If you've been intimidated by making your own flaky rough puff pastry dough, let us encourage you to try it - it's easier than you think! This easy recipe is a streamlined version of classic puff pastry that still delivers those impressive flaky layers. Made with just 5 simple ingredients and a series of folds, this homemade rough puff creates buttery, sky-high layers perfect for everything from savory tarts to sweet pastries. While it does require a bit of time (mostly hands-off chilling!), the technique is surprisingly approachable, and the results are absolutely worth it!

Close up shot of cooked homemade rough puff pastry being held in someone's hand, filled with a jam center and dusted with powdered sugar, and showing off all the layers.

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We totally get it: puff pastry sounds fancy and complicated! For the longest time, we felt the same way. But after getting hands-on experience at the Bake from Scratch Magazine test kitchen back in October (check out some behind-the-scenes moments here), everything changed for us!

Turns out, rough puff is WAY more forgiving than traditional puff pastry, which requires precise lamination and folding techniques. We're taking a much more relaxed approach here that still gives you those gorgeous, buttery layers you're after, just without all the fuss!

The secret to the best homemade rough puff is large chunks of cold butter getting folded into the dough multiple times, creating hundreds of flaky layers as the butter melts and creates steam in the oven. Pastry magic! ✨

This rough puff pastry is incredibly versatile, too! We use it for our Finnish Christmas Stars and our savory Burrata and Prosciutto Tarts, but it's also perfect for pot pies, cheese straws, fruit galettes, palmiers, Napoleons, and SO much more!

The best part? You can make a big batch, freeze it, and have flaky, buttery pastry on hand whenever you need it!

🧈Ingredients

This recipe only uses 5 simple ingredients: flour, butter, salt, sugar, and ice-cold water. That's it! You probably have everything you need to make it!

🧈Ingredient Spotlight: Butter

The butter you use makes ALL the difference in rough puff pastry, so make sure you use high-quality butter! We're using Plugrà Premium European-Style Butter! Plugrà is now the official butter partner for this website☺️, and we've been working together since 2024! We're baking with Plugrà for this recipe because it truly creates the best results!

Plugrà is made with 82% butterfat compared to 80% in standard American butter. That extra 2% might not sound like much, but it means less water content and more pure butterfat, which translates to richer flavor, creamier texture, and flakier layers. 🤤

The slow-churned process also creates a more pliable butter that's easier to work with when you're pressing and folding it into the dough.

For this recipe, you'll cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces before working it into the flour. Keep it very cold until the last minute - cold butter is what creates all those gorgeous flaky layers!

Cubed, cold butter on a surface. — *Cut the very cold butter into tablespoon-sized pieces - this makes it much easier to work with!*

3 Tips for the Flakiest Rough Puff Pastry

1. Keep Everything Cold. 🧊 This is the golden rule of pastry making! Cold butter is what creates those flaky layers. If your butter starts to soften or feel greasy (you'll know because you'll start to smell that buttery aroma!), just pop the dough in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before continuing.

2. Don't Overwork the Dough. Unlike bread (and these delicious buttery ham and cheese rolls), where you want to develop gluten, with pastry dough, you want to keep mixing to a minimum. The dough will look shaggy and rough - that's exactly what you want! Trust the process.

3. Be Patient with the Chilling.❄️ We know it's tempting to rush through the chilling times, but this step is REALLY IMPORTANT! When the dough is chilling, the gluten relaxes, so your pastry doesn't shrink when baking. It's also important to keep the butter firm so all of the layers we create stay distinct.

How to Make Rough Puff Pastry

Making rough puff pastry is all about the folds! Don't worry - each step is simple, and with a little practice, you'll be folding like a pro in no time.☺️

Bowl of whisked flour and other ingredients on a wooden surface.

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar until well combined.

🧂Salt. We use Diamond Crystal kosher salt in all our recipes. If using Morton's kosher salt or table salt, reduce the amount by half since it's more concentrated.

✨The small amount of sugar in the dough helps with browning and adds a touch of sweetness that balances the buttery richness. Sugar also tenderizes the dough by inhibiting gluten development, which creates more delicate, flaky layers. Plus, it helps draw moisture out during baking, giving you that crisp, golden-brown crust we're after!

Chunks of butter coated in flour in a bowl on a wooden surface with a block of Plugra nearby.

Step 2: Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture and toss to coat them in flour. This prevents them from sticking together.

🌾Flour. We use all-purpose flour for the perfect balance of structure and tenderness. Bread flour would make the pastry too tough, while cake flour wouldn't provide enough structure for those tall layers we're after.

