1,464 easy and fully explained recipes, with +66K photos and 78 videos

How to cook caramelized puff pastry well

When puff pastry is caramelized to use in patisseries like millefeuille, French chefs call it a "feuilletage" (which means "lamination" or "leafing"). This is baked on its own before being assembled with cream, fruit, etc.

The baking needs to be carefully managed: the pastry should puff into layers, but not swell too much (just a few millimeters normally). To achieve this, we need to follow a special method that I have explained for you here.

271 K 2× 3.7/5 (92 reviews)

40 min.

Average

0.80 €

1 feuilletage

2 Ingredients

Last modified on: September 3^rd 2017

For this recipe: I want to make it (345×) I made it (255×) Send to a friend Ask a question Follow Printable Diaporama Vidéo

For 1 feuilletage, you will need:

1 250 g Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée)
2 30 g caster sugar
Total weight: 280 grams

Change these quantities to make:

1 feuilletage 2 feuilletages 3 feuilletages

Change measures:

Metric

Metric weight Metric volumes

Times for this recipe

Preparation: 15 min.

Cooking: 25 min.

All in all: 40 min.

When should you start or finish this recipe?

If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time

To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe

Stage 1

How to cook caramelized puff pastry well

We need to end up with postry that is well-layered, but has not risen too much. To acheive this we will be cooking it on a baking sheet, with 2 shallow supports at the sides, covered with a protective sheet of cooking parchment (to stop it sticking), and a second baking sheet on top.

The diagram alongside explains this assembly: 1= bottom baking sheet, 2= puff pastry, 3= metal supports (about 1/2 inch or 1 cm deep), 4= protective cooking parchment, 5= top baking sheet.

Stage 2 - 2 min.

Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).

Roll out the pastry and lay it on a baking sheet. If it comes ready rolled with a sheet of paper, just leave this in place, as in the photo.

Stage 3 - 3 min.

Dust the pastry all over with 30 g caster sugar in as even a layer as possible.

Stage 4 - 2 min.

Place the two metal supports (they will be going in the oven) on either side, so that they are not touching the pastry. These are 2 old metal school rulers 1 cm (about 1/2 inch) thick.

Stage 5 - 2 min.

Lay a sheet of cooking parchment on top.

Note: Pull the paper taut so that it is not sitting on the pastry - this will help the cooking and browning.

Stage 6 - 2 min.

Place a second baking sheet on top.

Stage 7 - 25 min.

Put this whole contraption in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.

Stage 8

Watch for how the pastry is browning. The top baking sheet should be removed after about 20 minutes to allow the top of the feuillletage to brown nicely. Make use of this opportunity to turn the baking sheet round if necessary so that the pastry cooks evenly.

Take the pastry out of the oven when golden brown and leave to cool on a wire rack before using in a recipe.

Remarks

It is important to caramelize the pastry: for flavour, of courxe, but mostly because the caramel forms a sealing layer which protects the pastry from the moist filling (usually cream) and keeps it crisp longer.

If you prefer not to caramelize the pastry, you can glaze it with egg to make it look more attractive.

Making a successful feuilletage is not easy, especially at first. It is worth remembering that the great French chef Joël Robuchon, when asked: "When was the first time you felt like a real cook?", replied: "The day I made my first successful strawberry millefeuille". So, be brave and have a go!

Keeping: A few hours.

Source: Home made.

Nutritional information

	Proteins (gr)	Carbohydrates (gr)	Fats (gr)	Energy value (in k-calories)	Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe	120 RDI=50 %	960 RDI=90 %	850 RDI=130 %	1,190 RDI=60 %	4,960 RDI: 60 %
Per 100 g	40 RDI=20 %	340 RDI=30 %	300 RDI=50 %	420 RDI=20 %	1,770 RDI: 20 %

The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man

Possible allergens in this recipe: Gluten, Milk, Sulfites

How much will it cost?

For 1 feuilletage : 0.80 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.

This recipe uses (among others)

Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée)

You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Nanou's tuna tart, Cheese and tomato tart, Quiche Bretonne, Cochelin d'Evreux, Ch'ti mussel tarts, ... See them all 71

Caster sugar

Like these other recipes: Tiramisu, Breton apple and rhubarb tart , Liège waffles, Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée, Gâteau Breton (Brittany butter cake), ... See them all 355

Other recipes you may also like

Chocolate mousse

Here is a simple quick recipe for chocolate mousse. It is just necessary to be careful at the final stage, when mixing the melted chocolate and the beaten egg-whites.
February 21^th 2011473 K3.7 40 min.

Fish petals, vegetables julienne, and beurre blanc

This recipe consists of delicate flakes ("petals") of poached fish, cooked with smoked ham, served on a bed of julienne vegetables (fine sticks of carrots, turnips and cabbage), with a "beurre blanc" sauce made with vinegar and shallots. Not difficult, but entails some work.
December 31^th 2013253 K4.3 1 hour 35 min.

Marinated tuna with herbs

Here is a very simple recipe, preferably for a barbecue or plancha, but could be made in the kitchen. As for any summer-barbecue-backyard recipe, all proportons can be varied according to taste.
February 21^th 2011266 K4.3 1 hour 25 min.

Chicken nems

Nems are probably the best known Far Eastern dish in France. These small crispy rolls can be made in different flavours: chicken, crab, pork, etc. Making your own is not very complicated, the only difficulty is in the rolling stage. You will find in this recipe full details on how to successfully...
April 6^th 2017504 K3.8 2 hours 25 min.

Bechamel sauce

Bechamel sauce is a classic, made from a cooked butter-flour mix called "roux", where milk is added and slowly cooked. We get a thick sauce, used in many recipes.
June 13^th 2024425 K4.3 20 min.

News list of cooking-ez.com

Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.

The 2 comments already posted on this recipe

You can use sugar syrup, but in that case don't add paper on top.
Actually this not really a good option, with syrup you add some water, which is the enemy of golden crust.
Dusting sugar is the better option for me.
Posted by jh may 17^th 2020 at 14:39 n° 2
Love this, and the whole site. How didn't I find it earlier?
A question: at stage 3, would it work to brush the pastry with sugar syrup (or even just sugar in water) instead of dusting it?
Posted by hmijail may 17^th 2020 at 05:45 n° 1

Follow this recipe (as 3 people already do)

If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.

Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.

Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.