Laminated doughs

These differ from enriched doughs in that the fat (e.g. butter, lard or shortening) is added after the dough is made up. The process involves sandwiching the fat between layers of dough, rolling it out, folding to make more layers, then repeating the rolling and folding until the alternating layers of dough and fat are many – and very thin. During baking, the fat melts and both air trapped during folding and carbon dioxide formed by the yeast expand and force the layers apart, to create a flaky structure. Keeping the dough chilled and baking at the right temperature are both essential to ensure the finished product is light and flaky, and not greasy. Examples include croissants, Danish pastries and lardy cake.