Sometimes, a sheet of puff pastry that I'm working on will tear or rip. Sometimes this happens when I'm unfolding the sheet of puff pastry, and sometimes it happens when I'm shaping the pastry around the other ingredients.
How can I fix rips in puff pastry to best preserve the height expansion of the pastry?
I think it depends how fussy a presentation you are working on. If it has to be perfect, there really isn't going to be any fixing it. If some variation is acceptable, just wait til it is a bit softer and patch the rip back together like you would any other dough. You'll get less nice separation of the layers in that area.
I don't have an answer about how to fix (and probably there isn't one satisfying answer, since breaking it means breaking lots of layers), but in case you don't already do, try warming it a bit before working with, don't try to unfold when just out of the fridge. I place it into my oven for a few minutes at minimum temperature.
