Recipe: Flaky pastry

1 Put the flour on a work plan and make a crater in its middle, then pour in it the salt and a part only of the water (you will adjust later the necessary quantity of water, depending on the quality of the flour so that the consistency of the "détrempe", at similar temperature is similar to those of the butter). Dilute the salt in the water and using the finger tips, mix as quickly as possible the whole to get a first pastry (the "détrempe") in which you will (see below) put the butter

2 Lay down the "détrempe" with a rolling pin to make it a 10 in. x 10 in. square

3 Lay down the butter (not too cold so that it is rather soft) to make a 6 in. x 6 in. square (put a cling film on it before using the rolling pin) and put it on the middle of the "détrempe" then pull down the uncovered "détrempe" 4 sides on the butter so that the butter is fully covered by the "détrempe" and put it into the fridge for at least half an hour

4 We will now make folds ("tours"): to make the first fold, lay down the pastry to make a 24 in. long rectangle 3 times longer than broad. Fold one third of one the small sides onto the middle and then an equivalent lengh of the other side on the new 2 folds : you get a square 3 fold pastry and you have make one "tour"

5 Turn the pastry (90 degrees angle) and repeat the same procedure (second "tour") and put the pastry during at least 15 minutes into the fridge

6 Repeat twice 4/ and 5/ always respecting the periods in the fridge. You then have goa a six "tours" flaky pastry. You can use it after an additional 30 minutes in the fridge.

This recipe is made of simple "tours" (3 folds each time). You can find other recipes using double "tours" (4 folds each time) but start with this one, you will get excellent results