diff --git a/lib/jekyll.rb b/lib/jekyll.rb
index caa45e50..803b6fa4 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll.rb
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ require 'jekyll/errors'
 require 'jekyll/related_posts'
 require 'jekyll/cleaner'
 require 'jekyll/entry_filter'
+require 'jekyll/layout_reader'
 
 # extensions
 require 'jekyll/plugin'
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/layout_reader.rb b/lib/jekyll/layout_reader.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1b07c724
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/jekyll/layout_reader.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+module Jekyll
+  class LayoutReader
+    attr_reader :site
+    def initialize(site)
+      @site = site
+      @layouts = {}
+    end
+
+    def read
+      layout_entries.each do |f|
+        @layouts[layout_name(f)] = Layout.new(site, layout_directory, f)
+      end
+
+      @layouts
+    end
+
+    private
+
+    def layout_entries
+      entries = []
+      within(layout_directory) do
+        entries = EntryFilter.new(site).filter(Dir['**/*.*'])
+      end
+      entries
+    end
+
+    def layout_name(file)
+      file.split(".")[0..-2].join(".")
+    end
+
+    def within(directory)
+      return unless File.exists?(directory)
+      Dir.chdir(directory) { yield }
+    end
+
+    def layout_directory
+      File.join(site.source, site.config['layouts'])
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/site.rb b/lib/jekyll/site.rb
index 7457ca6d..ed55598f 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/site.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/site.rb
@@ -127,27 +127,11 @@ module Jekyll
     #
     # Returns nothing.
     def read
-      self.read_layouts
+      self.layouts = LayoutReader.new(self).read
       self.read_directories
       self.read_data(config['data_source'])
     end
 
-    # Read all the files in <source>/<layouts> and create a new Layout object
-    # with each one.
-    #
-    # Returns nothing.
-    def read_layouts
-      base = File.join(self.source, self.config['layouts'])
-      return unless File.exists?(base)
-      entries = []
-      Dir.chdir(base) { entries = filter_entries(Dir['**/*.*'], base) }
-
-      entries.each do |f|
-        name = f.split(".")[0..-2].join(".")
-        self.layouts[name] = Layout.new(self, base, f)
-      end
-    end
-
     # Recursively traverse directories to find posts, pages and static files
     # that will become part of the site according to the rules in
     # filter_entries.
diff --git a/test/test_layout_reader.rb b/test/test_layout_reader.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eead655a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_layout_reader.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+require 'helper'
+
+class TestLayoutReader < Test::Unit::TestCase
+  context "reading layouts" do
+    setup do
+      stub(Jekyll).configuration do
+        Jekyll::Configuration::DEFAULTS.merge({'source' => source_dir, 'destination' => dest_dir})
+      end
+      @site = Site.new(Jekyll.configuration)
+    end
+
+    should "read layouts" do
+      layouts = LayoutReader.new(@site).read
+      assert_equal ["default", "simple", "post/simple"].sort, layouts.keys.sort
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/test_site.rb b/test/test_site.rb
index 5e639f50..b1cf01d1 100644
--- a/test/test_site.rb
+++ b/test/test_site.rb
@@ -161,11 +161,6 @@ class TestSite < Test::Unit::TestCase
       assert_equal sorted_pages, @site.pages.map(&:name)
     end
 
-    should "read layouts" do
-      @site.read_layouts
-      assert_equal ["default", "simple", "post/simple"].sort, @site.layouts.keys.sort
-    end
-
     should "read posts" do
       @site.read_posts('')
       posts = Dir[source_dir('_posts', '**', '*')]