Puff Pastry

Use this puff pastry direct from the refrigerator as directed in your recipe.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter, using a pastry blender or two knives used scissors-fashion until butter is pea-size and flour resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup ice water. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a soft dough. Form dough into a ball. Dust dough lightly with flour. Wrap dough in wax paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle. Mentally divide rectangle into lower, middle and upper thirds (three 4 x 6-inch sections); lightly mark off sections with fingertip. Fold upper third of rectangle over the center third and the lower third over the top. The dough should be folded like a business letter; there should be 3 distinct layers now. Use fingers to square corners and even all edges. With open side facing you, roll dough out again to a 12 x 6-inch rectangle. Again, fold into thirds. This completes 2 turns. Repeat rolling and folding procedure 2 more times, always starting with the open end facing you. Wrap folded dough in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.