Puff Pastry with Cherry Filling Recipe

This will be the most easy yet delicious puff pastry you will ever taste and it can actually be baked from scratch at few simple steps. Its the best kind of things that will make you fell like a special occasion with those rich buttery flavor, flaky & light layers. But usually its not the recipe we wont make our self as we just get one from a bakery store. Perhaps why would you buy them if you can just make this homemade puff pastry sheets from scratch with just few ingredients and that too within less than 30 minutes.

This Pastry can be used in countless ways and with endless fillings, sweet or savory, big or small you name it and it can be made. The important thing while making a pastry is to keep them cold at all times. Butter layer is as much as important for an pastry as its called lamination. For any pastry the dough has to be cold and the over should be hot. So always preheat you oven before baking them. The recipe we used here is an adaption from the best pastry you will ever find. You can make these in batches, tightly wrapped and kept in the freezer for several weeks. I hope you will be having fun making this recipe as much as i did.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Pastry Chill Time: 3 hrs

Total Time: 3 hrs 40 Minutes

Makes: 15

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Ingredients

For Puff Pastry Dough

2 cups - all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups - unsalted butter (Cold blocks)

1/2 cup - cold water

1 - 2 tsp - salt

Or

2 sheets - frozen puff pastry, (thawed as per the package instruction)

For Pastry Filling

1 1/4 cups - Fresh or frozen cherries, (pitted and stemmed)

1/2 cup - caster sugar

1 1/2 tbsp - cornstarch

1 1/2 tbsp - room temperature water

1 tsp - fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp - salt

1 tsp - vanilla extract

For Egg wash

1 large egg, beaten

3 - 4 tsp - milk

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Recipe Direction

For Puff Pastry Dough

1. In large bowl, whisk to combine the flour and salt

2. Cut the cold butter into 1/4 inch slices and add to the flour mixture, tossing to coat

3. Stir in the cold water until a thick dough forms

4. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk-shape, and wrap in plastic wrap

5. Chill for 1 hour in the fridge, or 20 to 30 minutes in the freezer

6. Unwrap the dough, dust the work surface with flour, and roll the dough into a rough rectangle shape

7. Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter

8. Turn 90 degrees, roll and fold again

9. Repeat the steps 7 & 8 about 3 to 6 times depending on the layers

10. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours to 3 hours

For Pastry Filling

1. Mean while, In a small bowl mix together cornstarch and water until combined and set aside

2. Heat any medium pan with medium low and combine cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt, Stirring occasionally with a spatula or spoon

3. Cook until cherries begin to release its juices, about 5 to 6 minutes

4. Now Stir in cornstarch mixture, then bring to a boil, stirring often

5. Once its reached its boiling point, remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract

6. Let it cool completely at room temperature

To prepare for baking

1. prepare a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry sheet

3. Using any cutter or sharp knife cut sheet into circle or shapes as appropriate (half will be the bottom pastry crust, the other half will be the top)

4. Transfer the bottom pastry to the prepared baking tray

5. In a small bowl, mix together the beaten egg and milk

6. Using a pastry brush, brush edges of the bottom pastry with the egg wash

7. Spoon about 1 - 2 tsp of cooled cherry mixture onto each of the bottom pastry (fill you pastry according to your size)

8. Place the top pastry over cherry filling, lining up the edges as best you can and close the edges with a fork to seal the filling

9. Repeat these steps until you have filled all your pastries

10. Now make a small slits on top of the pastry and brush of pastry with egg wash

11. Chill Pastry puff in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking

To Bake the Puff Pastry

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius, when there is few minutes left of the chill time

2. Bake you pastry puff for about 30 - 35 minutes until the tops are golden brown

3. Once baked, let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving

4. Serve hot or cold and enjoy while it lasts

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Additional Notes

1. The most important thing to remember while making any puff pastry is to keep the pastries nice and cold at all times

2. You can literally use any type of fillings for this puff pastry (blueberry, coconut, apple pie, Cinnamon etc.,)

3. Also more folds means more flaky layers

4. This dough can be frozen for up to 2 - 4 weeks (Make sure to thaw in the refrigerator before using)

5. I have shared few pictures below of my making, Please ignore the mess because at the end the results are always delicious