Laminating Dough

About

Laminating dough is a baking technique used to create flaky pastries like croissants and puff pastry. It involves layering dough and butter to produce multiple thin layers. This process requires precision and patience, as the dough and butter must be rolled and folded multiple times, with chilling periods in between. The goal is to maintain the integrity of these layers, ensuring they remain distinct and intact throughout the process. The lamination process typically starts with preparing a dough base, which may include yeast for leavening. Butter is then softened and shaped into a block, which is encased in the dough. The dough-butter package is rolled out and folded, repeating this process several times to achieve the desired number of layers. When baked, the water in the butter turns into steam, separating the layers and creating a flaky, buttery pastry with a crispy exterior.