Rough puff pastry is a shortcut version of classic puff pastry made with cold butter, flour, and a series of folds that create crisp, flaky layers without turning your kitchen into an all-day baking project. You still get the buttery layers and crisp edges people love about puff pastry, just without the marathon rolling sessions and constant refrigeration breaks. We use it for everything from cherry puff pastry turnovers and mini apple pies to savory breakfast tarts and turkey pot pie, and once you pull a tray from the oven, the frozen box in the freezer starts losing its appeal.
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Puff Pastry vs Rough Puff Pastry
The biggest difference between classic puff pastry and rough puff pastry comes down to how the butter is added to the dough. Traditional puff pastry starts with a large slab of butter sealed inside the dough, followed by repeated rolling and folding to create dozens of thin layers. The results are incredible, though the process can easily take most of the day.
Rough puff pastry skips the large block of butter and uses smaller pieces of cold butter mixed throughout the dough instead. Once the dough is rolled and folded, those butter pieces stretch into layers that bake up crisp, flaky, and deeply buttery without all the extra time.
Some rough puff pastry recipes cut the butter into the flour like pie dough using a pastry cutter or food processor. Our version uses grated butter and traditional folds, which gives the pastry layers closer to classic puff pastry while keeping the process manageable for a regular afternoon of baking.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
For this rough puff pastry, you only need five ingredients: butter, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, and ice-cold water.
The complete ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.
More About the Butter
Splurge on a more expensive butter. This is the time to buy the good butter. European-style butter is our choice because it has a higher fat content and lower water content than standard grocery-store butter. The dough bakes up richer, flakier, and more layered. We usually use unsalted butter so we can control the salt level ourselves. If salted butter is all you have, it still works fine. Just leave the additional salt out of the dough.
Grating the butter. Frozen grated butter is what keeps this recipe easy. Instead of wrestling with a large block of butter that’s in traditional puff pastry, the smaller shreds distribute more easily throughout the dough and still create flaky layers when folded. A box grater gives you the least waste, though it warms the butter faster. A food processor with a shredding disk is quicker, especially if you are doubling the recipe. Either way, keep the grated butter cold. We usually slide it back into the freezer while mixing the dough.
Keep the butter cold. Cold butter is the key to flaky layers. If the butter softens too much, it blends into the flour instead of staying in separate pieces throughout the dough. That is what leads to pastry that bakes up dense instead of layered and crisp. If the dough starts feeling soft or sticky during rolling and folding, stop and refrigerate it for 15 to 20 minutes before continuing.
Ways to Use Rough Puff Pastry
Rough puff pastry is one of those freezer staples that makes holiday baking, entertaining, and last-minute dinners much easier.
For savory recipes, we use it for dishes like Leftover Turkey Pot Pie with Puff Pastry, Puff Pastry Breakfast Tart with Bacon and Eggs, and Vegetable Wellington with Mushrooms and Spinach. The flaky layers hold up especially well around rich fillings and baked egg dishes.
For desserts, we use this dough for Cherry Puff Pastry Turnovers, Blueberry Turnovers, Fruity Cheese Danish, and Classic French Palmiers. Once the pastry hits the oven and the layers start rising, it starts feeling a lot like the kind of thing you would pick up from the pastry case at a good bakery.
How to Make Rough Puff Pastry
Here are the quick, step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions, including the exact ingredients, in the recipe card below.
Pro-tip: Keep everything cold. Chill your bowl, bench scraper, and other tools to help keep the dough cold.
1. Grate the Butter: Working quickly, grate the sticks of frozen butter using the large holes of a box grater or a food processor with a medium shredding disk. If the butter gets too soft, place it back in the freezer for 20 minutes.
2. Toss Butter with Flour: Place grated butter back in the freezer for 10 minutes, then toss with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour until coated. Return the butter to the freezer.
3. Combine Ingredients: Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add half of the frozen grated butter and toss to coat. Return the remaining butter to the freezer.
4. Add Cold Water: Begin adding ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time and mix with a fork until shaggy pieces form.
