Puff pastry and phyllo dough have a lot in common: both are many-layered pastry doughs (unlike the traditional pâté brisée that we use in so many of our recipes), and both bake up with crispy, crunchy, flaky layers, but there are distinct differences. Learn what each dough is made from and the techniques for making and using them.
What Is Puff Pastry?
Known as pâte feuilletée in French, puff pastry is a puffy, soft yet crunchy pastry. It is made by rolling out pastry, placing a square of butter inside it, folding the dough, and then rolling it out and folding again, repeating these steps to create contrasting layers (and layers) of butter and dough. The dough is refrigerated frequently during the process. Though you can't really see the layers when the dough is made, those folds produce separate airy, flaky layers and a crunchy exterior when baked.
You can make puff pastry or its easier cousin rough puff pastry, but many cooks opt to use frozen puff pastry (check the label to make sure it's made with pure butter and not another type of fat).
Phyllo consists of tissue-thin sheets of dough. Phyllo, also spelled filo or fillo, means "leaf" in Greek, and the pastry dough is widely used in the Balkans and Middle East. Each sheet is usually brushed with melted butter before baking. Phyllo gets crisp and flaky when baked but it doesn't have the same rich, airy quality that puff pastry has.
Homemade or Store-Bought?
Most recipes call for store-bought phyllo dough, which is available frozen in grocery stores, and occasionally fresh at Greek markets.
Phyllo Dough vs. Puff Pastry: What’s the Difference?
The main differences between puff pastry and phyllo dough are their fat content and preparation. Puff pastry is a laminated dough that gets its signature airy puff from layers of butter, while phyllo dough is comparatively low-fat.
Phyllo dough is mostly flour and water and can dry out easily. The fine sheets of pastry dough create a crispy, crackly effect when layered and baked. Fat is added to the phyllo dough as you stack the sheets; usually, each layer is brushed with butter, then stacked. The individual layers form a flaky crust. If you compare the two, phyllo looks like a sheaf of tissue paper while puff pastry would seem much thicker, more like regular pastry dough.
Can You Swap One for the Other?
Yes and no, and it depends—mostly on the recipe you are using. Substitute one for the other and your baked goods may bake up different than expected.
Like puff pastry, phyllo is used for both sweet and savory dishes. Perhaps the most famous dish made with phyllo is spanakopita or the famed baklava found in Greece, Turkey, and other Middle Eastern countries. Phyllo can also be used for all kinds of savory pies, such as our individual Eggplant Feta Phyllo Pies, as well as for dessert pies like our Chocolate Mousse Pie and dessert cups.
Puff pastry dough and phyllo dough are very different. In some cases, you could use them interchangeably – like for a pie crust or strudel. But for things that are very fluffy and flaky- like Baklava – you'd definitely want to use Phyllo dough.
Phyllo dough also has a less rich flavor because it's not made with butter. Because of these differences in texture and flavor, the two can't be interchanged to yield the same results.
Due to the big differences in thickness, their ingredients, and how they're made, you should not substitute phyllo dough for puff pastry or vice versa. They are very different pastries with differing textures, and recipes will turn out best if you use the correct one.
Puff pastry is a light, buttery, flaky dough used in both sweet and savory dishes, from appetizers to main courses to desserts. It contains only three ingredients—flour, butter, and salt—yet it rises to a great height with no added leavening agent.
In all honesty, I think most of us would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between store-bought and homemade in this case. Homemade puff pastry will usually puff a little more impressively and have a more delicate texture — but the difference is surprisingly small.
Phyllo (Greek for "leaf") is actually layered sheets of paper-thin pastry dough that, when baked, become light, crisp and flaky, with a wonderful toasted flavor.
The way this puff pastry crust puffs up around the pie is absolutely gorgeous and is a unique twist on the classic apple pie. It's flakey, buttery and melts in your mouth! There are SO MANY apple pie recipes out there. I mean, it's a classic, so of course there are.
The main differences between puff pastry and phyllo dough are their fat content and preparation. Puff pastry is a laminated dough that gets its signature airy puff from layers of butter, while phyllo dough is comparatively low-fat. Phyllo dough is mostly flour and water and can dry out easily.
Not even close! Puff pastry is made by layering dough and butter to create a light and airy pastry that is very flaky. Pizzas dough is like a chewy bread.They are made completely differently, and the end result is completely different as well.
Heat is the enemy of Puff Pastry—it handles best when cold. So avoid working with it on hot, humid days, in a stifling hot kitchen or next to your oven.
Warm pastry: Your pastry should be cold, cold, cold going into the oven. It's worth reiterating: Cold butter equals flaky layers. If your pastry is warm, the butter can easily leech right out during baking. For best results, work quickly and keep your hands off!
Whether it's store-bought or made from scratch, puff pastry should be rolled out to ensure the dough has an even thickness. Forget to dust your work surface with a light coating of flour and the dough is likely to stick and prove tougher to work with.
Even better, switch your pastry from shortcrust or puff to filo. This is the lowest-fat pastry by far, with 2.9g fat per 100g. This compares with 26.2g for puff or 31.4g for shortcrust. Filo is the lowest-calorie option too, and it's easy to use.
Phyllo dough is usually found in the frozen food section, either in flat squares or in rolls. One package contains dozens of paper-thin sheets of phyllo. Most preparations use 5 or more of these sheets stacked together. These sheets can become gummy if too damp or brittle if too dry.
The crescent-shaped croissant is a flaky pastry with buttery layers whereas a puff pastry is a drier composition of dough. Both use similar ingredients and preparation work.
Introduction: My name is Edwin Metz, I am a fair, energetic, helpful, brave, outstanding, nice, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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