Instructions

1. Chill 1 1/2 cups, or 24 tablespoons, of cubed butter in the freezer for 20 minutes and lay them on the work surface. The butter just has to be cold, so don't worry about arranging the pieces or spacing them apart.

2. Sift 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and a pinch of salt onto the cold butter. Cut the butter pieces into the flour with a chef's knife until just crumbly. Tamp down any large chunks of butter with your fingertips.

3. Pour 3/4 cup of ice-cold water onto the flour and butter and work it into a shaggy mass with a bench scraper. Don't use your hands or you'll soften the butter.

4. Form a rough rectangle with the dough using the bench scraper and roll it out to 1/2-inch thick using a rolling pin. Fold the left one-third of the rectangle to the center, then fold the right one-third to the center over the first fold. The technique is similar to folding a business letter.

5. Rotate the rectangle dough a quarter turn to the right so it runs vertically on the work surface. Continue rolling the dough to a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle and folding it like a business letter until it holds together without cracking, about four or five times.

6. Dust the puff pastry dough with flour and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator.

7. Chill the dough for 30 minutes and turn it out onto the floured work surface. Roll the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness and fold it two more times. Chill the dough in the refrigerator and heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

8. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Lightly flour the work surface and give it a light sprinkling of sugar. Place the puff pastry dough on the floured and sugared work surface.

9. Roll the dough out until it's a little thicker than a poker chip, or a fraction less than 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into a 12-inch square using a pastry wheel. Cut off an extra 2-inch square of dough and set it aside.

10. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Fold the leftover dough and store it in the freezer in a freezer bag for up to two months. Pierce the dough, including the extra 2-inch square, all over with a fork and cover it with a piece of parchment paper.

11. Set another rimmed baking sheet the same size as the first on top of the puff pastry. Pour 2 pounds of dried beans on the top baking sheet. Make a little room in the beans to place the 2-inch square of dough. Place the puff pastry in the oven.

12. Bake the puff pastry for 25 minutes, or until the 2-inch piece on top turns golden brown. Take the puff pastry from the oven.

13. Lift the baking pan of beans off the puff pastry. Place the baking sheet with the puff pastry on a cooling rack. Cut the puff pastry into 4-inch-wide strips with the pastry wheel after it cools. Spread creme patissiere over the puff pastry and make stacks three-high to finish the mille feuille.