The best time to make puff paste is in the cold weather, as the butter, which is the fat used, can be handled more easily and rolled into the paste with greater success if it, as well as the other ingredients, are cold. If puff paste is desired in weather that is not cold, the mixture will have to be placed on ice at various intervals, for it positively must be kept as cold as possible. However, it is always preferable to make puff paste without the assistance of ice. Further essentials in the making of successful puff paste are a light touch and as little handling as possible. Heavy pressure with the rolling pin and rolling in the wrong direction are mistakes that result in an inferior product. The desirable light, tender qualities of puff paste can be obtained only by giving attention to these details.
72. Before beginning the mixing of puff paste, wash the bowl, spoon, and hands first in hot water to insure perfect cleanliness and then in cold water to make them as cold as possible. Measure the ingredients very carefully, or, better, weigh them if possible.
Put the butter in a mass in the bowl and, as shown in Fig. 14, wash out the salt by running cold water over the piece and working it with a wooden spoon or a butter paddle. When it becomes hard and waxy and may be handled with the hands, take it from the bowl and remove the water by patting it vigorously, first on one side and then on the other. Finally, form it into a flat, oblong piece and set it into the refrigerator to harden.
73. With the butter ready, break off a tablespoonful or two and mix it with all of the flour except 2 tablespoonfuls, which must be retained for flouring the board, in the same way as for plain pastry. Then add the water, and, when a mass is formed, remove it to a well-floured board and knead it as shown in Fig. 15. When the mixture has become somewhat elastic, cover it with a towel, as shown in Fig. 16, and allow it to remain covered for 3 to 5 minutes.
Then roll it into an oblong piece, and, as in Fig. 17, place the butter on one end of it. Bring the opposite end down over the butter and press the edges together with the tips of the fingers, as shown in Fig. 18. Then, with the rolling pin, make several dents in the dough mixture and the butter, as shown in Fig. 19, and begin to roll, being careful to roll in one direction and not to allow the butter to come through the paste. If it should come through, it will have to be treated until it becomes perfectly cold and hard again before the making can go on.
The quickest and most satisfactory way in which to accomplish this is to wrap it in a piece of linen, set it on a plate in a pan of crushed ice, and place another pan of crushed ice over the top of it. In case this is done once, it will have to be done each time the paste is rolled.