Having placed the twelve ounces of flour on the board, make a small hole in the middle; in which, put the two drachms of salt, the yolks of two eggs, and nearly a glass of water; and with the ends of the fingers of your right-hand gradually mix in the surrounding flour, adding a little water where necessary, till the paste is of a proper consistence, rather firm than otherwise; then prove it by leaning your hand on the board, and working it for some minutes, when the paste will become soft to the touch, and glossy in appearance.

It is of importance to observe, that this paste should be neither too stiff nor too soft, but of a proper medium', yet it will be better when it is a little too soft than when too stiff.

The same process must be attended to in summer as in winter; though many persons pretend that this kind of paste should be made stiffer in summer than in winter, on account of the difference in the two seasons. As far as regards the hardness of the butter, this mode of reasoning has certainly some truth in it; for, inasmuch as the winter is favourable to the work, so does the heat of summer render our operations troublesome and difficult, and prevent them sometimes from having the desired effect, particularly in the making of puff paste.

The reason why summer paste should not be made softer than that made in winter, is this: - if, when the paste is soft, it be buttered, and afterwards placed on ice, as is practised in summer, the butter, which is a greasy substance, will become quickly congealed by the coldness of the ice; while the paste, which is only a moist body, will scarcely be affected by it; and, consequently, the butter being frozen, and the paste soft, it will follow that, in working it, the butter not being held by the paste sufficiently firm to unite with it, will break into small pieces; and after having received the two first turns, will appear in small lumps, like large peas. On rolling it again, and placing on the ice, the cold acts with greater force on the small particles of butter; which quickly become like so many icicles, and the paste, in consequence, will be completely spoiled; for, in baking, these particles of butter melt, and, separating themselves from the paste, render it incapable of uniting with them.

When the paste has been made as above, take three-quarters of a pound of butter, in pieces, which for twenty minutes has been in a pail of spring water, thoroughly imbued with a few pounds of pounded ice previously well washed; then squeeze and work well in a napkin in order to separate the water from it, and at the same time to render it soft, and above all, of an equal consistence; then as quickly as pos-sible roll the paste on a marble slab, into a square, and placing the nutter in the middle, cover with an equal thickness of paste, by rais-ing the paste aver it. After rolling it out two or three feet in length, fold it into three parts by doubling one part over the other; after which roll it out again, and fold it once more into three equal parts - now roll it to a greater length, envelope it with a clean linen cloth which has been dusted with some sifted flour - lay this on some finely pounded ice, taking care to have several folds of cloth between the paste and the ice, to prevent the moisture striking through - place on the top of the paste a dish containing some pounded ice - this serves to keep the surface of the paste cool, and also to prevent it becoming soft by the action of the air. After three or four minutes, remove the dish, and turn the paste upside down, instantly covering it as before. This operation should be performed three times in the same manner, and with the same precautions.

Lastly, roll it out two or three times according to what you intend to make of it, and use it as expeditiously as possible, lest the heat of the season should render it too soft to handle, or prevent its having the desired effect in baking.

Thus, in less than half an hour, it is possible to make very fine puff paste, having previously everything ready - the ice pounded, the butter frozen, and the oven quite hot, otherwise it cannot be done. Thi9 is important, as it is sometimes an hour before the oven can be made hot; and therefore the paste should not be begun to be made till the oven is half heated. The following is another method.]