1 pound all-purpose flour
1 pound butter
1 tsp salt
1 1/8 cups heavy cream
Weigh the flour accurately. By hand, in a food processor, or a mixer, mix 3/8 cup flour with the butter until smooth. Shape this mixture into a 1″ thick square, wrap well in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Combine the salt with the remaining flour and add the cream. Beat well with an electric mixer or by hand. The dough won’t be completely smooth but it should not be sticky. Roll it out into a rectangle slightly wider than the squre of butter/flour and twice as long. You may need additional flour for rolling the dough. Center the square of butter on one half of the dough; fold the remaining dough over to enclose the butter completely, sealing the edges, and roll it into a thick rectangle measuring 8 x 12 inches. Chill for at least 30 minutes, so the dough and butter are the same temperature.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Do not overwork the dough. Fold it into thirds, matching edges as carefully as possible and brushing off any excess flour. Wrap the dough and chill for 30 minutes. This completes “one turn”.
Repeat this process five more times (classic puff pastry gets six turns). Use as little flour as possible when rolling the dough out, and always brush off any excess before folding. By the sixth turn the dough should be ery smooth, with no lumps of butter visible. Remember to let the dough rest in the refrigerator between turns; this can be speeded up by putting the dough in the freezer to chill.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use (up to two days). Alternately, divide the dough into two pieces and freeze them individually wrapped, for future use. The dough keeps beautifully in the freezer for several months. Defrost in the refrigerator before using.