Second attempt at dough lamination, how do my danish pastries look?
Hi! I'm new to this forum, and have just finished my second attempt at laminated dough. While I am very happy with the final product, and it is definitely an improvement from my prior attempt, I was just hoping for an opinion from someone with a bit more experience.
During my first attempt (croissants) I had a lot of trouble keeping the butter from cracking/breaking when rolling out the dough. I think that because a lot of recipes emphasise keeping the dough COLD, I may have over-chilled the dough/butter. During my second attempt (puff pastry using this recipe I managed to avoid breaking the butter (woohoo!), the pastries were beautiful and flaky on the outside, lots of layers in the centre, but I'm worried about the moist appearance of these layers. While this makes for a pleasant mouth-feel (I wouldn't want a danish to be dry) I can't help but notice that the cross-section of other people's appear to be more airy?
So I have a few questions:
1. Do my laminating skills still need some work?
2. Do you normally fill pastries prior to baking, mid way through baking, or after? (does removing puff pastry from the oven halfway through baking cause problems?
3. How thick do you roll your puff pastry?
They look great to me! If you can see the flaky layers, that means your laminating was successful. If you aren't happy with the rise, try rolling it out thicker next time.
I usually fill them before baking, but be careful when using fruits (particularly frozen) because I have learned that they bleed tremendously while in the oven. It wouldn't be a bad idea to add them afterward unless you're looking for a well-covered filling.
Opening the oven door wouldn't be good for the puff pastry so try to refrain from doing so. I normally roll mine out about 1/4 inch thickness. Too thin and itll stick To the table or crack. Best of luck!