Quick and Easy High Altitude Puff Pastry

An easy high altitude recipe for puff pastry dough, that comes together in just a few hours, and bakes up golden, crisp and flaky. Homemade puff pastry is so much tastier than store bought frozen dough, and surprisingly simple to make.

You might also love these recipes for all butter flaky pie dough, shortcrust pastry and vanilla bean shortbread cookies.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easier than you Think. Puff pastry has a notorious reputation for being difficult and time consuming to make, with huge blocks of butter needing to be layered and folded into dough, the whole process sometimes taking several days to complete. With my recipe, you’ll have the most deliciously flaky pastry ready to bake in under 3 hours. And by using a food processor to quickly incorporate the butter, the dough comes together in mere minutes. By using this simplified method, today’s recipe is considered a “rough puff pastry”, although it’s just as wonderful as the more laborious versions.

Rich Buttery Flavor. Every crisp mouthful of pastry is buttery and flavorful, with a nice saltiness to complement the flavor of the butter. The pastry isn’t sweet, so you can add sweet fillings or toppings without your dessert becoming too sugary.

So Many Dessert Options. Desserts like Napoleans (also known as mille-feuille or custard slice) are made of layers of baked puff pastry that are then filled with vanilla custard or pastry cream. You can also top the pastry with fresh fruit, pie filling, or jam, whipped cream, chocolate hazelnut spread, lemon curd, almond pastry filling, sweetened cream cheese or mascarpone cheese, to make any number of delectable puff pastry desserts. Puff pastry strawberry shortcake would be fantastic. For a savory appetizer, try topping the pastry with smoked salmon, creamy goat cheese and a drizzle of honey.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. That said, this recipe will work perfectly at any altitude, with no adjustments needed.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Flour. You’ll need all-purpose flour, which gives the dough structure and strength.
• Granulated Sugar. Just a touch of sweetness.
• Salt. Enhances the flavor of the butter.
• Butter. You’ll need to freeze the butter for a few minutes first, to ensure that the dough stays very cold as you make it. I use unsalted butter, but if you use salted, then omit (or reduce) the added salt in the recipe.
• Milk. I like to use whole milk for my pastry dough, but you can also use ice water.

Instructions

Making Puff Pastry Dough

• In your food processor, pulse the flour, salt and sugar to combine.
• With the processor running, drop the pieces of frozen butter down the chute, one right after the next. The dough will be very moist and crumbly. Add the milk, and pulse a few times to combine.

• Dump the dough out and gather it into a ball. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for 10 minutes.
• On a well floured surface, roll out the dough to 8×16 inches, using more flour on top of the dough to keep it from sticking. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees clockwise.

• Repeat the above step 3 more times, rolling, folding and turning the dough each time. All together, you should roll out, fold and turn the dough 4 times.

• After the 4th turn, wrap the folded dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• The pastry dough is now ready to be used in any recipe that calls for puff pastry.
• You’ll get about 1 1/2 pounds of dough from this recipe, or the equivalent of 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry.

Baking Puff Pastry

• To bake the puff pastry without any filling, roll out the chilled pastry dough on a lightly floured surface, to between 1/4-1/8 inch thick.
• Use a pastry cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into 3-inch squares, or any desired shape. Brush the top of the dough lightly with egg white, and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
• Place the cut dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate while you preheat the oven.

• Preheat the oven to 375 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
• Bake the pastry for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Let cool, then assemble with your desired fillings/toppings.

• To bake puff pastry with fillings (such as fruit filled turnovers), simply follow the instructions of the recipe you’re using. Filled puff pastry takes longer to bake, and in my experience, doesn’t bake that well at high altitude, as it tends to have a doughy, under-baked layer next to the filling.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between pie dough and puff pastry?

Pie dough and puff pastry contain very similar ingredients. Mainly, they are both made of flour, fat (butter and/or shortening) and liquid (milk or water). They usually also contain salt for flavor, and may include a small amount of sugar. But in puff pastry, the ratio of fat to flour is much higher, creating a more delicate, flaky and crisp pastry.

Can I use puff pastry instead of pie dough when baking a pie?

Pie dough and puff pastry are not really interchangeable. If a pie recipe calls for pie dough, that’s what you should use, as it’s more sturdy and able to hold up to a thick filling of apples or blueberries.

How should I store puff pastry?

Wrap your puff pastry in several layers of plastic wrap or in a freezer bag. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 1 week, or freeze the dough for up to 3-6 months. Let frozen dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Let the dough warm up at room temperature, just until pliable enough to roll out without too much difficulty.

How long does the baked pastry stay crisp?

After baking the pastry, let it cool, then store it in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. It will stay flaky and crisp until you’re ready to assemble it with fillings and/or toppings.

Can I freeze the baked pastry?

Yes, you can bake the pastry, let it cool completely, then store it in the freezer in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3-6 months. Thaw the pastry at room temperature, then assemble with your desired fillings/toppings. It will still be flaky and crisp.

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