Pastry

baking · food · dough

Flaky and buttery. Pastry dough gets its signature flaky texture from layers of butter or fat folded into the dough. When heat hits those butter layers in the oven, they create steam pockets that make the pastry puff up light and crispy.

Fat is the star. The secret ingredient in great pastry is fat, usually butter or sometimes lard or oil. This fat keeps the dough tender and helps create those amazing layers that make pastry so satisfying to bite into.

Unleavened magic. Unlike bread, pastry doesn't use yeast to rise. Instead, it relies on butter layers and sometimes eggs to create height and texture, making it quick to prepare without waiting for dough to rise for hours.

Sweet and savory. Pastry dough is incredibly versatile and can be used for sweet treats like fruit tarts and cream pies or savory dishes like spinach börek and meat-filled turnovers.

Loved worldwide. Nearly every culture has its own pastry traditions, from French croissants to Turkish börek to Greek phyllo pastries, showing just how universal this delicious dough really is.