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.
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.
But for things that are very fluffy and flaky- like Baklava – you'd definitely want to use Phyllo dough. Phyllo dough is lower in fat than puff pastry – but if you use a lot of butter or margarine between the phyllo layers, it might even-out.
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.
Traditional puff pastry – and the pastry we make at home – is made with all butter, while store-bought puff pastry like Pepperidge Farm's often contains vegetable shortening. Aside from being something that many of us try to avoid, puff pastry made with shortening just isn't as tasty as those made with butter.
Puff pastry is laminated, which means butter is folded into the dough multiple times to create alternating layers of butter and dough. This results in lots of thin layers and an airy texture. Phyllo, meanwhile, is a paper-thin dough that's made with oil instead of butter.
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.
Shortcrust pastry is the best for pies that fully encase a filling as they tend to be firmer and less likely to leak. Puff pastry is great if you prefer just a pastry lid on top of the filling. Ready rolled shop-bought pastry are easy to handle and quite reliable - even professional chefs appreciate the convenience!
Typically, phyllo dishes should have a finished thickness of 3 to 10 sheets per layer. (A one-pound box of phyllo contains about 20 sheets.) Tip: Phyllo pastries can often be very brittle when baked. We recommend using a serrated knife to cut the finished dish to prevent all of the filling from squishing out.
Lower the fat content of your wellington by using filo pastry instead of puff, eliminating butter, a non-stick frying pan to reduce the amount of oil needed, replacing the pate and using herbs and garlic to boost flavour without needing salt.
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.
Puff pastry, also known as pâte feuilletée, is a flaky light pastry made from a laminated dough composed of dough (détrempe) and butter or other solid fat (beurrage). The butter is put inside the dough (or vice versa), making a paton that is repeatedly folded and rolled out before baking.
The terms full, three-quarter and half are used when describing the amount of fat in the pastry. Full has equal weight of fat and flour, three-quarter has three-quarters of the weight of fat to flour, and half has half the weight of fat to flour. More fat makes the pastry softer to eat but reduces its height.
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.
You can cut it into desired shapes, then store in the fridge until you're ready for the next step. Puff Pastry works best when cold. So chill your tools-knife, pastry/pizza cutter, cookie cutters, even pastry board and baking pans in the fridge while thawing your pastry.
Lightly roll out the puff pastry: Dust the top of the puff with just a little flour, then use a rolling pin to very lightly roll across the seams and bumps from the packaging and make the pastry even.
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.
Introduction: My name is Mr. See Jast, I am a open, jolly, gorgeous, courageous, inexpensive, friendly, homely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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