Quick Puff or Flaky Pastry

We might think that puff pastry is a French invention, but the British were making rich butter pastes – flour mixed with butter, sugar, rose-water and spices, then interleaved with more butter – in the sixteenth century. It was given the name puff pastry in 1605, and was used mainly in the making of sweet tarts and the precursors of vol-au-vents.

Making puff pastry in the traditional way cannot really be beaten. This recipe, however, is a lot quicker and does bring you very close to