Pastry has a very high fat and carbohydrate content because the primary and secondary ingredients are flour and shortening.
The different types of pastry include: shortcrust pastry, flaky pastry, puff pastry, choux pastry and phyllo (filo) pastry. Some need to be freshly made and some can come pre-prepared or frozen. When referring to pastry as dough, it is normally when it is being used with other food items (e.g. in a Beef Wellington).
Good pastry has to be light, buttery and flaky. Flour is the first ingredient and the proportion of flour used will determine the outcome of the pastry. Excess flour will result in tough and dry pastry while less flour will result in flat and bland pastry. The second ingredient is fat which is added to separate the flour particles. The fats used in pastry (i.e. shortening or butter) help to give pastry its texture. The third ingredient is water, only a small amount of which (or a substitute liquid, like milk), should be added. Too little liquid will cause the pastry to be crumbly while too much will create toughness. After this, the dough is .
Raising agents, like baking powder or baking soda, can also be used when making pastry dough – they help with expanding the dough as it is cooked.. A small amount of salt is also added to bring out flavour.