Tourage is the systematic process of folding and rolling laminated doughs — puff pastry (pâte feuilletée) and croissant dough — through a series of turns (tours) that progressively multiply the alternating layers of dough and butter into the hundreds, creating the architecture of flaky, shattering pastry. Each turn is a precise geometric operation: the dough is rolled to a uniform rectangle, folded according to a specific pattern, then rested under refrigeration before the next turn. Two types of turn are used: the tour simple (single turn or letter fold), where the dough is folded in thirds like a business letter, tripling the layers; and the tour double (double turn or book fold), where both short ends are folded to the centre, then the dough is closed like a book, quadrupling the layers. Starting from the enclosed butter block (1 layer of butter between 2 layers of dough = 3 layers), the progression is: after 1 single turn = 9 layers, 2 singles = 27, 3 singles = 81, 4 singles = 243, 5 singles = 729, 6 singles = 2,187. For classical puff pastry, 6 single turns (2,187 layers) or 2 doubles + 1 single (768 layers) are standard. For croissant dough, which contains yeast and must remain sufficiently open for fermentation gases to expand, only 3 single turns (27 layers) or 1 double + 1 single (36 layers) are used — too many layers compress the croissant into a biscuit rather than the honeycombed interior. The butter must be the same plasticity as the dough throughout: too cold and it shatters inside the dough, creating discrete chunks rather than continuous layers; too warm and it oozes through, merging with the dough and destroying the lamination. The ideal working temperature for both is 14-16°C. Between each turn, the dough rests in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes to relax the gluten (which has been stretched by rolling) and to re-firm the butter. The rolling must be firm but even, always rolling in the direction of the length (never diagonally, which distorts the layers), using light flour and scraping the surface with a bench scraper to maintain a clean rectangle.
Tour simple (letter fold) triples layers; tour double (book fold) quadruples. Puff pastry: 6 singles (2,187 layers). Croissant: 3 singles (27 layers). Butter and dough must be same plasticity (14-16°C). 30-45 minute refrigerated rest between turns. Roll only lengthwise, never diagonally.
Before enclosing the butter block, beat it with a rolling pin to achieve the same firmness as the détrempe — it should bend without breaking. Mark the dough with finger indentations after each turn (1 mark after first, 2 after second, etc.) to track progress. In warm kitchens, keep the rolling surface cool by placing bags of ice on it between operations.
Butter too cold, shattering and creating uneven layers. Butter too warm, merging with dough. Skipping rests, causing gluten to contract and tear. Rolling diagonally, distorting the layer geometry. Too many turns for croissant dough, compressing the structure. Not maintaining a rectangular shape.
Le Guide Culinaire (Escoffier)