List of Laminated Pastries and Puff Pastries with Recipe Card

Laminated dough is a culinary preparation consisting of many thin layers of dough separated by butter, produced by repeated folding and rolling. Such types of dough are referred to as the pastry of a thousand leaves and they are also called puff pastry.

And its rich and crisp layers are light enough to be airborne and its a flaky miracle of levitation. The rising of puff pastry is truly a magical performance which requires a number of steps. During baking, water in the butter vaporizes and expands, causing the dough to puff up and separate, while the lipids in the butter essentially fry the dough, resulting in a light, flaky product.

Below are a few examples of laminated or puff pastries:

1. Puff Pastry

Preparation Method:

• Prepare a dough of flour, salt, lime juice and water.

• Make a butter block of 450gm butter and 180gm flour.

• Chill both of them and prepare the puff by French method.

• Make three single folds and one book fold and use it as required.

2. Apple Strudel

Preparation Method:

• Crumble the sponge and add the chopped fruits, raisins and the cinnamon powder.

• Mix well to get the mixture of the strudel.

• Roll the dough on the cloth and then spread it with hands from four corners of the dough.

• The dough should be so thin that one should be able to read a newspaper under it.

• Brush the melted butter on the rolled sheet of dough and place the stuffing one end.

• Now roll the dough lightly with the help of the cloth underneath.

• Bake at 180° C.

• Dredge with icing sugar and serve hot.

3. Inverted Puff Pastry

Preparation Method:

• Prepare a dough of flour, salt, lime juice and water.

• Add melted butter when the dough has kneaded for 5 minutes.

• Make a butter block of 450gm butter and 180gm flour.

• Chill the dough and the butter block so that they are at same temperatures.

• Dust the table with flour and place the butter block.

• Now place the dough on top of the butter.

• Roll the puff pastry as described in the chapter of laminated pastries.

• Give three single turns and one book fold.

• Chill the puff and use it as required.

4. Danish Pastry 

Preparation Method:

• Sift all dry ingredients together and combine in a mixing bowl.

• Add the yeast, eggs and milk.

• Start to mix the dough on speed 1 for about 4 minutes and then speed 2 for 5minutes.

• Now add melted butter and knead the dough.

• Check the dough to see if has been kneaded well(windscreen test).

• Mix the butter with flour and roll the butter between sheets to form a block and chill.

• Rest for 20 minutes, remove and roll, add the butter block and give book fold, place in the walk-in.

• Remove and roll again, give book fold (repeat 3 times).

• Note each time the rolling is done the dough should be kept in the walk-in.

• Finally, sheet out to 3mm, roll out various shapes.

• Place on a baking tray and leave to prove.

• When proved, egg wash and bake in an oven at 220 deg C for 5 minutes then at 180 DegC for 7 mins.

• Glaze the melted apricot jam as soon as they come out of the oven.

5. Croissant 

Preparation Method:

• Sift all dry ingredients together and combine in a mixing bowl.

• Add the yeast, eggs and milk.

• Start to mix the dough on speed 1 for about 4 minutes and then speed 2 for 5 minutes.

• Now add melted butter and knead the dough.

• Check the dough to see if has been kneaded well (windscreen test).

• Mix the butter with flour and roll the butter between sheets to form a block and chill.

• Rest for 20 minutes, remove and roll, add the butter block and give book fold, place in the walk-in.

• Remove and roll again, give book fold (repeat 3 times).

• Note each time the rolling is done the dough should be kept in the walk-in.

• Finally, sheet out to 3mm cut into triangles and roll.

• Approx 50gms per piece.

• Place on a baking tray and leave to prove.

• When proved, egg wash and bake in an oven at 220 deg C for 5 minutes then at 180 Deg C for 7 mins.

6. Baklava

Preparation Method:

• Take little butter in a pan and saute the nuts with sugar and cinnamon and clove powder.

• Chop the nut mixture coarsely.

• Take the filo pastry and apply butter, make four layers of filo this way.

• Place the filo layers on a food pan and put the nut filling on it.

• Place another layer of 4 filo and repeat the process two more times.

• Cut the arrangement into smaller pieces while still in the container.

• Bake at 180°c for half an hour.

• Make a sugar syrup ( 1 string consistency), add the cinnamon stick and honey to it.

• Pour the syrup into the baked baklava, soak for a little while and serve hot.