You're the puff in my pastry original pen and ink and watercolour illustration by Rosie Brooks

Making puff pastry from scratch can be a time-consuming process, but the result is a delicious, flaky pastry that is worth the effort. Here's a recipe for homemade puff pastry:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup of ice-cold water

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.
2. Add the chilled butter cubes to the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix them together until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
3. Gradually add the ice-cold water to the flour and butter mixture, mixing it with a fork until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rectangle.
5. Roll the dough out into a rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick.
6. Fold the top third of the dough down to the center, and then fold the bottom third up to the center, as if folding a letter.
7. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again into a rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick.
8. Fold the dough again in the same manner as before.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for a total of six folds, being careful not to overwork the dough.
10. Wrap the puff pastry dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before using it in a recipe.

Your homemade puff pastry is now ready to be used in any recipe that calls for it, such as for croissants, turnovers, or tarts.