicates the yeast are viable. 

Stand mixer - can also be mixed by hand but it is a bit hard getting all the lumps out. I've made it a couple of times in a Thermomix however the resulting pastry tends to be slightly harder & not as crisp. My preferred method is using a stand mixer.

Mix together the Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour, 30 g of sugar & salt in a bowl.  

Melt the butter. Add the remaining warm water to the butter. 

Usually I add the water/butter to the bowl then add the flour blend. I find the lumps are easier to get out & there is less flour stuck to the bottom of the mixing bowl.  

Pour the butter/water into the mixing bowl and add in the flour. Mix on low/medium speed until the flour is incorporated. Increase the speed and mix until the dough is uniform. 

At first the dough will be really runny - don't worry it will thicken. 

Cover the top of the mixing bowl to stop the dough from drying out and put the bowl in a warm spot for 15 to 20 mins.

While the dough is proving I usually start preparing the ingredients that will be encased in the pastry (for example things like quiche stuff or a maple & walnut filling, or raspberry, white chocolate & almond).  

Transfer the dough out of the mixing bowl. It should have risen a bit - the dough in the photo below was left a little bit too long (45 mins).

Put the dough onto some water proof wrapping (plastic clingfilm, bees wax wrap), flatten, cover completely & put in the freezer for approximately 30 mins. I usually put the timer on for 15 mins then turn the dough over & give it another 15 mins. We want the dough to be cold but not frozen (been there done that).

While the dough is in the freezer turn on the oven & finishing preparing the ingredients (quiche stuff etc.). 

Use some of the extra Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour to lightly flour a clean work surface & rolling pin. If you have a pastry mat put a piece of A4 paper underneath it - you'll use it as a guide when rolling out the dough. 

Transfer the dough to the floured surface. Put a little flour on the top. 

The dough is going to be rolled out & folded (6 single turns - check out Information - gluten free flaky pastry) BEFORE the butter block is added.

Why before?

• The dough likes to be kneaded.
• Any gas produced by the yeast is expelled from the dough. 
• It helps shape the dough into a rectangle.
• You can practice the rolling & folding without the pressure of having added butter. 
• It doesn't matter if you do more than 6 single turns before the butter is added.  

Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape the size of the A4 paper (mine is a bit neat - it doesn't normally look like that on the first roll). I usually lift the dough up every now & then & put a bit more flour to prevent it sticking to the work surface. 

Fold in one long side of dough approximately one third, fold the other long side over the top. This is a 'single turn'.

Turn the folded up dough 90 degrees and roll it out to the size of the A4 sheet. Repeat the folding up. This is the second single turn. If the dough is a little sticky put a little flour on top & then brush off the excess. Repeat the folding & rolling out for another 4 single turns.

Has the dough been out of the freezer for more than 15 mins, if so put it back in the freezer for another 5 mins. 

Adding the butter block

Roll out the dough to the size of an A4 piece of paper. 

Put the butter between 2 sheets of baking paper. The butter should be soft(ish). 

I usually whack it with a rolling pin to make it thinner. I then shape the butter between the baking sheets with my hands or fold it over. Essentially the butter needs to be soft enough to be folded (photo below). 

We want the butter to be 2/3rds of the size of the dough (a 250 g butter block wrapper is about the right size).  

Take off the top layer of baking paper & place the butter block on to the left hand side of the rolled out dough. Remove the bottom piece of baking paper that is now on the top of the butter. 

Fold the right hand side of the dough (no butter on it) over the middle third of the dough. Repeat with the either side. 

Ensure that all butter is encased in dough. If it isn't pinch/stretch some of the dough to enclose the butter. 

Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll out to the size of an A4 piece of paper. 

Fold & roll out the dough for 5 'single turns'. If the dough gets sticky add a little of the extra flour, brush off any excess. 

The dough is now ready to be used. You'll probably see streaks of butter through the dough.

I try and use the dough as soon as I've made it.     

Using the dough

Place dough onto a floured work surface. 

Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 - 4 mm (it will depend on what you are making). Cut the dough into the required shapes. Some shrinkage will occur during baking. 

Bake at 180 - 200 C until golden brown.