Batter vs. Dough
What’s the difference between batter and dough?
The difference between batter and dough is batters are thin and contain eggs, and doughs are thick and might not contain eggs. Because of their different consistencies and ingredients, you will mix and prepare batters and doughs differently.
Types of Batters
POUR BATTERS
Are fluid and pour easily; contain about 2/3 to 1 cup of water for every cup of flour.
Pancakes, waffles and crepes are some of humankind's oldest forms of bread. Popovers are closely related but are in a slightly different branch of the pancake family. They all pour, with waffle batters being the thickest, pancakes in the middle and crepes the thinnest. Crepe batter is thinned with eggs and is only as thick as heavy cream. Popovers are made from the thinnest of all quick-bread batters with a liquid to flour ratio of 1:1.
Crepes
Pancakes
Popovers
Waffles
DROP BATTERS
Do not contain as much water as pour batters; contain about 1/2 to 3/4 cup water for every cup flour.
Coffee Cakes
Doughnuts or Donuts
Biscuit Dumplings
Loaves or Tea Breads
Muffins
Types of Pastry Dough
All pastry doughs are made up of flour, water, and fat. Sometimes the fat is butter, sometimes it's shortening, sometimes it's lard, sometimes it's even oil. Regardless, every variety of pastry dough is made with these core ingredients, and the ratio of those ingredients, and the way in which they are combined to form a dough, determines the end result. Here are the five most common varieties of pastry dough and how they're used:
Flaky Pastry
The most rustic and simple of all the pastry doughs, flaky pastry is used for sweet and savory pies, quiche, sausage rolls, and turnovers. It benefits from a hands-off attitude because the flakiest of doughs is the result of pea-sized chunks of butter and gentle hand work. Overworking this dough will yield tough and crumbly pastry, which is the last thing you want in a homemade pie.
Short crust Pastry
A much more forgiving and foolproof variety of pastry, short crust pastry is resilient if overworked. This dough is much more cohesive than flaky pastry, because it's often used as the sturdy base for tarts. In fact, this dough is so sweet and sturdy, it's not too dissimilar to shortbread cookie dough.
Puff Pastry
This is a flaky pastry characterised by fat and air being trapped between the layers of the dough to give a delicate, layered, and crisp finish. This time-consuming pastry is considered a go-to for pastry chefs, and worth the time to make. It is often used for pie crusts, as wrapping for meats, as well as vol-au-vents, cream horns and mille feuilles.
Choux Pastry
Choux pastry, or pâte à choux, is made of flour, water, butter, and eggs and has a texture that is thick and sticky. Instead of using a rising agent, the batter is beaten together on the stovetop until it forms a thick mass. The process traps steam, which gets released in the oven, creating a puff pastry. This creates a crispy outer shell and hollow interior that can be filled with a variety of fillings and is used for eclairs and profiteroles.
Filo Pastry
This type of pastry is made in very thin sheets and used as a casing for numerous delicate savoury and sweet dishes such as baklava and börek in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine.
Learn about proofing:
