Mille-Feuilles

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Meaning “a thousand layers” in French, the mille-feuille is known for its seemingly countless layers of puff pastry. With a dash of crème fraîche in the airy pastry cream and Président® butter folded into the dough, our Mille-Feuilles are simple yet decadent. If you’re short on time, don’t worry—our quick puff makes these a cinch. We bake the dough between two baking sheets (one upside down, one right-side up) so the pastry is flat enough to build those famous layers.

Can’t find crème fraîche in your local grocery stores? Have no fear! Make your own with our guide to homemade crème fraîche.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Mille-Feuilles
 
Makes 9 mille-feuilles
Ingredients
  • 1⅔ cups (377 grams) Président unsalted butter
  • 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt
  • ⅔ cup (160 grams) ice cold water
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
  • Crème Fraîche Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
Instructions
  1. Cube and freeze butter for 30 minutes.
  2. In the work bowl of a food processor, place flour and salt; pulse until combined.
  3. Add frozen cubed butter to flour mixture, and pulse until butter is dime-sized. With processor running, gradually add ⅔ cup (160 grams) ice cold water, processing just until mixture forms a ball. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Roll dough into a 20x10-inch rectangle. Fold dough in thirds, letter style. Turn dough 90 degrees, and repeat procedure twice. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Turn 2 sheet pans over, bottom side up, and place a sheet of parchment paper on bottom of each pan. Set aside another 2 sheets of parchment paper and another 2 sheet pans.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 24x12-inch rectangle. Using a pastry wheel, cut dough into 36 (4x2-inch) rectangles. Place rectangles at least ½ inch apart on prepared pans. Place reserved sheets of parchment over dough; place second sheet pans, bottom side down, on top of parchment.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Carefully remove top sheet pan and parchment, and bake until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes more. Let cool completely.
  8. Place 9 pieces of pastry on a sheet of parchment paper. Dust with confectioners’ sugar as desired. Set aside.
  9. Place chilled Crème Fraîche Pastry Cream in a piping bag fitted with an Ateco #802 round tip. Place another 9 pieces of pastry on a sheet pan. Pipe a row of large dots of Crème Fraîche Pastry Cream on top of each pastry. Top each with another piece of pastry. Pipe another layer of Crème Fraîche Pastry Cream on top of each pastry. Repeat layers one more time. Top with dusted pastries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Crème Fraîche Pastry Cream
 
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
  • 3 cups (720 grams) whole milk
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
  • 8 large egg yolks (149 grams)
  • ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons (56 grams) cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (120 grams) crème fraîche
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, whisk together milk, ½ cup (100 grams) sugar, and vanilla bean and reserved seeds. Heat over medium heat until steaming. Discard vanilla bean.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch, salt, and remaining ½ cup (100 grams) sugar. Gradually add warm milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and boiling, 4 to 5 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Stir in butter in two additions. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 4 hours or overnight.
  3. Whisk pastry cream until smooth. Fold in crème fraîche. Use immediately.

 

 

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7 COMMENTS

  1. just wondering, do i have to put a sheet pan on top because i don’t have enough of them but i want to make this recipe

  2. OMG. This is sooo good! And surprisingly easy! From the way it looks and how it tastes, no one will ever know how easy it is if you are serving this to guests.

    • Hello Joshua,

      Thank you for your question!

      Although the amount of Crème Fraîche Pastry Cream you use can be dictated by personal preference, the recipe provided should be just enough to fill the 9 mille-feuilles.

      Happy baking!

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