Key Equipment

• Countertop Dough Sheeter:  A dough sheeter rolls the dough and butter block to a precise, even thickness at every stage of lamination — critical for puff pastry, since uneven thickness means uneven butter distribution and inconsistent puff. Without one, use a rolling pin and measure thickness carefully at each pass.

Ingredients

For the Puff Pastry Dough

For the Butter Block

For the Tomato Tarts

Directions

Make the dough — Day 1

• Combine flour, 80g butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low with the paddle attachment until butter is incorporated.
• Stir the water and vinegar together. With the mixer on low, pour in the water and vinegar. Mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until a shaggy dough forms.
• Remove from the mixer and knead together on a lightly floured surface. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate overnight. (Note: it may still look a little shaggy, and that’s totally fine.)

Make the butter block — Day 1

• Place 275g softened butter between two sheets of parchment. Beat with a rolling pin to flatten slightly, then transfer to the sheeter. Sheet down to 5mm.
• Chill the butter block until solid, then trim and clean up the edges to make a 10-inch square.

Laminate the dough — Day 2

• Lightly flour the chilled dough and place it on the sheeter. Sheet the dough to 5 mm thick, aiming for a rectangle that measures 10 inches wide by 20 inches long. (Precise measurements are not fully necessary, they are guidelines. The sheeted dough should be double the length of your butter block.)
• Place the butter block over half of the dough. Fold the other half of dough over it and pinch the edges shut. If it’s cold, proceed to sheeting. If it’s warmed up a lot, chill for 15 minutes.
• Lightly flour the dough and pass through the sheeter. Starting at the highest setting (~24mm), pass the dough through, and adjust down 1 notch at a time until it’s 5mm thick.
• Perform a book fold: bring each end of the dough to the center, like closing a book, then fold it in half again to complete the fold. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Rotate the dough 90 degrees so the open ends are going into the sheeter. Perform another book fold, just like the previous one. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Rotate again and perform the third and final book fold. Wrap the dough and let it rest in the fridge for 3 hours, or overnight.

Final rolling of the dough — Day 3

• Sheet the dough block down to 3mm and cut into 2 sheets. Refrigerate for 2 hours before using, or store in the freezer for later. Your puff pastry is now complete!

Make the tomato tarts — Day 3

• Cut the puff pastry into 4-inch squares and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dock the centers, leaving a ½-inch border. Egg wash the edges of each square.
• Add a spoonful of goat cheese to the center of each square and spread to flatten.
• Place one tomato slice onto each puff pastry square. Top with ground black pepper.
• Refrigerate the tarts for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F, with a rack in the upper third, while the tarts chill.
• Bake the puff pastries for 23 to 26 minutes, until puffed deep golden brown.
• Garnish the baked pastries with chives and flaky sea salt before serving.