The Store-Bought Shortcut Prue Leith Has No Problem Using

Dame Prue Leith, one of the judges on "The Great British Baking Show," is known for both her pastry talents as well as her affinity for wearing bright colors and patterns. While one of the biggest challenges of the series is that contestants must always make every element from scratch, Leith knows that isn't always feasible for casual home bakers. In her new cookbook, "Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom," available on Amazon, Leith includes not only recipes but also shortcuts and kitchen hacks for the modern-day home cook, some of which have QR codes that link to videos where Prue herself shows examples of more difficult steps. 

As down-to-earth and encouraging in real life as she is on the popular show, Leith knows where to be realistic about baking without compromising the end product. When Food & Wine asked about her best shortcuts for baking at home, Leith admitted, "I don't think I've made puff pastry for 20 years because I don't think I make it as well as Jus-Rol does," (Jus-Rol is a store-bought puff pastry brand). When heeding her advice, keep in mind that not all store-bought puff pastries are created equal, and you should always use all-butter puff pastry for the best flavor and texture.

In her cookbook, Dame Prue Leith included a recipe for cheddar twist straws that uses store-bought puff pastry, and she's not ashamed of it in the least. Ever the relatable woman, Leith says, "As I've gotten older and busier (and probably lazier), I've realized that a lot of all that fancy cooking is actually snobbishness. It's driven by foodies who want to believe that they have never used frozen puff pastry in their lives," (via Food & Wine). We couldn't agree more, and we have so many tasty puff pastry recipes just waiting to be brought to life with store-bought puff pastry.

When using store-bought puff pastry in a recipe, it's important to wait for the puff pastry to completely thaw to avoid cracking it, which is best done in the refrigerator over the course of about 4 hours. Puff pastry also performs best when kept as cold as possible, so it's recommended to work quickly with the dough and to return it to the refrigerator for a while if the dough gets too warm, so the butter doesn't leak out later when it meets the hot oven. Store-bought puff pastry is ideal to use in both sweet and savory applications, like easy muffuletta party pinwheels or Portuguese egg tarts. If you do feel like involving yourself in a true labor of love, brush up on these 14 tips you need for making puff pastry, according to a pastry chef.