YOU can make bakery-level pastries! 3 puff pastry recipes the home cook can pull off

You can whip up these puff pastry recipes yourself!

You know the buttery and flaky pastries found at a fancy bakery. We’ll let you in on a little secret: they all start with puff pastry! It’s a baking staple that can do so much.

Our friend Chef Nettie Frank shared everything you need to know about this light and flaky dough, along with three recipes that put it to action.

Puff pastry typically lies in the freezer section of the grocery store. It’s made of hundreds of layers of laminated dough, or dough that is made by alternating layers of butter and dough. The only ingredients used to make puff pastry are salt, water, butter, and flour.

Though they’re similar, phyllo dough and puff pastry are not the same thing. Phyllo dough has oil instead of butter, resulting in a more flaky product.

Quick Garlic Bread Sticks

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Roll Puff Pastry Dough
• 1 Stick Butter – Softened
• 3 T. Garlic Salt
• 3/4 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 1 T. Everything Bagel Seasoning

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Lay out puff pastry dough, and spread ¾ of the soft butter over puff pastry dough.
3. Evenly sprinkle garlic salt over the dough, followed by ½ cup parmesan cheese.
4. Fold dough in half, then cut into 1 inch strips.
5. Twist dough strips, and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
6. Melt the remaining ¼ stick of butter, and brush on breadsticks using a pastry brush.
7. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese and everything bagel seasoning on top of breadsticks.
8. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Breakfast Danish

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Roll Puff Pastry Dough
• 1 Package Cream Cheese – Softened
• 2 T. Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 lb Fresh Berries or 1 C Pie Filling
• 1 Egg

METHOD

1. Preheat Oven to 375°F
2. Prep cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. Lightly flour the working surface, and lay out puff pastry.
4. Cut puff pastry into 3” x 3” squares.
5. Using a fork, poke holes in the bottom of the puff pastry to prevent excess rising.
6. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, and spoon onto the center of pastries.
7. Then, add the desired amount of berries or pie filling to the pastry.
8. Whisk together egg and 1 T. water, creating an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of danish with egg wash.
9. Fold Danish in half, making a triangle. Press sides together using a fork.
10. Brush the top of the danishes with egg wash.
11. Bake for 20 minutes, or until puff pastry is cooked through and golden brown.

Spanakopita (Mini Sausage Pastries)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Roll Puff Pastry
• 1 lb Sausage
• 8 oz Cream Cheese
• 2 Green Onions – Chopped
• 1 Egg
• 2 tsp Water
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Cook sausage on a pan over medium-high heat until cooked through.
3. Break cream cheese into small pieces, then add into sausage mixture. Stir until combined.
4. Add green onions, salt, and pepper to the sausage mixture. Take the pan off the heat.
5. Using small pie presses, cut out crusts from puff pastry dough.
6. Add 1-1 ½ T of sausage mixture onto the bottom crust.
7. Add egg to a small bowl with 2 tsp water to make an egg wash. Trace crust borders (top and bottom) with egg wash using a pastry brush.
8. Place the top crust onto the bottom crust with filling, and place into the pie press and press well to seal.
9. Place pastries onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and brush egg wash on top of all pastries.
10. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Find more from Nettie on Instagram, @chefnettiefrank, or on her website, chefnettie.com.