Book fold

A lamination fold in which both ends of the dough are folded to meet in the middle and then folded together again like a closing book, creating four layers at once.

Book fold: A thick rectangle of pale laminated dough folded in four like a closed book, its cut edge showing fine alternating stripes of butter and dough.
  • Techniques and preparation methods

Also called: double fold

The book fold, also called a double fold or four-fold, is one of the two standard turns used to build layers in puff pastry, croissant and Danish dough. After the butter is locked into the dough, the package is rolled into a long rectangle. One short end is folded to the center, the other end is folded to meet it, and the dough is then folded in half along that center line, like closing a book.

Each book fold multiplies the layers by four, compared with three for a letter fold, so bakers can reach the layer count they want in fewer turns. The dough is usually chilled between folds so the butter stays firm and the layers stay separate. Many recipes combine the two, for example two book folds and one letter fold.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Introduction to Baking and Pastries, LibreTexts (Rink and Thibodeaux, Introduction to Baking and Pastries)