What effect does the rubbing method have on pastry dough?

The rubbing method is a technique primarily used in pastry making, where fat (like butter) is combined with flour by using the fingertips or palms to rub the two ingredients together until they resemble breadcrumbs. The key effect of this method is that it coats the flour particles in fat, which prevents the flour from fully absorbing moisture during the mixing process.

This process results in a flaky texture for the pastry, as the coated flour retains its structure while the moisture during baking creates steam, leading to layers that are light and flaky. When the dough is baked, the steam from the moisture trapped within the fat and the flour causes the layers to separate and puff up, resulting in the desired flakiness.

The other choices do not accurately describe the effect of the rubbing method. For instance, making the dough chewy is more associated with techniques that encourage gluten development, while preventing moisture penetration aligns more closely with creating flakiness without becoming dense. Emulsification refers to the process of mixing fats with liquids to create a stable mixture, which is not the primary purpose of the rubbing method in pastry dough preparation.