There are several different styles of pastry, each with a different texture that is created by the kinds of particles into which they come apart when chewed.
- Crumbly pastries—short pastry, pâte brisée—come apart into small, irregular particles.
- Flaky pastries—American pie crusts—come apart in small, irregular, thin flakes.
- Laminated pastries—puff pastry, phyllo, strudel—are constructed of large, separate, very thin layers that shatter in the mouth into small, delicate shards.
- Laminated breads—croissants, Danish pastries—combine the layering of the laminated pastries with the soft chewiness of bread.