I Tried 5 Store-Bought Puff Pastry Brands—Only 1 Gave Me Perfect Results

Plus I found the best gluten-free option on the market!

Puff pastry is not high on my list of foods I like to make from scratch. It’s time-consuming and labor-intensive and I’d rather be eating it than making it. Thankfully, it’s easy to find frozen, premade varieties at the grocery store. But which version is the best? I tested the top contenders and found a winner.

How I Tested

Frozen puff pastry needs to be thawed before using, so I followed package directions for each to ensure the best results. After thawing, I tested all puff pastries for ease of use. In other words, how was my experience with unrolling or unfolding it? Did it crack easily or fall apart as soon as I started using it, or was it easy to use right out of the box?

I baked both a plain version and an apple tart version of each brand and checked the appearance of the pastry after baking. Did it puff up and get fluffy like puff pastry should? Were there layers of pastry visible after cutting in half?

Finally, I tasted it, both plain and as a tart. I was searching for puff pastry with a nice, buttery flavor and light, flakey texture.

I tested three varieties of standard puff pastry and two gluten-free versions. Here are the results.

Standard Puff Pastry Taste Test

3rd Place: Trader Joe’s All Butter Puff Pastry Sheets

I loved that Trader Joe’s puff pastry came as a set of two rolls (about 9 ounces each) for the low price of $4.99. I also appreciated how easy they were to thaw and use. I had no problem unrolling them, cutting them, and transferring them to my baking sheet. They puffed up a fair amount in the oven, and came beautifully golden-brown. The flavor was mild and even though the packaging claimed the pastry was “all butter,” I didn’t taste much butter. The puff deflated a bit after being pulled out of the oven which resulted in layers that felt tight and condensed. Overall this isn’t a bad choice. The neutral flavor and density might lend itself better to tart-style desserts or appetizers where the “puff” isn’t quite as necessary.

2nd Place: Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets

Following close on the heels of Trader Joe’s was Pepperidge Farm’s version of puff pastry. Like Trader Joe’s, it was an economical choice at $5.99 for two rolls (17.3 ounces). It also was easy to use and manipulate. Unlike Trader Joe’s, however, the sheets come with a relatively heavy dusting of flour. This made it easy to cut and transfer, but presented a challenge when it came to brushing the top with egg wash. I ended up having to dust it off so that the egg wash would adhere. The pastry puffed up beautifully in the oven and looked gorgeous and golden after baking. The flavor was similar to Trader Joe’s, but the texture was much better. It had light flaky layers that didn’t feel dense or heavy. I would definitely buy this puff pastry dough again. It’s reliable and produces consistent results.

1st Place Winner: Dufour Pastry Kitchens Puff Pastry Dough

I didn’t want to like this one best because, at $9.99, it’s not the most economical choice, especially since the box contains only one sheet of puff pastry. The upside is that it’s a 14-ounce sheet that's relatively thick, so it can be rolled out a bit before using. Unlike the others, this dough was folded, instead of rolled, which made it a little scarier to unwrap. It was also noticeably thicker and more pliable than the others, luckily, which made it easy to work with. After a brief time in the oven, the tarts came out like giant pillows. They were gorgeous and fluffy and perfect. A slice down the middle revealed beautiful, delicate layers with the right smattering of puffy air pockets. It was the tastiest of the bunch too, with a noticeably buttery-salty flavor. While Dufour’s puff pastry dough may not be the “everyday” choice, it’s definitely worth the extra money for when you want to make something special.

Gluten-Free Puff Pastry Taste Test

2nd Place: Geefree Gluten-Free Pastry Dough

This dough is less puff pastry and more pie crust. It’s denser without layers, so it’s not best for applications where a puff pastry is specified. Even so, I tested it like the others. I found it easy to work with, but it did need some rolling and re-shaping since it had cracked a bit in transit. Rolling was easy though, and I was able to create a tart shell that easily fit over my apples. The dough didn’t rise up like puff pastry, which was fine, but it also didn’t change much in the way of color, so there wasn’t a noticeable visual indicator of when it was fully cooked. The flavor was good though and the crust was crisp, which was nice. I’d save this one for pies, but pass for any recipe where you actually need puff pastry dough.

1st Place Winner: Schär Gluten-Free Puff Pastry Dough

Unlike others in the bunch, this dough was on the dry side and cracked quite a bit as I unrolled it. I was able to pinch it together but was afraid to work the dough too much since it seemed rather brittle. It was easy to cut, but transferring the cut dough to the baking sheet required a gentle touch. The results were good though, especially considering this is a gluten-free product. It puffed up nicely and looked great coming out of the oven. There wasn’t much flavor, but that let the apples shine more, which was fine by me. It was a bit dense, but there was some good flakiness to it too. If you are looking for a good gluten-free option, this is it.

Read the original article on All Recipes.