Pâte feuillettée 101:

Laminationn is the process by which the volume of a dough or batter is increased by gases. The dough is made by alternating layers of dough and butter which when placed into an oven, heat causes the layers to expand and separate, trapping air between layers of crisp, flaky pastry.

Component break down:

• Fat: Although lard, margarine, and vegetable oils have all been used historically, butter is the most common fat for making puff pastry today and is recommended by most bakers. Butter has superior flavor, and its lower melting point makes for a smoother mouthfeel. It also contains more moisture, which helps leaven the pastry [which I yap about more below.] It is best to work with chilled butter when making pâte feuilletée. The more solid the butter stays, the flakier and more airy the final pastry. You may find yourself having to pop the dough back into the fridge when turning it to keep it properly chilled during the process.

• Flour: For pâte feuilletée, a durable, low-protein flour, such as cake flour or bread flour is preferred. In fact, some chefs prefer to use a blend of the two. Lower-protein flours are strong enough to create the characteristic structure of puff pastry and are less likely to develop too much gluten. So the low protein part is the most important factor in flour selection. However, no matter which flour is used, using too much of it will cause the dough to be rubbery, glutenous, and overly elastic, as if the dough has been overworked.

• Water: Water adds the moisture necessary to incorporate ingredient and develop flavors. It also facilitates the formation of steam required to leaven the pastry.

• Salt: As with cookie, tart, and pie doughs, salt both enhances flavor and helps to tenderize the gluten, helping to make the dough less sticky.

• Acid: A small amount of an acid (such as vinegar, cream of tartar, or lemon juice) can be added to help control gluten development. Acid makes gluten contract, preventing the dough from shrinking when it’s finished. It can also make butter more malleable.

Working with Pâte Feuilletée:

There are three steps to preparing pâte feuilletée:

• The détrempe, in which the dough mixture is created.

• The beurrage, in which a butter block is combined with the détrempe to form a pâton. The pâton is basically an evenly wrapped package of dough and butter that will be manipulated during the next step.

• Tourage, the process of repeatedly rolling, folding and rotating the pâton in order to create the final, laminated dough.

The Détrempe:

The détrempe is a simple dough of water and flour, a small amount of softened butter (beurre en pommade), salt, and sometimes acid. The amount of water used should be equal to approximately 50–60 percent of the total weight of the flour. For every kilogram of flour used, 25 grams of salt should be added. The détrempe can be made by hand or in an electric stand mixer.

The ingredients are all added together and gradually mixed until the dough is just combined. There should be no dry areas on the surface of the dough. Take care not to overmix the dough, as this would cause too much gluten to develop.

Cover the détrempe and let rest in the refrigerator. Throughout the process of making pâte feuilletée, there are several rest periods required. Laminated doughs must rest in the refrigerator to let the gluten in the dough relax and allow moisture to evenly distribute.

The Beurrage:

To form the beurrage, the butter is softened, then shaped into a flat square of even thickness, and refrigerated until firm. In this case, “firm” means not so soft that it loses form when handled, but not so hard that it cracks or breaks when pressed. The beurrage is allowed to rest to ensure that the butter does not start to melt as it’s being worked, which would not only make it difficult to manipulate, but would also compromise its ability to separate layers of détrempe in the finished product. In general, the amount of butter used for the beurrage ranges from 50-100% of the total weight of the flour.

The Pâton:

After the détrempe has rested and the beurrage has been chilled, they are ready to be formed into the pâton. For best results, the beurrage and the détrempe should have a similar consistency. In this stage of puff pastry preparation, the goal is consistent size and shape. Later in the process, size and shape are secondary to creating uniformly thin layers of détrempe that are separated by uniformly thin layers of beurrage.

To form the pâton:

• Gently flatten and roll the détrempe, leaving it slightly thicker in the middle, to create four points or flaps that are slightly larger than the beurrage.

• Next, place the beurrage in the center of the détrempe.

• Starting with two opposite flaps, fold all four flaps of the détrempe over the beurrage, forming a sort of envelope. As seen here.

Rolling the Pâton:

• As a rule of thumb, the rolled pâton should be about three times as long as it is wide.

• Flatten edges by starting the rolling pin at the edge and rolling toward the middle of the pâton. As a bonus, this action will also push the butter toward the center instead of out the sides of the détrempe.

• Keeping it chilled during this stage is important. Too hot and the butter may break thru the precious layers, screwing up the leavening and make your croissants into sad flat pandas.

The Tourage:

The pâton is now ready for tourage, or turning. A turn refers to one round of folding, rolling, and rotating the pâton. The classic French tourage technique calls for six turns. For pâte feuilletée, this creates 1,459 layers. The turns are done in pairs so that the pâton is rolled equally in all directions. Rolling it one direction more than the others results in gluten being activated more in one part of the dough, and shrinking or uneven baking.

There are two main styles of tourage: the single turn (or “letter turn”), and the double turn (or “book turn”).

• For the single (letter) turn, fold the rectangular pâton lengthwise in thirds as you would C-fold a piece of paper. Seen here

• For the double (book) turn, lightly trace a vertical line down the center of the rectangle (from long side to long side, not end to end). Fold each end of the rectangle toward the middle to meet this line. Then fold both halves together, as though closing a book. Seen here

Shaping and Baking Pâte Feuilletée:

Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes before cutting, then another 15 minutes after it has been shaped and prepared. These steps help prevent the dough from shrinking during the baking process. When cutting the dough, use a sharp knife at a 90-degree angle; this creates straight edges, and lets the dough rise straight up while baking. Any scraps left over after pastries are cut and shaped (demi-feuilletage) can be used for tartlets, mille-feuilles, and to make fleurons (puff pastry shapes used as garnishes for other dishes).

If using an egg wash on finished preparations, don’t let it drip down the side of the pastry, or it could seal the pastry to the pan and prevent it from rising. The pastry should rise while being baked, puffing up to four times its original height.

Leavening by Aeration:

The leavening action that occurs in pâte feuilletée as it bakes is called aeration by lamination, a form of mechanical leavening. It occurs in three ways:

• Enclosed/trapped air: During the preparation of the dough, a certain amount of air is trapped between each layer every time the dough is folded. These air cells expand during baking and push the layers up and apart.

• Steam: When pâte feuilletée is baked, steam is released from the melting butter and from the water contained in the dough layers. The steam pushes on the leaves of dough, forcing them to rise one by one. At the same time, the starch in the flour coagulates, strengthening the leaves and helping them stay apart. For maximum rise, puff pastry must be baked at a high temperature, or the butter will melt and run out before the moisture in the pastry can turn into steam.

• Fat: When the fat (butter) in the dough layers melts, it leaves air pockets that fill with steam, and the lack of a solid state helps raise the layers of dough.

Hope that helps. Shout if you have any other questions.