Tips for Working with Laminated Dough
The layered structure that characterizes croissants and other similar pastries is formed through a process called lamination: A relatively lean yeasted dough is wrapped around a block of butter, and then the package is rolled out and folded repeatedly to form paper-thin layers of dough separated by even thinner layers of butter. The method, while straightforward, can be a bit finicky, so read on for our favorite lamination tips.
Keep if Cold and Be Patient
Our recipes include multiple chilling steps, either in the refrigerator or freezer. The chill ensures that the dough doesn't puff up too much between turns, and it also allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to roll out the dough. If the dough gets too warm at any point in the process, just pop it back in the freezer for a few minutes to cool off.
Choose Higher Fat Butter
We recommend using European-style butter when making croissants and kouign amann, (it's not as important in our recipe for palmiers) because it is more pliable, which makes the dough easier to work with. Standard unsalted butter also has a higher water content, which can glue the layers of dough together, making for a less flaky pastry.
Make a Butter Packet
When you're laminating layers of dough and butter, it's important that the block of butter is the correct size, which is why we like to make a packet for the butter. Fold a 24-inch length of parchment in half to create a 12-inch rectangle. Fold over the 3 open sides to form an 8-inch square. Transfer the butter to the parchment, refolding at the creases to enclose. Turn the packet over, and gently roll out so butter fills parchment, taking care to achieve even thickness. Refrigerate the butter packet before using.
Create Layers with Multiple Turns
A basic laminated pastry involves a rich dough that is rolled into a large rectangle and wrapped around a block of cold butter. The dough-butter package (known as a plaque) is rolled into a long rectangle. This is where the trademark layering happens: The plaque is folded into thirds, yielding layers of dough separated by layers of butter. This rolling and folding process (called a “turn”) is repeated up to five times, tripling the number of layers with each turn. When developing our croissant recipe, we found that three turns was the ideal number for creating a flaky, layered pastry. More turns than that and the layers of fat will become too thin, meaning they’ll more easily be absorbed into the dough.
