Why is Danish pastry dough flaky?

Danish pastry dough gets its signature flakiness from a technique called lamination. Here's how it works:

1. Butter and Dough: The dough starts with a simple yeast dough, but the key ingredient is a large amount of cold butter. This butter is worked into the dough in layers.

2. Folding: The butter and dough are folded and rolled repeatedly, creating thin layers of dough separated by layers of butter.

3. Baking: When the pastry is baked, the butter melts and creates steam. This steam causes the layers to separate, creating the characteristic flaky texture.

Key Factors for Flakiness:

* Cold Butter: Cold butter is essential because it doesn't melt easily during the lamination process, allowing for the formation of distinct layers.

* Folding and Rolling: The repeated folding and rolling create many layers of dough and butter.

* Baking: The heat of the oven melts the butter, causing the layers to puff up and become flaky.

The more layers you create during the lamination process, the flakier the pastry will be. This is why Danish pastries are known for their delicate, light, and flaky texture.