Frozen Puff Pastry Question for Forum Bakers

[Isabeau]

I’ve never used puff pastry before. I want to make some savoury tarts (the whole rectangle) and found two recipes I want to try, (caramelized onions, figs, goat cheese, and the other, mushrooms and Boursin).

In both recipes, they don’t blind bake the pastry first, but when you go on the interwebs, there are so many DON’Ts and you MUST do this or that, I’m getting a tad nervous.

In one of the recipes, they don’t even say you need to score the pastry first, just roll it out a bit and make a line around the edges for the crust.

Now, the ingredients I’m placing on top aren’t very liquid, I’m not making a pot pie, so I don’t expect it to get that soggy, but I’m thinking that maybe I should blind bake them a little first. The thing is, if I do that, won’t that reduce the baking time for the filling ingredients? I want my figs to be nicely gooey, and my mushrooms fully cooked.

Also, people insist that you must put weights on the pastry (if blind baking) or it will puff out too much, but isn’t that why we score it with a fork before hand?

Anyway, I’m thinking of going halfies and brushing the entire surface with egg wash instead of just the crust, only scoring/no beans, then only pre baking it like 5-6 minutes before adding the ingredients, especially since I will only be using one layer of the frozen puff pastry, and not two (one on top the other then rolled out) as some other recipes call for.

TL;DR

I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, and I don’t want to waste my figs and cheese. Help

 

[Free]

Sorry, for all the baked goods I've taken on, puff pastries scare me. To death.

 

[Isabeau]

Yes, I’m starting to feel the same way. Thought it was just going to be some simple thing judging by the recipes, but unfortunately, I checked out Reddit for some inspiration.

When will I ever learn. I mean, if a third of the population votes for nutters based on crazy logic, why in the world should I trust them with my pastry concoctions?

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

For starters the safe thing to do is to follow the guide lines printed on the package.

For reference: you don't want your puff pastry to be too cold but also not let it get too warm. About 50°F is a good temperature to start working with it, the butter will be smooth enough to be rolled but still hard enough not to be rolled into the dough. That's the whole magic about using puff pastry, never let it become too warm, the butter needs to malleable but not so smooth that you could make a buttered bread with it.

If your dough gets too warm put it back into the fridge to recool it for about half an hour.

Using a fork is a technic used to let the pastry stay even, which makes sense if is the foundation of a tarte.

My good friend Josh explains quite good how to make it (if you got too much time) and use it.

 

[Casey Pelous]

I’ve never used puff pastry before. I want to make some savoury tarts (the whole rectangle) and found two recipes I want to try, (caramelized onions, figs, goat cheese, and the other, mushrooms and Boursin).

In both recipes, they don’t blind bake the pastry first, but when you go on the interwebs, there are so many DON’Ts and you MUST do this or that, I’m getting a tad nervous.

In one of the recipes, they don’t even say you need to score the pastry first, just roll it out a bit and make a line around the edges for the crust.

Now, the ingredients I’m placing on top aren’t very liquid, I’m not making a pot pie, so I don’t expect it to get that soggy, but I’m thinking that maybe I should blind bake them a little first. The thing is, if I do that, won’t that reduce the baking time for the filling ingredients? I want my figs to be nicely gooey, and my mushrooms fully cooked.

Also, people insist that you must put weights on the pastry (if blind baking) or it will puff out too much, but isn’t that why we score it with a fork before hand?

Anyway, I’m thinking of going halfies and brushing the entire surface with egg wash instead of just the crust, only scoring/no beans, then only pre baking it like 5-6 minutes before adding the ingredients, especially since I will only be using one layer of the frozen puff pastry, and not two (one on top the other then rolled out) as some other recipes call for.

TL;DR

I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, and I don’t want to waste my figs and cheese. Help

You bought store-made puff pastry, right? That stuff is not that tricky to use -- about like making homemade ravioli. Lay some down, put down your stuffings, put down some more puff pastry, cut it up however you like, bake, eat. Look, it's flour and lots of butter -- if you don't burn it, it will be delicious. Maybe start by just laying a sheet in a baking pan and cooking it up -- great confidence builder. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter and make the lightest, flakiest biscuits ever!

If you are, in fact, attempting to make puff pastry, you are deep into masochism. There are more fun ways to suffer -- I'm quite sure there are members of this board who could advise you.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Even chefs are not making their own puff pastry but are buying it for Beef Wellington.

 

[Isabeau]

Oh lord, yes - frozen store bought.

yeah, I’m going to just go for it tomorrow. What’s the worst that could happen? A little bottom soggy? Too puffy? I’m sure it’ll be good anyway. And that’s how you learn… it’s not like I’m in the catering business ha ha

 

[Casey Pelous]

Oh lord, yes - frozen store bought.

yeah, I’m going to just go for it tomorrow. What’s the worst that could happen? A little bottom soggy? Too puffy? I’m sure it’ll be good anyway. And that’s how you learn… it’s not like I’m in the catering business ha ha

Well? YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE US HANGING LIKE THIS!

 

[Isabeau]

I didn't make it yet, I went to a friends for homemade pizza, pastries, and pot. So I’ll make it tomorrow. Weekend of gluten galore… we had lots of wine, though, and I’ve decided that this will counter any affects.

I’ve just arrived after navigating in the dark through detours and construction and road blocks on my bike without a headlight filled with “see above” and I made it home alive, so I’ve decided that I deserve all the puff pastry goodness. Will post pics, no matter the result.

 

[Rose Karuna]

I do a lot of things from scratch but I've never tried to make my own puff pastry.

I frequently use frozen puff pastry though, every Thanksgiving I make ricotta cheese & spinach rolls with it that are very tasty and I found the frozen stuff, like Casey said, really easy to work with. The filling that you're making with figs, goat cheese, onion, etc. sounds delicious. I want to see pics!

 

[Essence Lumin]

I’ve just arrived after navigating in the dark through detours and construction and road blocks on my bike without a headlight filled with “see above” and I made it home alive, so I’ve decided that I deserve all the puff pastry goodness. Will post pics, no matter the result.

Good luck!

 

[Casey Pelous]

Good luck!

We're all counting on you.

 

[Isabeau]

I dit it!
And have eaten.

While both recipes I followed said nothing of scoring or egg wash, I did both. I’m thinking that since I only used one layer, scoring wasn’t necessary, but I’m glad I used a knife a half inch around the edge and egg wash cause it’s prettier.

They looked fine, but if I was making this for guests, I would add a little somethin’ somethin’ to the mushroom one (sun dried tomato?) as it sort of looked bland, and as for the fig one, maybe tuck in the caramelized onions underneath the figs. I mixed in crumbled walnuts, and orange zest in the cheese. The zest really made a difference. Will make again, very tasty.

Frozen puff pastry was very easy to work with, so I’ll be buying it regularly now. ‘Twas fun

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Ooh, those look good!