What is created when many layers of fat are sandwiched between layers of dough in rolled in dough?

When layers of fat are sandwiched between layers of dough and rolled out, the technique creates flakiness in the final baked product. This process is largely responsible for the texture of pastries such as puff pastry, croissants, and danishes.

As the dough is rolled out and folded several times, the fat creates thin layers that become separated by pockets of dough. During baking, the water content in the dough turns to steam, which causes these layers to lift apart, leading to a light, airy structure characterized by distinct flaky layers. This is a fundamental technique in pastry-making that combines lamination and the use of butter or other fats to achieve that desired flaky texture.

While crumb, crispiness, and softness are important qualities in other types of baked goods, they are not the result of the layering technique that specifically contributes to the flakiness essential in laminated pastries. Crumb refers to the internal structure and irregular holes within a baked good, crispiness relates to a texture that is crunchy or crackling, and softness typically describes a tender mouthfeel, but none of these are directly produced by the method of layering fat and dough that defines flakiness.