Best Margarine for Puff Pastry: Get Perfect Flaky Layers Every Time

What is the best margarine for puff pastry? For puff pastry, it’s best to use very cold, unsalted margarine.

Baker’s Choice cold unsalted margarine is the best choice for the best results in puff pastry.

What is margarine?

Ghee is a type of purified animal fat, obtained by heating butter or cream to separate the solids and water. 

It is commonly used in cooking in many cultures, especially in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. The following are the types of ghee:

• Cow ghee: Made from cow’s milk, it is usually yellow or golden in color and has a distinctive flavor. It is considered rich in vitamin A and carotenoids.
• Sheep ghee: Made from sheep’s milk, it has a higher fat content and a stronger flavor.
• Buffalo ghee: Made from buffalo milk, it is usually white in color and has a thicker consistency.
• Natural ghee: Refers to ghee made using traditional methods from the milk of cows, sheep, or buffalo, and is often handmade.
• Vegetable ghee (artificial or hydrogenated): A cheaper alternative to animal ghee, it is made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. It may contain preservatives.

Benefits of margarine for pastry

Ghee brings many benefits to dough, affecting its texture and final taste:

• Tenderness and softness: Ghee coats the flour particles, significantly inhibiting gluten formation. This results in softer dough and breads or pastries with a smooth texture.
• Fluffiness and flakiness: In pastries such as biscuits and pies, ghee contributes to a flaky, flaky texture. This is because the solid fats in ghee melt during baking, leaving behind tiny air pockets.
• Ease of rolling and shaping: Dough containing ghee is more elastic and easier to roll and shape without breaking.
• Rich flavor: The best margarine for puff pastry adds a distinctive, rich flavor to baked goods and pastries, especially if the ghee is local.
• Fluffy aroma: Dough containing ghee releases a delicious, distinctive aroma during baking. Extending shelf life: The fats in ghee help keep the product moist for longer, which contributes to extending its shelf life.
• Improving absorption: Ghee improves the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals found in other dough ingredients.

Types of margarine for baking

Ghee used in baking comes in two main types:

Animal Ghee:

• Cow Ghee: Characterized by a rich flavor and creamy texture, it gives baked goods a distinctive taste. It is ideal for many types of bread and pastries.
• Sheep Ghee: It has a stronger, more distinctive flavor than cow ghee and is used in some traditional recipes to add a special flavor.

Vegetable Ghee:

• It is made from hydrogenated or non-hydrogenated vegetable oils.
• It has a solid consistency at room temperature, making it easy to use in baking.
• Some types are specifically designed for cakes and pastries, contributing to a fluffy texture.
• It may have a neutral or buttery flavor.

Best margarine for puff pastry

What is the best margarine for puff pastry? It’s recommended to use high-quality, unsalted butter with a high fat content (82% or higher). Here are the reasons:

• Flavor: Butter gives the dough a rich, distinctive flavor.
• Lathering: The high fat content in butter helps create separate, flaky layers in the dough when baking.
• Texture: Using butter results in a better mouthfeel.

In short, high-quality unsalted butter is the best margarine for puff pastry for the best flavor, leafiness, and texture in puff pastry dough.

Uses of margarine in baking

Ghee provides bread with many benefits and diverse uses, the most prominent of which are:

• Ghee gives bread a rich, deep flavor that differs from vegetable oils or butter, especially country or animal ghee.
• Flavors vary depending on the source of the ghee (cow, sheep, vegetable), allowing it to add a unique touch to each type of baked good.
• Ghee contributes to making bread softer and fluffier by breaking down gluten and reducing the toughness of the dough.
• It gives bread a moist interior and a soft crumb.
• In some types of pastries, the best margarine for puff pastry helps create compact, flaky layers.
• Due to its high fat content, ghee helps bread last longer compared to bread made without fat or using other oils.
• Ghee helps give the surface of bread an attractive golden color during baking. Traditional Bread: It is used in many types of traditional bread and popular pastries to impart authentic flavor and desired texture, such as tawa bread and mutabbaq.
• Pastries: It is an essential ingredient in many sweet and savory pastries, such as cakes, sabaya, and pies, giving them crunch and richness.
• Sweets: It is used in the making of some desserts based on bread or a baked base, such as bread fatteh with ghee and honey.
• Bread Grease: The surface of hot bread can be brushed with a little ghee to add shine and extra flavor, as is the case with some types of Yemeni bread.
• Dough Ingredient: Best margarine for puff pastry is added to the basic dough ingredients to contribute to its final properties.

The difference between margarine, butter, and shortening

Ghee, butter, and margarine are all fats used in cooking and baking, but they differ in their sources, composition, and properties. Here are the differences between them:

Butter:

• Source: A natural dairy product made from the cream of cow’s milk, usually from sheep or goat’s milk.
• Composition: Consists primarily of milk fat (about 80%), water (about 15-20%), and small amounts of milk proteins (lactose and casein) and salts.
• Butter: Ideal for spreading on bread, adding flavor to sauces and finished dishes, and baking (where it contributes to the texture).

