Laminated Dough

Phase 4, Week 2, Day 10

Have you ever wondered how they make croissants and puff pastry dough? I have, I was curious how they got all of the flakey layers. Well, over the next few days we learned how to make it. I'm glad I understand the process, but again, not sure if it's worth all the labor. I guess it'd depend on how much you'd sell your product for. Products you might make are Napoleons, Cream Horns, Vol au Vent and Turnovers and of course Croissants.

A laminated dough is layered with fat. The fat acts as the leavening agent. It's kind of an easy process to preform, but it's lengthy. Croissants and Blitz Puff Pastry have slightly different methods of make up.

Blitz differs from regular puff pastry because it adds the butter into the flour instead of adding it during the folding process. Basically, flour, salt and softened butter are combined and the butter is cut in, the water is added and then the dough is wrapped and rested in the cooler. The detrompe (dough), is rolled out to a rectangle and folded by bringing the top and bottom to the center and then folding over, rest for (30 min). Repeat 3 times.

In contrast, croissant dough is made by beating cold butter into a block or beurrage and set aside. Then combining other ingredients until it gathers and then wrap and rest. Seeing a pattern here? Dough is rolled to 3x the length of the beurrage. The beurrage is then placed on the dough and folded in. Cool. Repeat a letter three fold three more times, resting in between.

This process too forever!! We'll finish up our products tomorrow.