Puff Pastry

Storage and Handling
Freezing Keep frozen at -18°C for up to 18 months.
Ensure frozen pastry is not dropped as it will crack
Thawing Thawed pastry is unusable when dropped.
10kg rolls should be thawed 48 hours in cool room or 12 hours ambient (22°C)
5kg rolls should be thawed 28 hours in cool room or 6 hours ambient (22°C)
Refrigeration Refrigerate at 4°C for 7 to 10 days
Ensure pastry is wrapped in the plastic sheet as it will prevent the pastry from drying out
Handling Dust bench with flour, roll out thawed pastry plastic side up, cut required length, remove plastic and lightly dust the top surface with flour, cut into shapes and bake
Baking Brushing with egg wash will enhance the product when baked
Problem Cause Remedy
Lack of volume Flour too soft Add dry gluten
Layering fat too soft Check storage and use temperature
Excess scrap used Incorporate more carefully using less scrap
Too many turns Reduce number of turns, marking dough after each turn
Oven too cool Increase baking temperature
Uneven lift Layering fat too hard or brittle Check storage use and temperature
Uneven processing Standardise methods
Too much dusting flour Brush excess flour off dough before folding
Failure to square up edges Ensure correct folding
Too few turns Increase number of turns
Distortions or shrinkage Flour too strong or dough too tight Use correct amount of water and rest between turns
Insufficient or uneven resting periods between turns or before baking Check that pastries are not processed out of rotation
Excess scrap used Use a standardised amount, incorporate more carefully
Poor machining Ensure paste thickness is not reduced too quickly. Ensure pastry margarine is not too soft (check storage temperature).
Pastries topple during baking Too few turns Increase the number of turns, marking dough after each turn.
Insufficient or uneven resting periods between turns or before baking Strong flour requires longer resting periods
Pieces too thick Roll out thinner prior to baking
Blunt cutters Sharpen
Tough pastries Too little fat in the dough Check the balance of dough and layering fats
Pieces cut too thick Roll out thinner
Oven too cool Increase baking temperature
Oil spillage during baking Layering fat is too soft Check storage and use temperature
Insufficient turns Increase number of turns
Oven too cool Increase baking temperature to 220°C for puff pastry, 200°C for shortcurst pastry
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