Examples of Laminated Dough

Danish Dough

Danish Pastries, often referred to as just Danish, made with a yeast dough buttery rich and flaky. It is the same dough used to make Croissants. Danish dough if often folded into many different sizes and shapes. The center of the Danish can be filled with various fillings such as: jams, almond cream, lemon fillings, cheese filling, berries, or a pastry cream. Sometimes the baked Danish are drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze.

The dough used to make Danish is a laminated yeast dough, which means you have two layers of slightly sweet dough with a layer of butter in between. The butter encased in the dough: rolled and folded into thirds, three times, with resting times in the refrigerator between the second and third fold. This process of chilling the dough firms up the dough and butter plus it relaxes the dough. This takes several hours and it is important not to rush the process.

Making Danish is all about precision and temperature. You must roll the dough to the required length and width and the temperature of the dough needs to stay cool. In addition, when rolling and/or shaping the dough, if it gets too warm the butter will melt into the dough, which will affect the texture of the baked Danish. Any time, you find your dough is getting too soft or overly sticky when rolling, and then return it to the fridge until it firms up. When working in a very warm kitchen, rub an ice pack over the counter to cool it off before you roll the dough.

The type of butter used will affect both the flavor and texture of your Danish. For the butter layer it's best to use a high fat unsalted butter (butter with 83% butterfat content) as it makes a flakier Danish with a more pronounced butter flavor. A small amount of dry malt (diastatic) powder breaks down the starch and gives sugar for the yeast to feed on. This is especially good for doughs like this, that have a long fermentation period. Malt powder also aids in browning and helps the Danish have a good rise.

Croissant Dough

A French Croissant is instantly recognizable by its crescent shape, golden brown appearance and is buttery crisp and flaky. When cutting into a Croissant, the dough has formed a beautiful honeycomb design with a soft texture.

A Croissant dough is a laminated dough. It is similar to puff pastry only it contains yeast. Two layers of slightly sweet dough with a layer of butter in between. Just like the Danish dough, the butter is enclosed in the dough and should be rolled and folded into thirds, three times, with resting times in the refrigerator between the second and third fold. This will also take several hours and is important not to rush the process.

Making Croissant dough is really all about precision and temperature. You must roll the dough to the required length and width and the temperature of the dough needs to stay cool. You will find that if the dough is not rolled thin enough the Croissant will not have that beautiful honeycomb interior. Instead, you may have just a big hole in the center surrounded by a thick layer of dough. In addition, when rolling and/or shaping the dough, if it gets too warm the butter will melt into the dough, which will affect the texture of the baked Croissant. Again if, at any time, the dough is getting too soft or overly sticky when rolling, then return it to the fridge until it firms up. Rub an ice pack over the counter to cool it off before you roll the dough, if you are working in a very warm kitchen

The type of butter used will affect both the flavor and texture of your Croissant. For the butter layer it's best to use a high fat unsalted butter (butter with 83% butterfat content) as it makes a flakier croissant with a more pronounced butter flavor. A small amount of dry malt (diastatic) powder breaks down the starch and gives sugar for the yeast to feed on. This is especially good for doughs, like this, that have a long fermentation period. Malt powder also aids in browning and helps the Croissant have a good rise.

Blitz Puff Pastry

Blitz Puff Pastry consists of many flaky layers of buttery crisp pastry. This recipe is for Blitz Puff Pastry or Quick Puff Pastry, a puff pastry that is easier to make then the classic (traditional) puff pastry. Technique is important but it is not hard to master. While it does take about three hours from start to finish, most of that is not hands-on work, and it is letting the dough chill in the refrigerator.

Blitz Puff Pastry is perfect for making Galettes, tarts, turnovers, cheese straws, and even Napoleons. It uses the same basic ingredients as the classic puff pastry: butter, flour, and water (no leavening agent). The difference is how the ingredients are combined. With the classic puff pastry, a sheet of dough, is wrapped around a block of butter (like a croissant dough). Conversely, with the Blitz Puff Pastry the butter is incorporated right into the flour, as when, making a pie dough. However, with both types of pastry, the dough is rolled and folded several times (called lamination). Then, during baking, the "puff" happens when the butter melts and creates steam, which pushes the dough upwards, giving all those wonderful flaky layers.

A lot of time is needed when making puff pastry dough. When preparing Blitz Puff Pastry roll and fold the dough four to five times, chill the dough between each roll and fold. When pastry becomes warm when rolling, stop and return the dough to the refrigerator until firm. Here again, warm dough will cause the butter to melt into the dough, which will affect the texture of the finished product. When the dough becomes soft or overly sticky stop and chill the dough until it becomes firm. In addition, if you find the dough is springing back (shrinking) when rolling, again return the dough to the refrigerator and let it chill, which will relax the gluten and make it easier to roll.