Making flaky pastry

This is the season of the galette des rois. It's the kings' cake, named for the three kings of the epiphany. In France, on the epiphany, it's traditional to eat a cake made from pâte feuilletée (flaky or puff pastry) and filled with frangipane (almond paste). Hidden inside the cake is a little prize, and the one who gets the prize in his slice is king for the day.

Getting ready to make the détrempe.

Since I've lived in France, I've noticed how expensive these little kings' cakes can be. At one point I decided that I could make one and not have to pay the price for the bakery version. And I have succeeded to such a point that I don't even think of buying one in a bakery any more.

The flattened butter goes on the rolled out dough.

Flaky pastry is not at all difficult. It just takes a little time. First, you start off with a détrempe. That's a fancy French name for a mixture of flour, salt, and water. My recipe calls for 250g flour, 120ml water, and a half a teaspoon of salt. Mix that up until you get a dough, then roll it out to about an eighth of an inch thick.

The dough is folded over the butter to make a rectangular "envelope."

At that point you layer some butter on top. Before the dough is made, take 250g of cold unsalted butter (about 2 sticks in the US) and flatten it between two sheets of plastic wrap, roughly in the shape of a rectangle. Stick that in the fridge until the détrempe is ready. Roll the détrempe out so that it's larger than the flattened butter. At that point, put the butter on top of the dough, then wrap the dough around it, being sure it forms a perfect rectangle.

The dough is folded onto itself twice. Make two "dimples" in the dough to remind yourself.

Roll it out again, then fold it on itself in thirds. Roll it out once again, maintaining the rectangular shape, then fold it again. At this point you've done what's called two "turns." Wrap the dough in plastic and stick it in the fridge for an hour to rest.

The first step of a double turn. The next step is to fold the dough on itself once more.

After the hour of rest, take the dough out, roll it again, then fold it in what's called a double turn. That is, fold one end of the rectangle into the middle, do the same on the other end, then fold the whole thing onto itself. Wrap it again and put it back into the fridge for another hour.

Repeat this several times. Every time you do, you are making thinner and thinner layers of butter and flour, and that will make your puff pastry. In my next post, if I'm lucky, I'll show you how to make the kings' cake itself.