5. Knead Dough: In a bowl, knead the dough with your hands to form a large shaggy ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Add an additional tablespoon of ice water to the smaller piece of dough left in the bowl and knead to combine. Transfer the remaining dough to the work surface and knead a couple of times. The dough will look mostly hydrated, but some dry spots will remain.
6. Roll Dough: Lightly flour the work surface, and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a long rectangle about ½ – ¾ inches thick. Dust with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Tip: Flip the dough over once or twice to make sure it isn’t sticking to the work surface.
7. First Turn: Gently remove any excess flour using a pastry brush. Place the short side of the rectangle facing you, and cover the bottom two-thirds of the dough with half of the remaining grated butter.
8. First Fold: Fold the dough into thirds by folding the top third down over half the butter and then folding the bottom third up over the top. Pastry should rest in the refrigerator before doing the next set of folds.
9. Second Turn: Rotate the dough 90 degrees and gently roll it into a rectangle again. Place the short side towards you and add the remaining grated butter to the bottom two-thirds of the dough. Fold the dough into thirds by folding the top third down over half of the butter, then fold the bottom third over the top. If the dough is starting to warm, then put it in the refrigerator before the final fold.
10. Third Turn: Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it into a rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds again, this time without butter. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. After the dough has chilled for at least an hour, roll it out and cut as needed for the recipe. Tip: When cutting puff pastry, use a sharp, floured knife to prevent the layers from getting squished.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Keep the dough cold. If the butter starts feeling soft or the dough becomes sticky during rolling and folding, refrigerate it for 15 to 20 minutes before continuing. Cold butter is what creates the flaky layers in the oven.
- Use flour lightly. Dust the counter and rolling pin with just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Too much flour between the folds can dry the pastry out and cause cracking.
- Brush away excess flour. Before each fold, use a pastry brush to remove any loose flour from the surface of the dough. Extra flour trapped between the layers can affect how evenly the pastry rises.
- Cut with a sharp knife. A dull knife presses the layers together instead of slicing cleanly through them, which can keep the pastry from puffing properly.
- Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator. If working with frozen pastry, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator rather than on the counter. Slow thawing keeps the butter cold and the layers intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Rough Puff Pastry (Puff Pastry Cheat)
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Equipment
- Box Grater or Food Processor
- 2 Medium Bowls
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, frozen
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, for the grated butter
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 8-10 tablespoons ice-cold water
Instructions
- Grate frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater. Work quickly since the frozen butter will begin to soften as you grate. Refreeze if it gets too soft. Or grate butter using a food processor with a medium shredding disk.
- Place the grated butter back into the freezer for 10 minutes, then toss with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour until coated. Return to the freezer.
- Whisk together sugar, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Add half of the frozen grated butter and toss to coat. Return the remaining grated butter to the freezer.
- Add the ice-cold water to the butter and flour mixture one tablespoon at a time and mix with a fork until shaggy pieces form.
- With your hands, knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a large shaggy dough.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Add an additional tablespoon of ice water to the smaller piece of dough left in the bowl and knead to bring them together. Transfer the remaining dough to the work surface and knead a couple of times. The dough will look mostly hydrated, but some dry spots will remain.
- Roll the dough into a long rectangle until it is about ½ – ¾ inch thick. Dust with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Tip: flip the dough over once or twice to make sure it isn’t sticking to the work surface.
- First Turn: Place the short side of the rectangle facing you, and cover the bottom two-thirds of the dough with half the remaining grated butter. Fold the dough into thirds by folding the top third down over half the butter, then folding the bottom third up over the top. Refrigerator dough if it becomes too warm.
- Second Turn: Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then gently roll the dough into a rectangle again. Place the short side towards you and add the remaining grated butter to the bottom two-thirds of the dough. Fold the dough into thirds by folding the top third, then down over half the butter and folding the bottom third over the top. Refrigerate the dough if needed before the final turn.
- Third Turn: Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it into a rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds again. This time without butter.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After the dough has been chilled for an hour, roll and cut as needed for the recipe.
