In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
Grate the frozen butter into the flour. (Dice the remaining end of butter that you can’t grate.) Toss the butter into the flour mixture with your hands until well coated.
Drizzle 6 tablespoons of water over the mixture and fold the mixture together until it clumps together. Continue adding water a tablespoon at a time until a loose and crumble dough forms. (It should hold when squeezed.)
Gently knead the dough a few times in the bowl until a cohesive mass is formed. Shape into a ½-inch thick square and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter. Turn 90 degrees. Repeat rolling, folding, and rotating 3 more times.
Fold back into thirds, wrap tightly, then chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days, or placed in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Video
Notes
The butter is grated to make the process of laminating quicker and lowers the risk of tearing the dough. If you spend too long trying to roll the dough, you risk the butter getting warm and melting into the dough instead. I do not suggest using cubed butter or roughly chopped butter in place of grated butter.
If it’s summer or you have a humid kitchen, keep a close eye on the dough. If you feel the dough is getting too warm at any point of rolling the dough, put it back into the fridge to chill it.
If the dough feels rubbery or starts shrinking during the laminating process, place it in the fridge to chill.
If you are freezing the dough for later, allow it to thaw in the fridge before you unfold it to avoid cracking or breaking the frozen dough.
When freezing the dough, double wrap it in plastic before placing it in a Ziploc bag to prevent freezer burn.
You can place your mixing bowl in the fridge ahead of time to help keep the dough cool when you knead in it.
Only use as much flour as necessary. If you are over-flouring your surface, you will incorporate more flour into the dough than needed. Too much flour leads to a tougher pastry and prevents the layers from sticking together when laminating.