Why it works: Flour and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Puff Paste
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Wash the butter thoroughly until free from salt.
Put the flour and butter in a cold place; keep all utensils ice cold.
Make the dough
Mix one-fourth of the butter into the flour, adding enough ice cold water to make a nice paste.
Ensure the paste is not too stiff; it should be manageable without sticking. Use more ice cold water if necessary.
Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick, spread more butter on it, and fold from the ends towards the center to make three layers.
Repeat this process until all the butter is incorporated, doing this three to four times for best results.
Chill and store
Chill the paste in a cold place for several hours; overnight is better, but do not allow it to freeze.
If the outside temperature is not cold enough, wrap the paste in a towel, place it in a small pan, and surround it with crushed ice.
If storing for several days, wrap in a napkin, place in a tin pail, cover tightly, and keep in a cold place, avoiding direct contact with ice.
Bake
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C).
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Forms the separate fat layers that puff apart into flaky sheets when baked.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the layers together as the dough bakes.
- Ice cold water
- Brings the flour and butter into a workable paste while keeping the fat cold and firm.
The step that matters
Keeping the butter cold while folding. If the butter softens and melts into the dough, the layers blend together instead of separating, so the pastry bakes flat rather than flaky. Chilling between folds keeps the fat in distinct layers.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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