Two hands holding a chunk of butter coated in flour, pressing gently.

Step 3: Using your fingertips and thumbs, press and flatten each piece of butter into thin, flat sheets throughout the flour mixture.

Hands holding a piece of flattened butter coated in flour.

The butter should create a nice, thin sheet. These thin sheets of butter are the secret to creating those amazing flaky layers as steam escapes in the oven!

Hot hands? If your hands tend to run warm, you can use a pastry blender to work in the butter, or even grate frozen butter directly into the flour using a box grater! Just work quickly to keep everything cold.

🧈If the butter starts to melt and get greasy, place the bowl in the fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes to help things firm up again.

Bowl of flattened butter sheets coated in flour in a bowl with a candle nearby.

Step 4: Keep working the butter until all the pieces have been flattened into thin sheets. Make sure to coat each flattened piece with more flour as you go. The mixture will still look shaggy and rough - that's exactly what you want!

Hand adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time to a bowl of flour and butter sheets to make puff pastry dough.

Step 5: Drizzle ice-cold water into the bowl 1 tablespoon at a time, using your hand in a "claw" shape (or a fork), gently tossing the mixture together after each addition.

Bowl of puff pastry dough beginning to form with a bowl of water and a small candle nearby.

Continue to toss and fold the ingredients together, adding water slowly until a shaggy dough just begins to form. The dough should barely hold together when pressed but will still look rough. Don't panic, this is exactly how it should be!

❄️🧊The water needs to be ICE COLD! This helps prevent the butter from getting too warm and melting.

Ball of roughly made dough on a floured surface.

Step 6: Turn the shaggy dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

Square of dough on a lightly floured surface with a metal bench scraper near by.

Step 7: Use your hands to gently pat and push the dough together into a rough square shape, about 1 inch thick.

Don't knead or work the dough too much. Just push it together enough so it holds its shape!

Step 8: Wrap the dough square in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to overnight). This chilling time is important for the dough to hydrate and for the butter to firm back up.

⏰If you're in a rush, you can pop it in the freezer for 30-45 minutes instead, but the fridge is better!

Folding the Dough

Now comes the fun part - the series of folds that create all those flaky layers!

Make sure to wipe down the work surface and rolling pin before adding fresh flour to the work surface to avoid any dry, crusty bits from being incorporated into the dough.

Rough puff pastry dough forming and being rolled out on a floured wooden surface.

Step 9: After at least two hours of chilling, remove the dough from the fridge.

💡If it's been chilled overnight and feels rock-hard, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften slightly. It should still be cold, but pliable enough to roll.

Flattened dough on a floured wooden work surface.

Step 10: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 12 x 8 inches. Try to keep the edges as straight as possible!

Use a bench scraper to help straighten those edges and lift the dough if it sticks. Feel free to add extra flour to the surface as well!

Hands folding dough like a business letter in thirds.

Step 11: Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter. Take one-third and fold it toward the center.

Hands holding freshly folded puff pastry dough.

Step 12: Then fold the second third down over it. You've just completed your first "turn"!

Turn the dough 90 degrees so the seam is on your left (like a book).

Roll the dough out again into a rectangle roughly 12 x 8 inches. Fold into thirds again. That's your second turn!

Repeat the process of rolling, folding into thirds, and turning 90 degrees four more times for a total of 6 turns.

💡It helps to keep track! Make little indentations in the dough with your finger after each turn so you don't lose count. After 2 turns, make 2 dimples. After 4 turns, make 4 dimples. You get the idea!

🧈If the dough becomes sticky or you can see butter starting to melt: Stop immediately and refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes before continuing. Better to take a break than to let that butter melt out!

Flat and rolled out dough on floured work surface with a rolling pin on top.

Step 13: On the final roll, your dough should be soft and pliable! Roll the dough out again into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick or so, or whatever thickness the recipe you're using calls for.

Brushing extra flour off of puff pastry.

Step 14: Use a pastry brush to brush off excess flour.

Rough puff pastry dough on a floured wooden board with a pastry brush nearby.

Step 15: Your rough puff is now ready to use in your favorite recipes. Just make sure to chill it for a final 15 minutes before cutting it into shapes!

We were storing our puff pastry for later, so we took layers of parchment paper and folded the dough into thirds again. Add a piece of parchment to the center, then fold a third over top. Add another piece of parchment, then fold the second half over the top toward the center.

To use later, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Use in your favorite recipes, like these Finnish Christmas Star Pastries!

Close up shot showing incredible flakiness of puff pastry when baked.

Baked puff pastry treat with jam bitten into to show the layers of the pastry.

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