Lamination in Puff Pastry

The key to successful puff pastry lies in proper lamination - creating distinct layers of dough and butter through repeated folding and chilling. Cold butter must be encased in the dough, then rolled and folded multiple times to create hundreds of paper-thin layers. Each set of folds must be followed by adequate chilling time to keep the butter firm and prevent it from melting into the dough. This process creates the signature flaky texture as butter melts during baking, creating pockets between layers that puff up. Rough puff pastry uses fewer folds than full puff pastry but still requires careful temperature control and resting periods between folds to achieve good lamination.