The science and process behind puff pastries
Puff pastry is a light and fluffy pastry made from layering fat between a dough made of salt, flour and water. It is versatile as it can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.
Unbaked puff pastry has alternating layers of fat (butter or margarine) and dough. This is what causes the pastry to expand in the oven. Water boils off as steam from the gluten during the process and travels into the fat layers. The steam expanded causing the iconic honeycomb patterns inside the finished pastry.
There are primarily three ways to create a pastry dough - the Scotch and Blitz method, the English Method and the French Method (explained in detail at the source linked). Pastry chefs adjust the way they fold, taking into account the height and layers of the pastry desired.
Documentation of the making process
When recreating the recipe, we opted to use store-brought puff pastry, it worked just as well. The puff pastry should be handled cold, and kept so, therefore managing the puff pastry should be kept to a minimum to prevent the dough from heating up. We also only used one bar of chocolate per pastry.
Before cutting the pattern, it is crucial to lightly scorch the surface of the dough to make sure each strip is even. Fold the strips tightly so that the chocolate doesn't melt through the cracks when baked.
The pastry is better when eaten hot. The chocolate starts to thicken when cooling down. We think that the chocolate is a bit overbearing in its flavors in this particular recipe. It shadows the tastes of the pastry and almond cream. The pastry is pretty filling, cut into smaller slices for snacks!
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