Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (354 page)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Puff pastry dough, which is used in a variety of pastries such as turnovers and Napoleons, is a multilayered dough that gets its super-flaky, buttery layers from a process called “turning,” or folding. Each turn creates paper-thin sheets of butter, and when the dough is baked, the moisture in the butter evaporates into steam, causing the dough surrounding it to puff and separate into more than a hundred flaky and delicate layers. We’ve tried quick methods for puff pastry dough, which are similar to the process for making pie dough, but these methods (which are hardly quick), lacked the super-flaky layers of the original. After testing, we decided we would need to combine the dough with the butter in the traditional manner. We began by mixing flour, sugar, salt, lemon juice, and ice water together in a food processor for even, quick distribution and then chilled the dough to allow it to relax for easier rolling. While the dough chilled, we made a butter square by gently pounding butter sticks into an even layer and then chilled the square, so that it would not melt when combined with the dough. Incorporating the butter into the dough was as easy as placing the chilled butter square over the chilled dough, folding in the corners, and rolling it out. We folded the dough into thirds and then into thirds again, and then repeated this process twice to form multiple sheets of butter and dough that puffed into incredible flaky layers once baked.
See “MAKING PUFF PASTRY DOUGH” illustrations that follow recipe.
MAKES ABOUT 2 POUNDS
If the dough becomes too warm and sticky to work with, cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator until firm. If you are making
FLAKY APPLE TURNOVERS
or
NAPOLEONS
, cut the dough in half (each half will weigh about 1 pound) after it has chilled in step 6; use one piece of dough as directed and refrigerate the rest for up to 2 days or freeze, wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil, for up to 1 month.
DOUGH
3 | cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour |
1¹⁄ | tablespoons sugar |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons salt |
2 | teaspoons lemon juice |
1 | cup water, chilled |
BUTTER SQUARE
24 | tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled |
2 | tablespoons all-purpose flour |
1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Process flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. With food processor running, add lemon juice, followed by ³⁄
4
cup water, in slow steady stream. Add remaining ¹⁄
4
cup water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together and no floury bits remain.
2.
Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into 6-inch square. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. FOR THE BUTTER SQUARE:
Lay butter sticks side by side on sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle flour over butter and cover with second sheet of parchment. Gently pound butter with rolling pin until butter is softened and flour is fully incorporated, then roll it into 8-inch square. Wrap butter square in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
4.
Roll chilled dough into 11-inch square on lightly floured counter. Place chilled butter square diagonally in center of dough. Fold corners of dough up over butter square so that corners meet in middle and pinch dough seams to seal.
5.
Using rolling pin, gently tap dough, starting from center and working outward, until square becomes larger and butter begins to soften. Gently roll dough into 14-inch square, dusting with extra flour as needed to prevent sticking. Fold dough into thirds like business letter, then fold rectangle in thirds to form square. Wrap dough in plastic and let rest in refrigerator for 2 hours.
6.
Repeat step 5 twice and let dough rest in refrigerator for 2 more hours before using.
1.
After rolling dough into 11-inch square, place butter square diagonally on top.
2.
Fold dough over butter so that corners meet in middle. Pinch ends of dough together to seal.
3.
After rolling dough into 14-inch square, fold it into thirds.
4.
Fold ends of dough rectangle over center to form square. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest in refrigerator for 2 hours before repeating step 5.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Store-bought turnovers are disheartening—the filling is bland and mushy and the dough soggy, making for something more like fast-food pie from a cardboard sleeve than a tantalizing, fruit-laden pastry. We wanted to make the perfect apple turnover, with a flaky, shatteringly crisp crust and firm, not mushy, apples. We made our filling with a mixture of chopped apples (pulsed in the food processor), sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice (for brightness). We drained the apple mixture to prevent sogginess and then combined the apples with applesauce for another layer of apple flavor. For the pastry, we cut out squares from the test kitchen’s recipe for puff pastry and mounded the apple mixture in the center. Before folding over the dough to encase the apples, we brushed the edges of the dough for a tight seal. Brushing the sealed and crimped turnovers with more apple juice and sprinkling them with cinnamon sugar before baking yielded flaky, buttery pastry and a filling with knockout apple flavor.
See “CRIMPING THE TURNOVERS” illustration that follows recipe.
MAKES 8 TURNOVERS
If the dough becomes too warm and sticky to work with, cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator until firm. If you don’t have a food processor, grate the apples on the large holes of a box grater.
1 | pound Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped coarse |
³⁄ | cup (5¹⁄ |
1 | tablespoon lemon juice |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | recipe |
¹⁄ | cup applesauce |
1 | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.
Pulse apples, ¹⁄
2
cup sugar, lemon juice, and salt together in food processor until largest pieces of apples are no larger than ¹⁄
2
inch, about 6 pulses. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to fine-mesh strainer set over bowl and let apples drain, reserving juice, until needed.
3.
Roll each piece of dough into 10-inch square between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment. Remove top sheets of parchment and cut each piece of dough into four 5-inch squares (you will have 8 squares total).
4.
Toss drained apples and applesauce together in separate bowl. Place 2 tablespoons apple filling in center of each piece of dough. Brush edges of dough with reserved juice, then fold 1 corner of square diagonally over filling. Crimp edges of dough with fork to seal. Lay turnovers on prepared baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. (Assembled turnovers can be frozen for 1 hour, then transferred to zipper-lock bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Let frozen turnovers sit at room temperature for 20 minutes, then bake as directed.)
5.
Combine remaining ¹⁄
4
cup sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Brush turnovers with more reserved juice and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake turnovers until well browned, 20 to 26 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Immediately transfer turnovers to wire rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Any brand of soft caramels will work here; avoid hard caramel candies.
Substitute 4 ounces cream cheese for applesauce and add 2 caramel candies, quartered, to each turnover before shaping.
Add ³⁄
4
cup dried cranberries to food processor with apples. Substitute ¹⁄
4
cup thawed frozen orange juice concentrate for ¹⁄
4
cup of applesauce.
Substitute ¹⁄
2
cup shredded cheddar cheese for applesauce. Omit cinnamon sugar and sprinkle ¹⁄
4
cup shredded cheddar over apple juice–brushed turnovers before baking.
