Laminated Doughs

Laminated doughs include croissant, puff pastry, and Danish. Proper layering (lamination) is vital, as it is the combination of fat and dough in even layers that causes expansion and creates the ultimate flaky texture characteristic of laminated doughs. When the dough is baked, the fat melts, creating pockets where released steam from the moisture in the dough acts to leaven the dough. As the steam leavens the pockets in between the dough layers, causing the product to expand and rise, the remaining fat “fries” the dough so that the air spaces are retained.