One problem with puff pastry is that it is hard to predict how much it will shrink when you bake it. You can take a lot of the guesswork out by "preshrinking": bake the sheet of puff pastry for 5 minutes, then take it out and trim it to slightly larger than the desired final size.

Make the dough a day or two before using so it has plenty of time to rest.

2 cups Wondra (instant) flour, plus more for the work surface
1 teaspoon fine sea salt for sweet dishes, 2 teaspoons for savory dishes
About ¾ cup ice water
8 ounces very cold unsalted butter

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mixing on low speed, add the water a bit at a time until the dough begins to come together and is sticky but not wet. Turn the speed to high and mix for several seconds, or until the dough comes together. If it does not come completely together, don't worry—you can knead it on the work surface.

Flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Knead it briefly if necessary so it comes together. Form into a disk about 6 inches in diameter. Using a thin sharp knife, cut a ¾-inch crosshatch pattern about ½ inch deep in the surface of the dough to help it relax.

Place a 12-inch piece of plastic wrap on the work surface. Place the butter in the center of it, cover with a second piece of plastic wrap, and pound it with a rolling pin into a 6-inch square. Set aside. Roll out the dough on the floured surface and roll into a circle so that each side will extend 2 to 3 inches beyond the butter. Place the butter in the center of the dough, and stretch and bring up the sides of the dough to encase the butter. Press to seal the seams well. Flour the dough and roll it from front to back into a rectangle that is about 16 inches long and 7 inches wide. Be careful not to let the butter come through the dough: if the room is warm and the butter becomes too soft and breaks through the surface, stop and refrigerate the dough until the butter hardens again.

Fold up the bottom third of the dough up over the center, then fold the top third down and over it. Rotate the dough a quarter turn (90 degrees), so that the top fold is on the left. Roll out again into a 16 by 7-inch rectangle, then fold the dough the same way again. Press two fingertips into the dough to indicate that it has been rolled and folded twice. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Place the dough on the floured surface, with a folded edge to the left. With the rolling pin, press down on the end closest to you, and then on the far end, to seal the dough before rolling. Roll and fold the dough as before, then turn it and repeat a fourth time. Mark the top with four fingers and refrigerate for at least another 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll and fold it 2 more times. Mark and refrigerate again for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days. Or, if you want to freeze the dough, cut into the desired portions, roll it out ½ inch thick, wrap well, and freeze for up to 1 week. Defrost it, still wrapped, in the refrigerator before using.

When rolled 1/8 inch thick and trimmed, the dough will make twelve 4-inch squares. (One-third of the puff pastry is needed for recipes using 4 squares.)
Makes about 1½ pounds.

Copyright © 2006 by Michel Richard. All rights reserved.