How can I get my puff pastry to rise?
When I made chicken pot pie, the filling was fine but the puff pastry on top didn't puff up though it did cook through.
How can I remedy this?
The pastry was the store-bought frozen variety. The temperature was 375 °F and I used and egg wash for the glaze.
Best Answer
If you've baked your puff pastry in the past at 375 then it's probably not a temperature problem, however I usually bake it between 400-425 degrees (400 convection or 425 in standard oven). Lower temperatures aren't a problem for the baking aspect as it will still cook through. The problem lies in the fact that the heat won't be significant enough to generate the steam needed for expansion.
Egg wash could be a culprit as it should only be used on the top and not allowed to run down the sides where it will seal the edge together and keep it from rising unevenly.
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Why is my puff pastry not puffing up?
One of the most common reasons that your puff pastry didn't rise is the baking temperature. Puff pastry needs to be baked in a very hot oven of about 400 degrees. This high heat is necessary to create enough steam in the oven, so the dough rises.How do you fix puff pastry dough?
Possible Solutions. Use an egg wash to help seal filled pastries and connect Puff Pastry pieces: mix 1 egg plus 1 tsp. water, brush between layers, then seal edges together. To seal stuffed Puff Pastries, pinch the edges together or press with the tines of a fork, just as you'd seal a piecrust.What helps puff pastry to puff up in baking?
To keep puff pastry from sticking to your baking sheet, line it with parchment paper or a nonstick silicone baking mat like a Silpat.What ingredient makes pastry rise?
It's a Chemical Reaction!Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate to scientists) and baking powder (a combination of sodium bicarbonate and an acid) are used most often in bread recipes that are made quickly, like pancakes, muffins, birthday cakes, and biscuits.More answers regarding how can I get my puff pastry to rise?
Answer 2
Did at any point you crimp the puff pastry? If you press the layers together too hard you will cause the dough not to puff. I don't think temperature was the issue here if you said it cooked all the way through.
Answer 3
Puff pastry puffs because of the steam generated during cooking so if your pastry has dried out you are not going to get a good rise out of it. You can also lose the puff if you defrost and then refreeze as you will create larger ice crystals that will bust up the protein matrix that your pastry needs to maintain its shape.
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Images: Tim Douglas, Antonio Prado, Pixabay, Tim Douglas