Puff pastry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puff_pastry#History
Puff pastry seems to be a relative of the Middle Eastern phyllo,[1] and is used in a similar manner to create layered pastries. While traditionally ascribed to the French painter and cook Claude Gelée[2] who lived in the 1600s (the story goes that Gelée was making a type of very buttery bread for his sick father, and the process of rolling the butter into the bread dough created a croissant-like finished product), references appear before the 1600s, indicating a history that came originally through Muslim Spain and was converted from thin sheets of dough spread with olive oil to laminated dough with layers of butter, perhaps in Italy or Germany.
Bigger Picture of Pastry:
(European traditions of pastry-making is often traced back to the short crust era flaky doughs that were in use throughout the Mediterranean in ancient times. These recipes were popularized in Western Europe by Crusaders returning home.
In the Mediterranean, the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians all had filo-style pastries in their culinary traditions. There is also strong evidence that the ancient Egyptians produced pastry-like confections. It is very possible that Egyptians made and ate pastries. They had professional bakers that surely had the skills to do so, and they also had needed materials like flour oil and honey. In the plays of Aristophanes, in 5th century BC, there are mentions of sweetmeats including small pastries filled with fruit. The Romans used flour, oil and water to make pastries that were used to cover meats and fowls. They did this during baking to keep in the juices, but this was not meant to be eaten by people. A pastry that was meant to be eaten was a richer pastry that was made into small pastries and contained eggs or little birds. It was often served at banquets. Greeks and Roman both struggled in making a good pastry because of the fact that they both used oil in the cooking process and oil causes the pastry to lose its stiffness.[8] (^ http://www.pfisterconsulting.com/history.htm )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastry
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How to make?
http://www.baking911.com/pastry/puff.htm
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Preparing Puff Pastry
http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/restaurant/techniques/pastry.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Puff-Pastry
- 1 cup unbleached high protein all-purpose flour or better yet because you know the protein is high, unbleached bread flour
- 1/4 cup unbleached white pastry flour (not whole wheat) or plain bleached cake flour, not the self rising kind (with the baking powder and salt) You want just plain cake flour.
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 sticks plus 5 tbsp. coarsely grated, frozen, unsalted butter
- 6 tbsp. ice water
Steps
- Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
- Add the butter to the bowl.
- Toss to mix.
- Add the ice water to the bowl and stir gently with a fork.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.
- Smear the dough with the heel of your hand until all the dough has been smeared at least once. This helps incorporate the butter and makes the dough flakier.
- Gather the dough into a ball, and chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Roll it out into a rectangular shape with the long sides running horizontally.
- Fold the top third of the rectangle down over the dough.
- Fold the bottom third of the rectangle up over the dough so the edges of the folded dough touch.
- Fold the left edge of the dough over to meet the right edge, and pinch the seam.
- Repeat steps 8 through 11.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, and chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Repeat steps 8 through 13.
- The dough is now ready to roll out and use.
