Different types of fat change how pastries feel and taste. Here’s a simple look at how various fats affect pastries.

1. Butter:

   • Flavor: Butter adds a rich taste that makes pastries more delicious.
   • Texture: When butter is cold and mixed with flour, it helps create layers. This is super important for flaky pastries like croissants. The best temperature for cold butter is around 0-5°C (32-41°F).
   • Moisture: Butter is about 80% fat and 16% water, which helps keep pastries soft and moist.

2. Shortening:

   • Texture: Shortening is all fat (100%). This makes pastries extra tender and soft, like cake. However, it doesn’t have much flavor.
   • Stability: Shortening melts at a higher temperature than butter, which helps pastries keep their shape while baking.

3. Lard:

   • Flakiness: Lard makes pastries very flaky. They can be up to 30% flakier than those made with butter.
   • Flavor: Lard doesn’t have the rich flavor of butter, but it does add a little savory taste that works well in some hearty pastries.

4. Oil:

   • Moisture: Oils, like vegetable oil, keep pastries moist. But they don't create the layers that solid fats do. This makes pastries denser, which is great for cakes and muffins, but not for flaky crusts.

In summary, choosing the right fat—whether it’s butter, shortening, lard, or oil—changes the texture and flavor of pastries. This helps bakers make a wide range of tasty treats!