Taken from Homemade Patisserie: Pastry Made Easy by Vincent Gadan and Michelle Guberina (£15.25, New Holland Publishers)
Ingredients
- 250g bakers flour
- 50g superfine/caster sugar
- 25g of soft unsalted butter
- 6g table salt
- 65ml hot tap water
- 65ml cold milk
- 30g fresh yeast or 10g dry yeast
- 100g soft unsalted butter
- 1 egg
Method
Place the flour, sugar, 25g butter and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer set with hook attachment. In a separate bowl, mix the hot water and cold milk together, then whisk in the fresh yeast to dissolve it. Add this liquid to the first mixture. Mix on low speed then increase to medium – let it turn for 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the mixer and place on a lightly floured bench. Use your fists to flatten out the dough to a square of about 9in and transfer to a baking tray that will fit in your refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest and rise in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours – ideally overnight. Meanwhile, take the 100g of butter and put it between two pieces of baking paper then flatten it out with your hands to a square of 5in; set it aside (the butter can stay at room temperature overnight).
Once the dough is rested and ready to use, flour the bench top then start rolling the corners out to resemble a cross shape. Place the softened butter in the centre of the cross. Fold the four sides into the centre of the cross so that it becomes a square – seal and pinch the creases tightly otherwise the butter will leak when rolling. Roll the dough until it is 19in long and then turn the dough 90 degrees. Fold the dough in thirds – this is a single turn – you should get a square of about 6-8in. Roll once again to 19in long, then turn the dough to 90 degrees so that its longer side runs parallel to the edge of the table and fold in thirds. At this stage the dough has had 2 single turns. Allow the dough to rest at least 1 hour in the refrigerator (or preferably overnight).
