Re: Why is puff pastry sensitive to tiny differences in method?

Alex Rast wrote:

> [...]
>
> <hwk wrote>
>  
>
> > Nope, although I routinely cut GM's All Trump or BigLoaf with 25% 
> > SoftAsSilk, because the sheeter will work better with a slightly softer 
> > flour than with straight bread flour..The quality of the baked goods is 
> > slightly better (not enough to bother with) with a straight bread flour.
> > More distinct layers.
> >    
>
> That's actually why I decided to experiment with bread flour. I figured the 
> higher gluten would allow a thinner layer, and thus more distinct layers as 
> you suggest, and that I could probably live with the increase in chewiness, 
> which I figured wouldn't be too awfully bad if I wasn't handling the dough 
> or sheet roughly. But it was really quite tough indeed.
>
>  
>
> > 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... 
> >    
>
> So do you mean that the proper method is to start at 450 then end at 350, 
> or start at some fixed temperature and end at the same temperature?
>  
That depends on your oven setup, although you always use dual-temp for 
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 
other at 350 (standard swedish ceramic bakers 8 low-deck, individual 
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 
to be baked, 5 minutes later, throttle temp to 350, don't open oven.

--
Sincerly,

C=¦-)§ 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"
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/