Jack Burke

Introductions

This week, we are going to be discussing preferments, enriched yeast doughs, and laminated doughs. We will be making brioche, challah, frangipane, and different danishes cut into different shapes. Our objectives will be the proper preparation and evaluation of each of the recipes, as well as knowledge on preferments.

Background Information

First, let’s discuss what a preferment is, and how it’s used in baking. According to an article by Erin Jeanne McDowell from Food52, “A preferment is a mixture of dough that is mixed separately from the bread dough and allowed to ferment on its own prior to mixing the dough,” (McDowell 2016). Preferments can be mixed during various timeframes, some being mixed a day or two in advance, others being mixed an hour or two before. What this preferment mixture does for the bread is give it its rise. Some recipes rely solely on a preferment for its leavening, such as sourdough breads. Some rely on partial preferments with a small addition of commercial yeast to give the bread its rise.

Along with preferments, let’s also talk about what a laminated dough is. According to a blog post from PastryClass, a laminated dough is a common base dough for many pastries, which process consists of “layering butter between layers of dough and repeatedly folding and rolling the mixture,” (PastryClass 2023). The process results in a light, flaky pastry with noticeable pocket layers of butter. There are some key techniques to use while making laminated doughs, some of which are keeping ingredients cold, incorporating the proper folding techniques, using high-quality butter, using flour sparingly when rolling. The results are pastries such as: croissants, danishes, palmiers, and more. (PastryClass 2023)

Dish/Method Variations

Our recipes for brioche and challah offer little room for variation, as most are standard bread recipes. However, the laminated doughs can vary by the different varieties of fillings you use, such as frangipane which we will be preparing this week.

Recipes & Plan of Work

Works Cited

McDowell, E. (n.d.). How to bake bread using preferments and how to adapt any bread recipe to use one. Food52. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://food52.com/story/17140-preferments-and-how-to-adapt-any-bread-recipe-to-use-one

PastryClass. (2023, December 22). Laminated dough recipe: How to make laminated dough? PastryClass. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://www.pastryclass.com/articles/laminated-dough-recipe#:~:text=Laminated%20dough%20is%20a%20versatile%20pastry%20base,teaspoons%20salt%20*%20226g%20cold%20unsalted%20butter