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H. W. Hans Kuntze
 
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Default Why is puff pastry sensitive to tiny differences in method?

Alex Rast wrote:

> [...]
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><hwk wrote>
> =20
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>>Nope, although I routinely cut GM's All Trump or BigLoaf with 25%=20
>>SoftAsSilk, because the sheeter will work better with a slightly softer=

=20
>>flour than with straight bread flour..The quality of the baked goods is=

=20
>>slightly better (not enough to bother with) with a straight bread flour=

=2E
>>More distinct layers.
>> =20
>>

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>That's actually why I decided to experiment with bread flour. I figured =

the=20
>higher gluten would allow a thinner layer, and thus more distinct layers=

as=20
>you suggest, and that I could probably live with the increase in chewine=

ss,=20
>which I figured wouldn't be too awfully bad if I wasn't handling the dou=

gh=20
>or sheet roughly. But it was really quite tough indeed.
>
> =20
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>>The puff pastry only gets tough when it is not baked properly, e.g. at =


>>450F till it rises and finished at 350F. That means, it will bake in a =


>>fat puddle if it is baked at a steady temp...=20
>> =20
>>

>
>So do you mean that the proper method is to start at 450 then end at 350=

,=20
>or start at some fixed temperature and end at the same temperature?
> =20
>

That depends on your oven setup, although you always use dual-temp for=20
puffpastry. But if you use commercial pre-fab dough, they are formulated =

so, that you get away baking at single 400F. Not always avoidable if all =

4000 rooms are filled and you have many functions booked.
As long as you use a quality all butter dough, the resulting product can =

be quite excellent.

Since I am working with a multitude of ovens, one is at 450 and the=20
other at 350 (standard swedish ceramic bakers 8 low-deck, individual=20
temp-reg). Convection you reduce by 25 degrees, although I don't like to =

bake feuilletage with convection.

Baking at home, you work with falling temp. Start at 450, insert goods=20
to be baked, 5 minutes later, throttle temp to 350, don't open oven.

--=20
Sincerly,

C=3D=A6-)=A7 H. W. Hans Kuntze, CMC, S.g.K. (_o_)
http://www.cmcchef.com , chef<AT>cmcchef.com
"Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it Happened"
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/=20