What is the butter to flour ratio for making puff pastry that uses three-quarters butter?

The correct butter to flour ratio for making puff pastry is three-quarters butter, which translates to a ratio of 3:4 or ¾ when expressed in terms of total parts. In puff pastry, the high fat content from butter is essential for achieving the desired flakiness and layers, as it helps to create steam pockets during baking.

To visualize this, if you have 4 parts flour, by using 3 parts of butter, you are allowing the butter to account for a significant portion of the mixture, thus ensuring the layers separate and puff up when baked. This specific ratio is crucial for the technique involved in making puff pastry, where the cold butter is incorporated into the flour to create a laminated dough. The result should be a dough that is rich and flaky, a hallmark of well-made puff pastry. Understanding this ratio is fundamental for anyone learning the techniques of pastry making.