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1
Wipe your work surface very well.
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2
Combine the cake and bread flours and sift them onto the work surface.
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3
Make a well in the middle of the flour to form a donut shape.
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4
Put the salt, melted butter and 1 tablespoon of water or so into the well, and mix well to dissolve the salt.
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5
When the salt has dissolved, start mixing in the surrounding flour a little at a time.
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6
Remember how you used to mix water into sand in a sandpit and do it like that.
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7
(Thicken the liquid a bit at a time.)
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8
When the liquid has thickened quite a bit, add water little by little to dissolve the flour.
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9
The key is to add the water a little at a time!
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10
Also, don't ever break down the walls of the well!
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11
Otherwise your work surface will become flooded with water...
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12
Always pour the water onto the flour.
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13
When all the water has been added, use your pastry scraper in a cutting motion to mix the water in.
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14
(Don't knead the mixture; you don't want to develop the gluten in the flour.)
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15
When the water is mixed in, gather up the dough into a ball with the seams inside, and pull the surface a bit tight.
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16
The dough doesn't have to be smooth at this stage!
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17
As you let the dough rest in the refrigerator and fold in the butter, it will become silky smooth.
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18
Make a deep cross cut into the dough, wrap up in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
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19
While the detrempe is resting, prepare the butter that will be folded into it.
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20
Sandwich the butter between sheets of plastic film (make sure the plastic sheets are big enough to accommodate the butter when it's flattened) and beat down on it with a rolling pin to flatten it out.
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21
The butter is cold but it will become soft and silky.
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22
Cut and form the butter with a pastry scraper or other tool to neaten it up.
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23
It should become a neat square that's about the same size as the cutting edge of the scraper.
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24
Start folding the butter (beurrage) into the rested detrempe.
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25
Press out the detrempe that had the deep cross cut in it away from you as if you were pushing it.
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26
(It's hard to describe...) Turn the dough to press it out on all 4 sides.
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27
Here's how it should look at this point.
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28
After all 4 sides are pressed out, it should look like this.
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29
The middle should be a bit thicker than the rest.
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30
Put the squared off silky butter on the thick part of the dough.
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31
(Check the consistency of the butter.
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32
It should be just soft enough that if you press on it with your finger, it leaves a mark.
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33
If it's too hard it's difficult to roll out.
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34
Butter hardens right away when you put it in the refrigerator, so be careful!)
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35
Bring the opposing corners of the dough to the middle and fold.
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36
Do the same with the two other opposing corners.
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37
The key is to wrap the dough tightly around the butter so that there are no air pockets in between the layers.
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38
Roll out with a rolling pin.
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39
To start, push the rolling pin in small movements, then roll it back and forth.
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40
Dust with flour frequently but sparingly.
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41
(It's a bit complicated I know...) Flip the dough over as you roll it frequently too.
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42
(The dough does stick easily to the work surface...) When the dough has thinned out, roll it around the rolling pin and flip over.
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43
Roll until it's as long as the rolling pin.
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44
Start folding!
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45
Brush off any excess flour, and fold in about 1/4 of the dough.
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46
Bring the bottom part of the dough on top.
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47
Tightly seal the seams closed using the rolling pin.
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48
The key is to bring the folds all the way up to the corners.
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49
If the corners are rounded, pull on them with your hands to make them square like a puzzle.
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50
This way the dough will have a nice neat finish, and will be easier to handle too.
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51
Cut the dough in half.
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52
(If you don't do that and fold the dough in the middle, the first fold will stick out to the size, and the dough will split there.)
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53
Wrap tightly in plastic, and rest in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.
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54
Turn the dough 90 degrees from the previous step (so that the fold is on the side), and repeat steps 14 to 18 three more times.
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55
If you roll out the width (in the direction it was rolled before) first, it's easier to handle.
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56
The more you roll out the dough, the silkier it will get.
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57
Then you're done!
