Puff Pastry Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter

About 2/3 cup cold water

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.  Rub in 2 tablespoons of the butter, working as briskly as you can and using the tips of your fingers only, or process in a food processor.  Mix in the water and then gently knead the dough on a floured surface.  Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Keep the remaining butter out so that it softens.

Flatten the softened butter into a rectangle 1 inch thick.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle three times the length and 1 inch wider than the rectangle of butter.  Place the butter in the center of the pastry and then fold over the top and bottom of the dough to cover the butter.

With the rolling pin, press down on the edges to seal in the butter, then give the dough a quarter turn clockwise.  Now roll the dough out so that it returns to its original length.  Fold over the ends again, press them together with the rolling pin, and give a further quarter-turn clockwise.  Repeat the process once more, and then rest the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, remembering which way it is facing.

Repeat the rolling and turning process twice more, then refrigerate for a final 30 minutes before using or freezing.  If the dough gets warm and buttery at any stage during the process, put it in the refrigerator to chill.

From Tarts with Tops On, or How to Make the Perfect Pie by Tamasin Day-Lewis