20 Easy Puff Pastry Dessert Recipes | Cook It Real Good (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to Puff Pastry? ›

Always preheat your oven for a minimum of 15-20 minutes before baking, because Puff Pastry depends on even heat to rise and puff. Place pastries 1 inch apart. If you want a flaky thin and crispy pastry that's not very puffy, prick the unbaked Puff Pastry all over with a fork, which lets steam escape while baking.

Most pastry chefs bake puff pastry at a relatively high temperature for a rather short amount of time, 375 to 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. The pastry is golden when done. Richard prefers baking it at 325 to 350 degrees for almost one hour to ensure that every layer is properly dried and crisp.

Can I prepare a recipe made with Puff Pastry ahead of time and bake it later? Yes, you can (with certain recipes). To simplify your day, you can prepare the recipe ahead of time, then bake as directed prior to serving.

Whether it's speedy rough puff, homemade from scratch or a cheat's off-the-shelf block, this buttery pastry can be used for pies, tarts, desserts and canapés.

This delicious mille feuille, or "thousand sheets" in French, is a classic dessert composed of three layers of light as air puff pastry filled with creamy vanilla pastry cream and topped with chocolate and vanilla icing. These delicate pastries are a stunning addition to any table.

Adding vinegar tenderizes the pastry. It inhibits gluten from forming there by making the pastry tender and flaky.

We are Team Egg Wash (or Cream Wash). While melted butter adds more flavor than the washes, it is less effective in look; it gives a speckled appearance to pastry.

Milk is too runny and will burn but you can add a little to your egg wash to make it a little thinner for coating. Melted butter also burns quite quickly. Egg wash is the most reliable because it coats the pastry evenly and doesn't run off.

The verdict: It's certainly cheaper to make your own pastry and I like the fact that most times, I'll have the ingredients to hand, no need for a special trip to the shops.

My baked pastry is tough.

It usually occurs when you've been a bit heavy-handed with the water when you're initially bringing the pastry together (by adding water to the flour and butter), or if you have over-worked the dough and developed the gluten in the flour.

What went wrong with my puff pastry? ›

Pastry being soggy in the middle is a result of the pastry being undercooked. Don't place the pastry on too high a shelf in the oven. One way to prevent soggy bottom pastry is to blind bake the pastry – This means partially or completely bake the pastry before adding the filling. Also, avoid over-filling your pastry.

You can cut it into desired shapes, then store in the fridge until you're ready for the next step. Puff Pastry works best when cold.

Unfilled baked Puff Pastry shells may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Using Pillsbury™ Puff Pastry Sheets and Pillsbury™ Puff Pastry Squares can be a fun way to mix up your recipes. With proper care, this easy-to-use ingredient can transform any sweet or savory dish. Discover the best way to store and prepare our pastry sheets to get the ultimate golden and flaky crust.

Both pastries are fantastic for making delicious pies - but I would always recommend using shortcrust for your pastry bottom, and puff or rough puff for the top. This will give you a nice crisp bottom which is sturdy enough to hold a filling as well as a lovely flaky top which has the wow factor!