Flour

To sustain and retain the rich layered structure, the flour must support the high proportion of fat and withstand extensive rolling.

Generally, I use all-purpose flour or a blend of all-purpose and cake flour for my puff pastry recipes. If you find resistance while rolling any puff pastry recipe, remember that flours vary not only in each region, but each season too. Therefore, the fault may not be in the recipe; it could be in the flour. If the pastry is stubborn during the rolling and folding process, too much gluten is being developed. If you are having trouble, consider reducing the protein content of your flour, which develops into gluten, rather than changing recipes. You might begin by sifting together all-purpose flour with cake flour, which is lower in protein, in a 5 to 1 ratio (by weight), in place of pure all-purpose flour.