Even those who are novice in the kitchen or not at all experienced know that there are many types of pasta like those that we find at the base of the most delicious dishes. An example? The phyllo dough and puff pastry. Similar but different

Sweet, savory dishes with recipes you can indulge yourself. Some of these types of Base paste they can be interchanged according to the final result we want to obtain. These doughs can also be made at home, but it is often preferred to buy them ready-made. What are the main differences between puff pastry and phyllo dough?

The puff pastry

There puff or puff pastry is a very light and crumbly baked pasta, prepared with simple ingredients (water, flour, butter) and with a very long history that refers to the ancient recipes of puff pastry ante litteram of Egyptians, ancient Greeks and Romans (who used olive oil instead of butter). M.a did you know that the birth of puff pastry seems to derive from a mistake? In fact, it is said that a boy, during the preparation of a dough, forgot to add the butter. To remedy the mistake, he decided to cut it into small pieces and insert it into the dough later. Puff pastry therefore boasts millenary origins for a preparation that contrasts the simplicity of the basic ingredients with a long and elaborate procedure.

In particular, the phase that precedes the so-called physical leavening of the puff pastry is essential for its success. The handling of the ingredients must be careful and it is essential that the air is incorporated between the layers of dough and butter of the dough to expand later, during the cooking phase.

The modern puff or puff pastry

The first version of puff or puff pastry that used butter instead of oil, the first modern puff pastry recipe (complete with an indication of the number of turns) is linked to the name of the great French chef, supporter of a light cuisine that preserved the original tastes of food, François Pierre de la Varenne, who performed his services at the Marquis Duxelles. His cookbook in 1720 had already had about thirty re-editions, combining Italian gastronomic traditions with the regional ones of his country.

Uses and preparation

The dough of the puff pastry is based on water, butter and flour, the last two in equal quantities for a preparation that involves several stages before proceeding with the shaping of the dough in layers. It is essential to let the pasta rest in the refrigerator between a round and the other. In addition, the ingredients must be processed at an equal "starting" temperature so that they can blend well. With puff pastry or puff pastry you can make both sweet and savory preparations, it is excellent for quiche and crust preparations, even if it is usually associated more with desserts and pastry products, from millefeuille to diplomatics to croissants and cannoli filled with cream or chocolate, without forgetting the strudel. If you want to try your hand at some lighter recipes you can also use yogurt instead of butter, to give your preparation a less full-bodied flavor, while if you intend to make delicious wholemeal croissants you just need to replace the classic flour with that of rice mixed with a wholemeal one.

Where to find it

Don't feel like or have time to do it at home? No problem, you will find plenty of them at the supermarket. It is a very practical product, you just need to unroll it, stuff it to your liking and put it in the oven. A precaution to keep in mind, like all products on the other hand, is to pay attention to the label and nutritional values. You may discover in this way, for example, that a puff pastry defined as wholemeal actually contains not even 5% of wholemeal flour or that the product contains palm oil and a long list of ingredients useful only for preserving and maintaining the right consistency 'food.

The phyllo dough

There Fillo pasta, also often called Phyillo paste, is a basic pasta that belongs to the Greek culinary tradition and is composed of a series of very thin layers of dough that are superimposed on each other to obtain the suitable consistency. Thin as a sheet, it is widely used in the Middle East and the Balkans, but lately it has also taken hold in Western kitchens, especially in gourmet ones. In China, for example, it is used to make spring rolls while in the Middle Eastern countries the version goes a lot kataifi, with angel hair, or cut into very fine strips that wrap a heart of honey and almonds. To prepare the Fillo Pasta you only need water and flour, but the procedure for the realization of this recipe is quite long and demanding but the result will certainly be something extremely scenographic.

The Recipes with Fillo Pasta best known obviously belong to the Middle Eastern tradition: among the desserts we cannot fail to mention the Baklava, a typical Ottoman dessert based on honey and dried fruit and baskets of phyllo dough.While if we talk about salty we cannot fail to think of the Gibanica savory pie and Spanakopita and the Greek savory pie. Lphyllo dough is extremely versatile both in form and in the combination of ingredients. The only one trick to use, given the speed of cooking, is that of cook the stuffing first. Excellent the vegetarian versions combined with cheeses. The variant it provides is more robust and decisive the minced and spiced meat. Last but not least, sweet, where pears and cheese, chocolate or a Chantilly cream are just some of the ideal fillings.

Baked or fried?

Phyllo pasta normally has one cooking in the oven, which is around a temperature of 200 ° for the first few minutes; then the cooking if it must set at 190 ° to make the pasta take its characteristic amber color. Be careful never to cook it at lower temperatures because you risk getting a sticky paste. But the versatility of this dough makes it also suitable for frying, and then you can easily accomplish delicious finger food or cute snacks. What do you prefer?