Full Puff vs Rough Puff Pastry

Full puff pastry and rough puff pastry both create flaky laminated pastries but differ in technique and time commitment. Full puff pastry requires encasing a block of butter in dough (called a butter block or beurrage) then performing precise letter folds and book folds over several hours with multiple chilling periods. This creates maximum layers and rise. Rough puff is faster - cold butter chunks are mixed into flour then rolled and folded fewer times. While rough puff produces excellent flaky results suitable for most applications, full puff gives more dramatic rise and finer layers. The choice depends on time available and desired outcome. Both require keeping ingredients cold throughout the process.