Recipe Manuscript

White Puff Paist

Name: White Puff Paist
Prep time: PTPT1H30M
Cook time: PTPT25M
Yield: 12
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 900 grams plain (all-purpose) flour; 115 grams cold unsalted butter (for rubbing in); 3 large egg whites; 450 grams cold unsalted butter (for layering); cold water (enough to bring dough together)

1725

From the treasured pages of Receipt book of Dorothy Stone

Written by Dorothy Stone

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Intermediate Dessert Snack

Original Recipe • 1725

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

White Puff Paist

"Rub a quarter of a pound of Butter into two pounds of Flower, then put in the white of 3 Eggs whip them to snow make it into a Paist with cold water, and Rowle it in a Pound of Butter more."

Note on the Original Text

This recipe is written in a brisk, abbreviated form, typical of early 18th-century manuscript collections. It assumes the cook’s familiarity with proportions, quantities, and technique—specific baking times or temperatures are left out, as ovens of the time varied wildly and cooks relied on experience. Spellings like 'Flower' for 'flour' and 'Paist' for 'paste' or 'pastry' reflect period orthography, before English was thoroughly standardized. Directions like 'whip them to snow' evoke the method of beating egg whites with a bundle of twigs or a fork until very frothy. The 'Rowle it in a Pound of Butter' is a simple take on creating classic puff layers—even before the codification of French puff pastry.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Receipt book of Dorothy Stone - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Receipt book of Dorothy Stone (1725)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Dorothy Stone

Era

1725

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Step into the delicious world of early 18th-century kitchens with Dorothy Stone, where classic recipes and culinary curiosities await. Expect a charming medley of hearty fare, sweet treats, and the tasteful secrets of a bygone era.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe for 'White Puff Paist' hails from early 18th-century England, specifically from a household collection associated with Dorothy Stone around 1725. At this time, English families were collecting favorite recipes in manuscript books, typically handwritten by women of the house. Pastry like this would have been a luxurious treat, indicating a household with access to plentiful butter and fine flour. Puff pastry itself was still a relatively novel technique, imported from the continent and a sign of refined, continental-influenced cookery. The use of only egg whites was likely to create a paler, more delicate dough, prized for its attractive appearance.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In Dorothy Stone's kitchen, this pastry would have been made using a large wooden bowl for mixing, perhaps a ‘pastry board’ or simply a clean tabletop for rolling. The butter would be chopped and worked in by hand or with a wooden spatula. Rolling pins would have been simple and solid, often without handles. Chilling the dough—crucial today—would have been accomplished by choosing the coldest spot in the house, typically a stone slab or pantry or even outdoors. No fancy pastry cutters or modern refrigeration: all by touch, feel, and experience.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

7 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
4 ounces cold unsalted butter (for rubbing in)
3 large egg whites
1 pound cold unsalted butter (for layering)
cold water (enough to bring dough together)

Instructions

To recreate 'White Puff Paist' in a modern kitchen, start by rubbing 4 ounces of cold unsalted butter into 7 cups of plain flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a bowl, beat the whites of 3 large eggs until frothy (but not stiff, just a foamy 'snow').
Add the egg whites to the flour and butter mix, and use cold water as needed—just enough to bring it together into a soft dough.
Roll out the dough, dot generously with 1 pound of cold unsalted butter, then fold and roll several times to create layers, as you would for classic puff pastry.
Chill between rollings if necessary, to keep everything cold and puffy.
Bake as your modern pastry recipe requires.

Estimated Calories

560 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It usually takes about 30 minutes to prepare the dough and 1 hour to chill and shape it. Baking takes around 25 minutes depending on your recipe and oven. Each serving has about 560 calories. The whole recipe makes 12 servings.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.