From Parathas to Puff Pastry and Palmiers

I have always wanted to try puff pastry, but never had the courage or motivation to make it. In the heart of hearts, I knew I'd only attempt it in the form of a Daring Bakers Challenge. So when the Daring Bakers Challenge for the month was announced, I was ecstatic! I made these well in advance as opposed to most of the challenges where I've procrastinated (and enjoyed every minute of it!); but this time I just didn't feel like writing up a post for it.  Or rather, I didn't feel like writing at all since the 2 year anniversary post. Instead of posting this on Sunday, I spent the weekend making this cute yet comprehensive visual archive of all my posts. So back to the challenge - let me tell you about my attempts at making Puff Pastry.

First attempt: Disastrous!

What happened:  Given that I made this during the day (30C+ weather here) the butter was never cold enough and the dough didn't survive a single turn without the butter oozing out. I ended up making a royal mess and was covered in flour by the time I decided to call it a day. The folding wasn't perfect either. When I knew I couldn't go on, I chilled the dough, let the butter form chunks and then fished that out of the cold dough so that I could reuse it for my second attempt. Out of the 450g of butter I salvaged a good 250g. Now what do I do with that rich, buttery dough? Well, I will just make some parathas (thick, layered bread) and buttery rotis (thin, delicate bread)

Half glass full: Super buttery, flaky parathas

How to make parathas: Photo

Second attempt: Success!

What happened: I followed the instructions to the T: I literally smashed the butter down onto the inch-thick sheet with all the might of a 5'2" girl(I didn't do the first time around). I then methodically counted the turns and chilled after every turn, keeping in mind the weather conditions. And after the 6 turns, I let the dough sit in the fridge overnight just so I was certain about the butter being absolutely firm. With a lot of anticipation and doubt, I rolled out  the dough, cut out circles, placed it on the Silpat, and put it into the oven. I stood staring at the oven door without batting an eyelid for the first batch. There it was. Right in front of me, I could hear it sizzle; I could see the butter froth. It was rising! Oh yes, it was! A moment of joy, elation and relief - I finally made puff pastry! But hang on, the moment of truth lies in the tasting. I waited for it to cool (oh yes, you HAVE to - the large amount of butter will make your mouth burn if you don't!) and I took a bite of the Vols au Vent and the palmiers and instantly felt so proud of myself. I MADE SOME AWESOME PUFF PASTRY -wohooo!

I filled my Vols au Vent with Dulce de Leche and my oh my, was that the best decision I made. Butter rich puff pastry + milky caramel goodness = Love. And the cinnamon sugar mini palmiers? They were just too cute to eat. They looked as if they were made for a doll house!

Result (you already know, but just for the record): Light, buttery airy puff pastry for the Vols au Vent that rose beautifully and some palmiers just because I like how adorable they look.

How to make puff pastry: Click for printable recipe!

Blog checking info: The September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

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