Instructions: For the Rough Puff Pastry: Place the flour on a cool work surface. Cut the butter lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices and lay them in the flour, flipping to coat with flour. Press each butter slice thin, pinching between your thumbs and fingertips. The slices will break into dimpled, cupped sheets, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch shards. You wont have incorporated much of the flour.

Spread the pile into a lumpy, circular bed. Trickle ice water over it, stirring with your fingers as it puddles. If water starts to flow away, shove loose flour on the leak, then use a scraper to redirect the water to the dry mass.

Scrape in from the edges to roughly consolidate the mass. Slide the scraper under the mass and fold it over itself. Scrape up loose bits of dough; tuck them in the crack. Lift the mass, scraping it off the counter if necessary, then press flat enough to fold again. Repeat.

Continue pressing, scraping, lifting and folding 1 or 2 more times until all loose bits are incorporated and there are no major dry spots. You should see large sheets of butter and the surface should be mottled and dimpled. The dough should be soft; if its dry, add up to another tablespoon of water and continue working it. If too moist, dust the work surface with another tablespoon of flour and work it in.

Wrap the dough loosely and refrigerate 30 minutes. Scrape the work surface clean.

Dust the work surface with 2 tablespoons of flour. (Try to use no more than this to finish the dough.) Roll out the dough, going toward and away from yourself, into a roughly rectangular shape about 1/2-inch thick. (Turning the dough over once or twice makes this easier to do.)

Fold the short ends of the dough in over itself in approximate thirds. Roll out as before and repeat. Rewrap loosely and refrigerate another 20 minutes. Scrape the work surface clean.

Roll and fold the dough in thirds 2 more times. The dough should be generally smooth but slightly streaky with a few discernable bits of butter. If the dough seems coarser, roll and fold it 1 or 2 more times. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before the final rolling. Or wrap tightly and freeze for later use.

Thaw the dough in the refrigerator if frozen, then leave at room temperature long enough to roll out without cracking. Roll the dough into a square about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 4 roughly equal squares and then roll them out until barely 1/8-inch thick, about 7 to 8 inches across. Place each on an 8 to 9-inch square of parchment paper, stack, cover and refrigerate.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add the onions and a few pinches of salt. Cook over medium-high heat until some of the onions begin to color, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir, then cook another few minutes to color another layer of onions. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the garlic, bay leaf and thyme.

Continue cooking until the onions are lightly golden and tender but not mushy, 10 to 15 minutes. If they start to dry out, reduce the heat and cover the pan. Taste and adjust the salt. You should get about 1 1/4 cups. Cool completely. Remove the thyme and strip the leaves into the onions. Discard the bay leaf.

Allow the prepared dough to warm a few minutes just enough to fold the edges over without cracking. Place the squares of dough on their parchment on a baking sheet. Dont worry if the papers overlap. Prick the surface of each piece of dough lightly with a fork. Spread each piece with 4 to 5 tablespoons of the cooled onion mixture within an inch from the edge. Fold in the sides, mitering or lapping the corners. Press lightly to secure the sides and corners.

Bake until a rich golden brown, about 20 minutes. The edges of the onions may begin to caramelize.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

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