1. Start by mixing the flours together.
2. Next, incorporate the butter into the flour. This is easiest done by hand.
3. Rub the flour into the butter.
4. Next, dissolve the salt into the water
5. Pour the water into the flour and butter
6. Mix the dough for several minute. Once the dough comes together, Place on chiller tray giving a square shape 25x25cm
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
7. While the dough is chilling, start the other half of the puff pastry, the butter.
note: Puff pastry is essentially 50% butter. European style butter is what you want. (dry butter)
8. Using a spatula, spread the butter into the rectangle on the parchment paper. Try to keep the thickness as even as possible.
Refrigerate the butter for 30 minutes.
9. Take your cold dough and butter and let place it on top of the dough
10. On a lightly floured counter, place your dough on the front of you If its not quite square, stretch it until it is. Using a rolling pin, roll out the tips of the corners so they are slightly elongated, leaving the center slightly thicker.
11. Before rolling the dough out, use the rolling pin and press the dough in 3 sections from top to bottom. Then turn the a quarter and do the same. This helps squash the dough before rolling a thick piece.
12. Next you're going to roll out the dough until it is about 4 times taller than it is wide.
13. Roll the dough in 3 sections starting from the top. Roll down about 1/3 of the way with about 80% pressure, then roll it back up to the top with about 50% pressure. Repeat that starting about 1/3 of the way down, working your way to the bottom. When you get to the very bottom, don't roll over the bottom edge, you don't want the butter to squeeze out. Just go over it lightly.
Don't forget to add some flour on the table if you do by hand
note: If at any time, if the dough starts to become soft and warm, refrigerate it for a while before continuing with your recipe. Sprinkle a little flour on the surface, fold it up and throw it in the fridge.
14. Once the dough is long enough, fold the top half down to the middle and the bottom half up to the middle.
15. Then take the top half and fold it over the bottom half. You should now have a stack of 4 layers, this was your 1st fold.
16. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
17. You've just created 12 layers, when you are done, you will have hundreds.
18. Once your dough is chilled, let it warm for 5 minutes and lay it out so it is the same orientation as a book, with the opening on the right.
19. Next, you are going to repeat the whole process again starting with pressing on the dough with the rolling pin. After each roll and fold, make sure you refrigerate the dough. The dough must stay cold.
20. You want to do this 4 times. On the 4th time, trim the edges of the dough so everything is square and fold it for the last time. Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces the same direction as the fold.
note: You want to use a course sugar like demerara or granulated. DO NOT use bakers, caster, or ultra-fine sugar. These sugars will absorb moisture too fast and turn to syrup before you can finish.
21. sprinkle some sugar about the exact shape of your dough. Then take your dough and lay it on top of the sugar. Run your rolling pin over the dough to push the sugar into the dough. Next, sprinkle sugar on the top of the dough. Run your rolling pin over the dough again to press the sugar into the dough.
22. With your dough fully sugared, fold the long left side of the dough to the middle followed by the right side of the dough to the middle. Don't bring the two edges together, leave a slight gap to allow for a little puff. Run your rolling pin over the dough again to press the dough together, adding a little more sugar if you think it needs it.
23. Next, repeat the last step by bringing the left edge to the center and the right edge to the center. Again, leave a slight gap between the two. Using a pastry brush, brush off any loose sugar on the top of the dough, as much as will come of with the brush. You want good dough to dough contact for the next step. Run your rolling pin over the top one last time.
24. Now, take your egg white, whisked if you already haven't, and brush a small amount on the right side if the dough, not too much. You don't want it dripping. Consider this a glue for the dough. Next, fold the left side onto the right side with the egg whites. Do one last press with the rolling pin across the top to seal everything. Square the edges if needed by slicing a small piece from the ends
25. Place a tray of palmiers in the oven and reduce the temperature to 200ºC Bake 8-10 minutes or until the bottoms become caramelized.
26. Flip the palmiers over and bake until the new bottoms are caramelized and the dough is baked throughout, about 10 minutes.
note: Allow them to cool on a rack but remove them from the sheet while still warm.
Store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days.