Ghee/Clarified Butter:

• Source: Also derived from animal butter (usually cow’s or buffalo’s milk).
• Composition: Made by slowly heating butter to remove the water and solid milk proteins. The result is almost pure milk fat.
• Ghee: Suitable for high-temperature cooking and frying, adding a distinctive flavor to Indian and Middle Eastern dishes, and a good choice for those with mild lactose intolerance, as it is considered the best margarine for puff pastry.

Margarine:

• Source: A manufactured product typically produced from vegetable oils (such as soybean oil, corn oil, palm oil, and canola oil). Occasionally, it may contain small amounts of animal fat.
• Composition: Consists primarily of vegetable oils, water, emulsifiers, added colors, and flavors. It may undergo hydrogenation to convert liquid oils into solid or semi-solid fats.
• Margarine: Used in baking and cooking, it is an option for those following a vegetarian diet or looking for a low-cholesterol alternative.

Is margarine a healthy alternative to butter?

• Fat and Calories: Both ghee and butter are high in fat and calories. Ghee is often slightly higher in fat and calories per tablespoon because it is more concentrated after removing the milk solids and water.
• Saturated Fat: Both are high in saturated fat.
• Vitamins: Both contain fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, E, and K. Ghee may contain slightly more vitamin A.
• Lactose and Casein: Ghee is almost free of lactose and casein (milk proteins) because these solids are removed during the clarification process. This makes it a better choice for people with lactose intolerance or milk protein allergies.
• Butyrate: Ghee is rich in butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid that may have anti-inflammatory benefits and support gut health. Butter also contains butyric acid, but in smaller amounts. 
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): Both contain conjugated linoleic acid, which some studies suggest may help reduce body fat, but the amounts in both are small.
• Smoke Point: Ghee has a much higher smoke point than butter. This makes it a better choice for cooking at high temperatures because it is less likely to burn and form harmful compounds.

How to use margarine for pastries?

Ghee is used in pastries to add a rich, buttery flavor because it’s the best margarine for puff pastry. Here are some common ways to use it:

• Crispy pastries (such as biscuits and ma’amoul): Add cold, small-cubed ghee to the flour and other dry ingredients. Rub the ghee into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. This method significantly inhibits gluten development, resulting in flaky pastries.
• Puff pastries (such as puff pastry): Melted or very cold ghee is used between layers of dough when rolling out. These fats create separate layers of dough during baking, resulting in a light, fluffy texture.
• Cake pastries and soft baked goods: Butter can be substituted for ghee in cake and other baked goods recipes because it’s the best margarine for puff pastry. Ghee adds a distinctive flavor and moisture to the dough. You may need to slightly adjust the amount of liquid in the recipe because ghee doesn’t contain the water found in butter. 
• Greasing baking trays: Ghee can be used to grease baking trays to prevent pastries from sticking and ensure easy release after baking.
• Greasing the surface of pastries: Before baking, some pastries can be brushed with a little melted ghee to add a golden color and an attractive sheen.
• Dessert fillings: A little melted ghee can be added to the fillings of some desserts, such as baklava and kunafa, to add a rich flavor.

Which margarine is best for baking cookies?

It depends on your personal preference and the desired result:

• For the best buttery flavor and traditional texture, unsalted butter is the best choice.
• For very soft, flaky cookies with minimal spreading, margarine is a good choice.
• For a distinctive flavor and soft cookies, try shortening.
• For a rich, nutty flavor and cookies that hold up well at high temperatures, use clarified shortening.

Margarine or butter for puff pastry and croissants?

For the best traditional flavor and texture for puff pastry and croissants, butter is the undisputed favorite. 

If you have difficulty handling butter due to the temperature, you can try using butter with a higher fat content, as it contains less water and tends to melt more slowly.

FAQ

What butter is best for puff pastry?

For puff pastry, the best butter is unsalted, high-fat butter (82% fat or more).

Which type of margarine is best for making pastry?

The best margarine for puff pastry is animal ghee, and its types are as follows:

• Cow ghee: Suitable for sweet and savory pastries, but it is preferred for oriental desserts.
• Sheep ghee: It has a stronger flavor and may be preferred in some traditional desserts.

Is butter or margarine better for choux pastry?

For choux pastry, butter is the traditional, most popular, and best choice for the best results. Here’s why:

• Fat and water: Butter contains the ideal ratio of fat to water. The water turns to steam during baking, helping the dough rise and create the distinctive cavity inside choux pastry. Fat gives the dough its richness, flavor, and flaky texture.
• Emulsification: The milk proteins in butter help emulsify the fat and water, resulting in a smooth dough.
• Taste: Butter adds a rich, classic flavor to choux pastry.

Finally, we’ve talked about the best margarine for puff pastry. For puff pastry, ghee (especially pure butter) is the traditional and best choice for the best results in terms of puffing and rich flavor. If you’re looking for the best quality, flavor, and puffing for your puff pastry, ghee (butter) is the way to go.