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How to defrost puff pastry, is it possible to defrost it in the microwave
Ready-made puff pastry is a real find for a busy housewife. But how to defrost the dough correctly so that it does not lose its properties and the baking turns out to be successful? Let’s consider the main methods of defrosting.
It is useful for baking lovers to know how to properly defrost puff pastry.
Do I need to defrost puff pastry before baking?
There are several opinions on this. Some housewives prefer to work with soft, completely thawed dough. Others find it more convenient to cut and shape the product when it has become flexible, but not yet too soft.
In any case, completely frozen dough is not suitable for work, it breaks easily and is completely stubborn, so you still need to find out how to defrost it. But to what extent to let it thaw, each housewife decides independently.
How much to defrost puff pastry and how to do it
Puff pastry is usually frozen in several layers, which are easily separated after thawing. However, as long as the dough is firm, it must be handled very carefully so as not to break.
It is best to defrost the dough slowly:
Transfer the packaging from the freezer to the refrigerator. It is convenient to do this in the evening, then in the morning it will already be soft and ready for further work.
Remove the packaging and place the dough on a floured board or table. At room temperature, it will completely thaw out in about 5 hours. Until that time, it is better not to touch it and not try to separate the sheets from each other.
When defrosting slowly, the dough fully restores all its properties and becomes again the same as before freezing.
How to defrost dough quickly
When there is no time for slow defrosting, you can do it faster. If you have at least two hours, you need to put the unpacked dough in a warm place. This could be a table near a stove or other heat source. However, when defrosting in warmth, there is a risk that the edges “float” and stick together. Therefore, it is best to separate the dough sheets as soon as they become slightly flexible, without waiting for complete defrosting.
To prevent the top of the dough from drying out during emergency defrosting in the heat, it should be lightly sprinkled with water and covered with a paper towel or napkin.
In extreme cases, if you need to defrost quickly, you can wrap the dough in a towel without removing the packaging and put it on a battery that is not too hot. But with this method, the internal structure of puff pastry may be disrupted, and it will turn into ordinary one.
Can puff pastry be defrosted in the microwave?
Yes, but only if the stove has a defrost function, in which the heating power is no more than 150 W. With a higher power, the dough will begin to bake and it will become impossible to mold any products from it. For defrosting, 5 minutes with one turnover is sufficient.
By properly defrosting the dough, you can easily make whatever you want out of it, and you will be happy with the result.