Blitz Puff Pastry

Ingredients

• 20 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting worksurface
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup ice water

Directions

1. Put the cold butter cubes in the freezer until they are partly frozen, about 20 minutes. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, add the flour, salt, softened butter, and 3/4 cup ice water. Mix on low just until the dough comes together, adding 1 tablespoon or 2 of cold water if it needs help. Take the bowl off the mixer and add the partly frozen butter cubes. With your hands, work the butter into the dough quickly, keeping the pieces solid. Transfer the dough to a large sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it snugly and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Set the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 10- by 20-inch rectangle, keeping the corners neat and squared. Make a 4-fold: bring 1 short end a little beyond the middle, fold the other end in to meet it, then fold the whole thing in half. Wrap the dough and chill it for 15 minutes.
3. Roll the dough again to a 10- by 20-inch rectangle. Give it another 4-fold, then refrigerate it for 1 hour.
4. Roll the dough out and make the same 4-fold 2 more times, chilling it for 1 hour between each fold. Once the last fold is finished, refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before using.