Method

• 1.
  DAY 1: Cut 70g butter into cubes and set aside for 10 minutes to soften slightly (you want it to be cold but malleable). Combine water and vinegar in a jug. Place flour, salt and butter cubes in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix to break the butter into the flour until you have pea-sized lumps of butter visible. With the motor running, pour in the water mixture and mix until it just comes together. You don’t want any dry pieces but you need to be careful not to overwork it. Flatten the dough into a 1cm-thick rectangle. Enclose in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight to rest. Using a rolling pin, roll out the 250g butter block between two sheets of baking paper into a 18cm x 20cm rectangle. Enclose in plastic wrap and chill overnight.
• 2.
  DAY 2: Remove rolled-out butter and dough from the fridge about 30 minutes before you laminate the pastry. You want the butter to be malleable but not soft. Lay dough on a lightly floured work surface with the short edge parallel with the edge of the bench. Roll dough away from you to form a 40cm x 20cm rectangle, still with the short edge closest to you. Place butter block in the middle of the dough, with the 20cm side parallel with the bench. Fold both free short sides of dough over the butter so they meet in the middle, encasing the butter. Lightly pinch ends together to seal (the seam should run parallel with the edge of the bench). Rotate dough block 90 degrees so the seam is perpendicular to the edge of the bench. Using your rolling pin, gently press or stamp along the length of the dough to make it more malleable. Roll the dough away from you to form a 40cm x 20cm rectangle, with the short edge parallel to the bench. Starting with the side closest to you, fold the bottom third of the dough into the middle, then the top third over the top of that, as if folding a letter. Chill for 20 minutes. Return pastry to the bench with the open seam to the right and perpendicular to the edge of the bench. Roll dough away from you to form a 20cm x 40cm rectangle. Fold the bottom third of the pastry into the middle, then the top third over the top of that, as if folding a letter. Repeat this step until you have completed four single (or letter) folds in total. Chill for 1 hour after every two folds to keep the butter from getting too soft (chill for 30 minutes after every fold if it’s a warm day). Once all four folds are done, enclose pastry in plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours to rest, or preferably overnight, before you use it. This will stop it from shrinking. Roll it out according to the recipe you’re using it for.