The production of laminated bakery products

Understand how raw materials and processing affect the quality of laminated pastry, biscuit and cracker products.

Laminated bakery products fall into two broad categories: those which are unyeasted (commonly known as 'puff pastry') and those that are yeasted (such as 'Danish pastry' and 'croissant'). Although these products are increasingly being produced on a large scale, with semi- or fully-automated plants, production in small, craft-orientated bakeries is also still common. The technology of laminated products is complex but an understanding of it is increasingly important as the market demands consistency of product in the face of changing raw materials qualities and the marked effects elements of the process have on end-product quality.

Many biscuit and cracker products are also subject to a form of laminating as some will have fat layers incorporated into the product while others undergo a simple dough folding process. Many of the factors that affect the quality of Danish and puff pastries are also relevant to the production of laminated biscuits.

This highly-illustrated review outlines the basic methods used in the production of laminated products and considers how their character is affected by the qualities of the raw materials, the product formulation and the processing methods used.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Terminology and recipes
• Production methods
• Effects of ingredients
• Effects of processing
• Processing effects
• Baking
• Conclusions
• References
• Appendices