Sure! Here’s a big, beautiful recipe for a Fast Puff Pastry Butter Bread — fluffy, buttery, golden, and made without folding or machines! Perfect for both beginners and pros.
🥖✨ Fast Puff Pastry Butter Bread ✨🥖
No folding. No machine. Just magic in every layer.
📝 Introduction:
Puff pastry and bread — two iconic baked goods — are usually kept separate due to their distinct methods. Traditional puff pastry is time-consuming, requiring cold butter folding and hours of resting. But what if we told you there’s a faster way to enjoy those buttery, flaky layers in a soft bread form — without folding or machinery?
This Fast Puff Pastry Butter Bread is the shortcut version that delivers both flavor and texture. It’s soft like milk bread inside, but with a layered buttery crust outside — all with minimal effort. A perfect breakfast loaf, tea-time companion, or indulgent snack.
🍞 Ingredients:
For the Dough:
- 1 Egg 🥚
- 25g (2 tbsp) Sugar
- 150g (0.6 cup) Warm Milk 🥛
- 3g (1 tsp) Instant Yeast
- 300g (2 cups) Bread Flour or Wheat Flour 🌾
- 3g (1/2 tsp) Salt 🧂
- 28g (2 tbsp) Unsalted Butter (softened) 🧈
For the Butter Layer:
- 60g (4 tbsp) Unsalted Butter (cold, cubed or grated) ❄️🧈
🧑🍳 Instructions:
1. Activate the Yeast:
In a large mixing bowl, combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes until frothy. This tells you the yeast is alive and ready!
2. Mix the Dough:
Add in the egg, bread flour, and salt. Mix until the dough comes together.
3. Knead and Add Butter:
Knead the dough by hand (or use a spoon or spatula) for about 5–7 minutes until smooth. Add the softened 28g butter and knead again until fully incorporated and smooth. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
4. First Rise (Bulk Fermentation):
Cover and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Shape with Butter (No Folding Needed!):
Roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Sprinkle or dot the 60g cold butter evenly across the dough surface. Then roll the dough into a log (like a jelly roll) to seal in the butter. You can optionally cut the log lengthwise and twist for a layered swirl.
6. Pan Formation:
Place the buttered dough roll into a greased loaf pan or cake tin. Cover loosely.
7. Second Rise:
Let it rise again for 30–40 minutes until it puffs up and fills the pan nicely.
8. Bake:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden brown on top. You’ll see the butter bubbling slightly and the top turning a deep golden.
9. Cool and Serve:
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Best served warm!
🧬 Method Summary:
- No lamination or folding
- No stand mixer
- Quick double rise
- Butter added both into and on the dough
- Baked to flaky perfection!
📜 History:
Puff pastry dates back to 17th-century France, created by Claudius Gele, while enriched breads like brioche have deeper roots across Europe. This recipe blends the lamination idea from puff pastry and the softness of enriched milk bread — a modern hybrid to simplify and speed up traditional methods.
🌟 Benefits:
- Quick & easy – no special tools needed
- Layered, buttery texture
- Kid-friendly and beginner-friendly
- Less time, same flaky magic
- Versatile base for savory or sweet variations
🧪 Formation:
- Yeast + Warm milk: triggers fermentation
- Egg + sugar: tenderizes and enriches the dough
- Butter: creates flakiness and flavor
- Log shaping: forms easy layers with butter
❤️ Lovers of This Bread:
- Busy home bakers who crave puff pastry without hours
- Kids – who love buttery, pull-apart pieces
- Pastry beginners – no intimidation, no folding
- Tea-time fans – ideal with jam, honey, or just plain
- Anyone who says “I love croissants but they take forever!”
🍽️ Serving Ideas:
- Toasted with a drizzle of honey 🍯
- Stuffed with ham and cheese before baking 🧀🥓
- Served with jam and clotted cream for tea 🍓☕
- Dipped in hot chocolate or milk! 🍫🥛
🍎 Nutritional Information (Per Slice, Approx. 1/8 loaf):
- Calories: ~220 kcal
- Carbs: ~26g
- Protein: ~5g
- Fat: ~11g
- Sugar: ~3g
- Fiber: ~1g
(Values may vary depending on flour, butter, and portion size)
🎉 Conclusion:
This Fast Puff Pastry Butter Bread is your shortcut to bakery-level indulgence. No fancy folding, no machines — just wholesome, golden, buttery bread that brings joy with every slice. Perfect for sharing, gifting, or enjoying solo with your favorite drink.
💌 Lovers’ Notes:
“It’s so buttery and soft! I can’t believe how easy it was.”
“I made this for brunch and everyone thought it came from a bakery!”
“The smell alone is worth baking it again.”
Would you like a chocolate swirl version, savory herb twist, or a mini-roll format next?