Whats the difference between flaky and puff pastry?

Answer 1

Puff pastry involves layering butter into a shortcrust pastry, then completing a process of folding and rolling and folding again, in order to obtain many thin layers of butter spread within thin layers of pastry. When the pastry cooks, the fat in the butter keeps the layers separate, while the water content expands into steam and forces the layer apart. In a rough puff pastry, chunks of butter in mixed onto the pastry as it is made, and the pastry mix needs only be rolled once. with the lumps of butter within the pastry, the same effect happens, but over a small localised areas. The effect is the same, but the rough puff doesn't rise quite as much, and finishes with a rough texture. It is, of course, much quicker to make. Use it when the pastry will not be on show, such as for the base of tarts and the like.

Answer 2

Not necessarily. Flaky describes the texture of the pastry. Puff pastry can be flaky but so can a danish which is not made from classic puff pastry dough. A pie dough can also be described as flaky but again is not puff pastry. Puff pastry is a french dough made without yeast or baking powder or soda. It is instead steam risen. The dough is folded in a manner that is difficult to explain without visual help. the folding gives the pastry many layers which in turn gives it its flaky texture.

Answer 3

Choux Pastry:

choux pastry

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Also called choux paste, pâte à choux and cream-puff pastry, this special pastry is made by an entirely different method from other pastries. The dough, created by combining flour with boiling water and butter, then beating eggs into the mixture, is very sticky and pastelike. During baking, the eggs make the pastry puff into irregular domes (as with CREAM PUFFS). After baking, the puffs are split, hollowed out and filled with a custard, whipped cream or other filling. Besides CREAM PUFFs, choux pastry is used to make such specialties as ÉCLAIRS, GOUGÈRE and PROFITEROLES.

Puff Pastry:

puff pastry

The French call this rich, delicate, multilayered pastry PÂTE FEUILLETÉE. It's made by placing pats of chilled fat (usually butter) between layers of pastry dough, then rolling it out, folding it in thirds and letting it rest. This process, which is repeated 6 to 8 times, produces a pastry comprising hundreds of layers of dough and butter. When baked, the moisture in the butter creates steam, causing the dough to puff and separate into hundreds of flaky layers. Puff pastry is used to make a variety of crisp creations including Croissants, NAPOLEONS, PALMIERS and ALLUMETTES. It's also used as a wrapping for various foods such as meats, cheese and fruit.

Answer 4

Bread is simply a leavened dough that is baked.

Puff pastry is an unleavened dough that is folded with layers of butter and repeated rolled until there are tens of thousands of alternating very very thin layers of dough and butter. When this is baked it puffs up.

Answer 5

The difference is the way it's made and the end result, to make flaky pastry you spread your fat a little at a time whilst repeatedly rolling and folding the sheet onto itself, this builds up lots of thin layers of pastry and these layers fluff up or flake when baked, puff pastry (sometimes called rough puff) is quicker to make as all the fat is added all at once, in knobs, or little lumps, the pastry is rolled out and the fat is randomly dispersed, when baked the pastry puffs up with lots of random bubbles.

Answer 6

No. It might not ruin the dish, but the two are not interchangeable.