Puff Pastry

I am going to be making a french tomato tart and decided to make everything from scratch including the puff pasty i have never made pasty before as it is one of those convenient things you can buy in the super market but i think i will try and make some of the other types like short and sweet now i have made a more challenging type.  Be warned if you embark on this it took me 3 days to make as i gave it more love than my hubby saw over those days with rolling, folding, chilling and resting.

i made a 1kg slab

400g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
90g cold butter cut into small chunks
210ml cold water
300g butter

Sift all the flour and salt and working as quickly as possible using the finger tips rub the cubed butter into the flour to get breadcrumbs, i found that it really helps to make those starting chunks of butter quiet small.
once breadcrumb stage is reached pour in the water and use a spatula to bring together so warm hands don't warm up the pastry to much.  When its pulled together give it a couple of kneads and wrap in cling film and chill over night

The next day get the 300g of butter and knock out into a rectangle, then roll out the dough, make sure that you do not flour the surface and work lightly so you do not get any sticking making sure both the butter and dough is of equal consistency i made sure both butter and dough was chilled to work with.
Place the butter in the middle of the dough and bring the edges of the pastry over the butter it must be completely covered and the pastry can be stretched to make sure this happens.

Next use you rolling pin and press with a gentle rocking motion not rolling divits into the dough and then make them wider then roll the dough out till you have a nice smooth rectangle. then turn the dough 90 degrees and fold into 3 as if your folding up a letter for an envelope.  Then repeat the pressing of the rolling pin stage to make divits and roll to a rectangle, after this wrap in clingfilm and rest and chill for a hour the repeat the turning, divits and rolling 2 more times before resting and chilling again do not do more that 2 turns with out chilling and resting. The next day do a few more turns, chills and resting before rolling out and placing in the tin you want to use, prick the bottom all over and again chill and rest the pastry for 1 hour.