I see posts mentioning that puffed pastry dough is commonly available in Makro, Big C, etc. with no need to go to the import stores. And since Hostess might fold soon, I figure I might get rich making my own fruit pies*

My question is - how does it taste? Knowing how sweet the Thais like everything to be, is it pre-sugared and therefore only suitable for dessert recipes? Or is it neutral and therefore suitable for pot pies, empanadas and such? In the latter case, I guess you'd need to apply icing or at least a dusting of sugar to produce a nice sweet pastry.

Feel free to post your puffed pastry success stories and recipes.

Thanks.

*That's a joke in case immigration is reading. I'm not working here, no siree bob!

Most of the puff pastry sold in supermarkets is imported, with brands like Jusroll. It's not sugared.

There's what appears to be a local brand sold in Villa with a very plain wrapping - no obvious branding. It's also not sweet. However, it also doesn't state what the fat used is. I'm guessing from the taste it's not 100% butter, and may be hydrogenated vegetable oil. However, it's substantially cheaper than the obvious branded imports.

OK...a bit off topic but still Puff Pastry oriented.

On Delia's website she gives a way to make puff pastry without all the folding and rolling usualy required.

Freeze your block of butter then grate it with a grater....mix in with the flour...add water and STIR gently.

Roll out and voila...puff pastry

OK...a bit off topic but still Puff Pastry oriented.

On Delia's website she gives a way to make puff pastry without all the folding and rolling usualy required.

Freeze your block of butter then grate it with a grater....mix in with the flour...add water and STIR gently.

Roll out and voila...puff pastry

That's what's usually called blitz puff pastry or some other synonym for "blitz" It's very good for puff pastry that itsn't going to be a lot of layers. You couldn't use it to make a millefeuille but for crusts it's excellent.

It's easily in the 90s F (34-36 C) in my kitchen. I'm sure that any frozen butter that I try to grate would be melted as soon as it hits the bowl. I'd have to grate it standing inside the freezer. Good idea though.

I've used the puff pastry from Makro. It comes in packs of around 12, 150mm square sheets. I use them for making sausage rolls. I think I pay around 120bht a pack.

I've never seen the makro puff pastry, so can't comment on that, but I normally use Villas own brand. It's about 100 baht for a 250g slab and is the best I've found here. The imported Jus Roll stuff is terrible and very expensive. I guess its so bad here due to none of the supermarkets realising you shouldn't let it defrost and then freeze again (a big problem in every supermarket in this country). The Villa brand has the best butter flavour out of them all and isn't sweetened. Foodland also make their own and it's a little cheaper, but isn't very good, bad flavour and has been 'worked' to much and is like trying to roll out rubber. Also, if you're in BK then the Rama 4 branch of Big C import a range of fresh pastries from France that are good too.

In Europe I often made my own puff at home, but in this heat it's tough and gave up a few years ago. I occasionally make 'rough puff' here but even then it's hard with the heat.