Pastry Sheet help required

[Uziel]

Hello, recently I tried to make filo pastry/ puff pastry sheets at home and tried with margarine and butter and they came out ok. I see these small unorganized bakeries near my house and they make stuffed puff pastry. To save cost I am sure they do not use butter ad also when I eat them, I cannot taste butter. I too want to try at home the same procedure but have no idea what they use. Can I try to make puff pastry sheets with oil, will it work. Pleas guide as to what all I can use Thanx

[gfron1]

What a shame they aren't using butter. Is it possible that they are buying the puff? Anyway, if you insist on not using butter I would try solid coconut oil or (heaven forbid) Crisco. If you are only doing a small amount for home there is no reason not to do just butter.

[pastrygirl]

Puff pastry needs a solid fat so it will roll into thin layers. Also, filo and puff pastry are completely different. If you want to make filo and brush it with oil instead of melted butter before layering that will work fine. 

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Sadly, most commercial bakeries use a rather frightening hydrogenated margarine product in their puff pastries - it's meant to stay solid even working at the higher temperatures of an industrial kitchen.  I don't suggest you go this route, but rather use butter or coconut oil (fats that remain solid at room temperature) for puff pastry.  The fats need to remain solid right up until baking, because their melting is what gives puff pastry its lift and flake.

 

Filo is a different creature entirely; for that you can use oil or melted butter.  Most commercial bakeries that work with filo use the cheapest oil possible; I don't advocate that either, it's much nicer if you use a high-quality oil or, ideally, butter.

[Uziel]

Thanx for all the replies, I am just trying to see if there is an alternative as some people have cost issue and some other, health. Coconut oil sems a good option. Also, I dont have must idea about Filo, thats why may be compared it with puff. Can I make stuffed turnovers with Filo?

[blue_dolphin]

Use google or the like to search for vegan puff pastry recipes to find options that don't use butter.  I don't think they are likely to be big cost savers but they'd certainly be an option if you need to avoid butter.

 

You can also find vegan phyllo dough recipes.  I've only used purchased phyllo but I've made all sorts of sweet and savory turnovers and I'm sure you could do the same if you settle on a recipe and technique to make your own.