Chocolate Puff Pastry

Wotchers!

Home-made, real butter puff pastry. Who has the time – amiright?

The endless rolling and the folding and the turning and the chilling and the repeating……I’m exhausted just thinking about it!

*collapses on nearby chaise-longue and raises a weary hand to the forehead*

Well, here’s the good news – we ALL now have the time, because I’m about to reveal how you can get 729 layers of delicious all-butter puff pastry in less than 1 hour, thanks to this super-speedy method. Bonus: we’re going to do it in chocolate!

OK, so there’s a bit of the rolling and folding in this method, but it takes nowhere near as long as the traditional method.

And of course, you don’t HAVE to make chocolate puff pastry – just replace the cocoa with plain flour – but I thought I’d remind you all of the ease with which favourite recipes can be Chocolatized™.

These quantities make enough for two 30cm x 45cm pieces of pastry.

OK then – let’s get this puff party started!

Chocolate Puff Pastry

250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
30g cocoa powder

250g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
ice water to mix

• Cut the butter into cubes and put into a bowl.
• Add the cocoa.
• Mix with either an electric whisk or stand mixer until soft and thoroughly combined. Set aside.
• Put the flour and cocoa into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade and blitz to mix.
• With the motor running, gradually add iced water, one spoonful at a time, until the mixture comes together in a ball.
• Tip the mixture out and knead smooth.

Roll the pastry out to a square of about 30cm.

Spread 1/3 of the butter/cocoa mixture over the pastry.

Make the above cuts in the pastry, similar to a partial Noughts and Crosses (Tic-Tac-Toe) grid

Fold the top right square diagonally down and to the left, and place it on top of the central square.

Fold the bottom left square diagonally up and to the right and place it over the central square.

Repeat with the remaining squares in the order indicated above, corners first, followed by the middle squares on each side.

• Wrap in plastic and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes (9 layers).
• Roll the pastry out a second time, taking care to keep it as square as possible.
• Spread half of the remaining cocoa/butter mix over the paste.
• Cut and fold as before, then wrap and chill again for 15 minutes (81 layers).
• Roll out a third and final time and use the last of the butter. Cut and fold as before.
• Wrap in plastic and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight in the fridge (729 layers).
• Use as you would any regular puff pastry.