How To Make

Puff Pastry

Using Khapli Atta: Lamination, Dough Proofing, And More

Quick Summary

The incredibly soft yet crispy stuffed French croissant and the desi ‘pattice’ stuffed with potato masala, egg, chicken or keema – all of them have something in common: a laminated dough. It’s made by repeatedly folding the dough with butter, which, when baked, produces flaky layers and a crisp texture. The butter can be swapped for any solid fat equivalent like margarine or shortening. The dough’s flour is usually refined flour that lacks the (fibre-rich) bran and germ, so swapping it with khapli atta, which has both, will introduce some challenges. 

Deep Dive

Puff pastry made with khapli atta does not share the same properties as that made with refined flour or maida, but follows the same lamination technique as the latter. You have to do the same folding technique of working fat into the dough repeatedly, as is the norm for making any puff pastry. Folding a fat layer into dough repeatedly creates a multitude of thin sheets, but with khapli wheat, whose gluten structure is a bit different, this needs some adaptation, as the dough is more delicate, prone to tearing and less extensible. 

The dough made with khapli wheat also absorbs more water because of its higher fibre content and browns faster in the oven, which means adjusting hydration, resting time and bake temperature rather than following the typical maida puff pastry recipe. Get those three variables right, and khapli atta puff pastry turns out just as flaky, with a nuttier, more textured bite than a refined-flour version.

What Makes Khapli Atta Different?

Khapli atta comes from Triticum dicoccum, an ancient hulled wheat also called emmer, and its gluten behaves nothing like the gluten in refined maida or even whole wheat atta. Khapli wheat has a different gluten structure and contains less gluten than many modern wheat varieties, although it is not gluten-free. 

In baking terms, its dough develops a less robust gluten network, making it less capable of trapping gas and producing the grandiose rise associated with modern bread wheat. Khapli atta also carries more protein and fibre than regular wheat, both of which pull in more water during mixing than a standard puff pastry recipe accounts for. So, to get started, start with quality flour like Aashirvaad Chakki Khapli Atta.

Understanding Lamination Before You Start

Lamination is the process behind every flaky pastry, be it croissants, laccha paratha, or other puff pastries. It starts with a bit of butter, flour, salt, and water to form a dough – the détrempe method – that is specific to puff pastries. A block of butter is folded into this dough and rolled and folded repeatedly, building up alternating layers of dough and fat. In the oven, the fat's water content turns to steam, and that steam pushes the dough layers apart, creating the tall, flaky layers that define puff pastry. 

Zooming into the lamination method, when the chilled butter block is sealed inside dough, it is given a series of ‘turns’, rolling out to a rectangle, folding into thirds, chilling, and repeating three to six times. If you want to hasten the process, you can swap the enclosed butter block entirely for the same cold butter, cut into chunks and added directly to the base dough. Then fold the dough and roll it several times in a row to build the layers without the same number of chilling breaks.

Adapting Lamination to Khapli Wheat’s Gluten Structure

Given how finicky khapli wheat tends to be, especially its weaker gluten, it is a bit tricky to make laminated dough with it. Khapli atta makes a brittle dough, and to compensate for that, make sure to avoid going all out with khapli atta and use a blend of maida and khapli. This blend should give the laminated dough enough gluten strength to hold the laminated layers while retaining khapli atta's flavour and nutrition.

• Use a blend of the typical refined flour, a small proportion, around 30-40%, with roughly 60-70% khapli atta. Add more maida, less khapli atta to make it even easier.

• Add water gradually during mixing, as and when needed. Aim for a pliable dough that stretches without breaking.

• After mixing flour and water, make sure the dough gets ample resting time, slightly longer than the standard maida dough. Something around 60 minutes, before kneading, with the butter, should be enough. This allows the germ and bran particles to soften. This will make the dough easier to roll later.

• Wrap a block of chilled butter with the dough and proceed as usual with the lamination process. Use book folds or single folds, ensuring butter stays layered, not mixed, in the dough.

• After every fold, refrigerate the dough for 30-45 minutes. This keeps the butter firm and allows the gluten network to relax, reducing shrinkage and helping the dough roll out evenly in the next stage.

Dough Hydration and Proofing in Warmer Kitchens

Khapli atta, like other wholegrain wheat flours, can absorb more water than refined flour due to higher bran and fibre content. Because of this, if you follow a puff pastry recipe to the T and fail to account for kahpli atta’s nature, the dough may feel dry unless water is added gradually during the ingredient mixing stage. In warmer or more humid kitchens, temperature control is important during lamination because butter softens quickly and can melt into the dough layers. For warmer kitchens:

• Chill the dough for 30-60 minutes between folds to keep butter firm and maintain distinct layers.

• Work in short rolling sessions, returning the dough to refrigeration whenever it becomes soft or sticky.

• Keep the dough and butter cold during handling to prevent blending of fat and dough layers, which reduces flakiness.

• Rest the fully laminated dough before baking to allow gluten relaxation and reduce shrinkage during baking.

Baking Khapli Atta Puff Pastry

Any flour containing more bran, which is the tough outer husk of the grain, usually lost during the milling process, will brown more readily than refined flour, which takes longer to change shade during baking. A puff pastry that would need 20-25 minutes at 200°C with maida may be ready in closer to 15-18 minutes with khapli atta, and the top can go from golden to over-browned quickly in the final few minutes. Keep an eye on the oven rather than relying on the timer, and if you're baking a stuffed pastry where the centre needs longer to bake. Tent the top loosely with foil once it reaches the colour you want, so the crust doesn't darken further while the inside finishes cooking.

Maida Puff Pastry vs Khapli Atta Puff Pastry

A Simple Step-By-Step for Khapli Atta Puff Pastry

1. Combine khapli atta with a smaller portion of all-purpose flour, salt and a touch of sugar; cut in very cold butter until pea-sized.

2. Add ice water gradually, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough just clumps together; avoid overworking it at this stage.

3. Shape into a disc, wrap, and chill for at least an hour before the first roll.

4. Roll to a rectangle, fold into thirds like a letter, and chill again for a full hour; repeat this turn three to four times total.

5. After the final fold, rest the dough for one hour minimum before rolling it out to your final thickness and shaping.

6. Bake at a slightly lower temperature or for a shorter duration than a standard maida recipe, watching for colour rather than relying only on the clock.

Common Troubleshooting

If your khapli puff pastry isn't rising into distinct layers, the most likely cause is over-handling: the dough was rolled too aggressively, or the butter softened between turns because chilling was rushed. If the dough feels tough and springs back excessively while rolling, it usually means it needs more rest before the next turn, since khapli's gluten, once activated by rolling, needs time to relax again. Cracking edges are common with khapli dough and are best managed by rolling carefully from the centre outward rather than pressing hard at the corners.

Working with Khapli Atta, Not Against It

Once you understand the properties of khapli wheat and how it is different when using it for baking, starting with its needing more water, gentler rolling, longer rests, and faster browning, a laminated dough won’t be too hard to master with this ancient grain. The result is a structured puff pastry with a slightly different flavour that is a bit earthier and nuttier than the refined flour version.