Yet another croissants blog
Hello to all fellow bakers, greetings from Indonesia. I never wrote a blog before, so this is my first time really.
I'm just a beginner in baking world, and right now i'm trying to make croissants. I've been experimenting for 3 months, and done 22 batch of croissants but i'm still far from reaching good results. So, by writing this blog I want to share my experience and trouble (mostly trouble though) and expecting my fellow friends and teachers here to share their opinion and maybe cast some lights to my not-so-bright croissant journey, so to speak. Anyway, lets just get started. Let me explain and give some picture of the situation i'm faced with.
My condition & environment :
- Room temperature : 31-32C on sunny day, and around 27-28C on rainy day (we only have 2 seasons here, sunny and rain)
- Mixer : small planetary mixer with just 1 speed. I don't know how to compare the mixing speed with mostly all of you have, but maybe its around speed 2 (I have seen speed 1 in commercial mixer, and my speed is faster than that)
- Oven : standard deck oven. want to buy convection oven but still saving up money
- Fridge (or chiller) : i have 2 of them. one having temperature around 0C, and the other around 6C. and also one standard freezer
- As for the ingredients, since my room temp is very unfriendly towards pastry making, so i use margarine sheet for laminating fat instead of butter sheet
My standard croissant recipe:
- 500gr flour. For flour, the standard we have here is 12% protein for bread flour, 10% for AP flour, 8% for cake flour, all of it having around 0.64% ash percentage
- 1% salt, 10% sugar, 5% butter for mixing, 50% milk hydration, 0.8% instant yeast, 1 pcs whole egg
- 40% laminating margarine sheet
What i've been experimenting with:
- Changing the percentage of bread and cake flour in the recipe (mostly 70%-80% BF and the rest is cake flour, and also tried using all BF)
- Changing the hydration (from 45% up to 55%)
- Changing the salt amount (small percentage)
- Changing the mix-in butter amount (small percentage)
- Changing the yeast amount (small percentage)
- Folding process before and after overnight rest, both has been experimented (I don't do bulk ferment)
- Mixing duration
- Sequence of ingredients added to the mixing process (salt before yeast, yeast before salt, yeast in milk, butter after all mixed, butter in the beginning of mix, etc)
- Number of folding used, 2x double fold, 3x single fold, 1x double 1x single fold, etc
- Thickness before cutting 3mm&5mm, Sizes of triangle when cutting, Shaping the croissant (elongated/pull with hand, no elongated with hand, elongated/no elongated with rolling pin, shaping croissant with space in the center,etc)
- Glaze it with water, egg wash, syrup
- Final Proof time , from 1.5 hrs to 4.5 hrs all have been experimented
I have also see/learn quite a lot from sources in the net (whether its a blog, or article or youtube video). I've read/see the posting by weekendbakery, evillychic, julien saveurs, thomas haas, vincent talleu, bruno albouze, galaxy desserts, and several other article and french speaking youtube source (which i dont understand of course), also blogs and posts from the freshloaf like the work of txfarmer, ananda and other great veteran bakers here. as for books, i have read a little here and there like : baker's apprentice, how baking works, lecordon bleu pattiseries, baking artisan's pastries and bread, bread baking artisan's perspective. but still no results. so i guess i'm a slowww learner.
To cut it short, I have HUNDREDS of question i wanna ask (literally), mostly about crumb texture, which i know there aren't such simple answer for it. But there's several that i want ask the most which are:
- Croissant's outer crust. The great croissants i've seen nearly ALWAYS having the same trait, which is flaky, shiny, thin crust. its like they deep fried the croissant rather than baking it. one of the example is croissant from galaxy desserts. (if you look closely at the video in their website about making of the croissants, you can see in 1:35 when he finger-pick the croissant/pain au chocolate, the skin is pretty 'shiny' and looks like pretty 'thin'. maybe thats the reason they have super flaky crust texture after baked) i have no idea whatsoever how they can achieved that. did they dip or soak the croissant in oil before baking or what? (okay thats just crazy i know) Because my croissant is flaky but not that kind of flaky. its crispy but the crust is still 'tough' , not like the one i described which crumbled into millions pieces when touched by hands.
- My croissants is heavy, heavy, heavy. The great croissants i know out there, having the same size as mine but extremely light. I know its interconnected with the crumb texture (the more open, evenly distributed crumb and full rising croissant makes it lighter), a.k.a if you master the crumb texture, you'll get the lightness you want automatically. but is it really like that? is there any factors besides it that can affect the weight of croissant?
- Is the oven we used determine the fate of our croissants, like in BIG way, like if you don't have convection oven, or if you don't use steam while baking, you WON'T get super crispy/light croissant no matter how perfect you prepare the croissant or how good your skills are?
I will post a couple of my experiment result photos here. Some of it standard, some of it a little better, some of it bad and some a complete disaster. None is good enough (for me) grr..the bad one isn't always the first experiment while the better one isn't always the last experiment. every experiment bears its own results.
So thats it. I hope you all can share your thoughts here with me.Cheers.
My last result :
Comments
Your croissants look good.
For thin flaky layers, try 3x double. I tried 3x single, but the layers weren't thin enough. Ingredients in the dough I use are flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and water. For the butter, I use unsalted butter.
As for croissants being heavy in weight, I only notice this happens for me whenever the dough is on the wet side. Whenever I add too much water, the dough ends up making the croissants too wet inside, and the layers aren't flaky. Maybe cut down on the liquid. Oddly enough, I get lighter and flakier croissants when the dough is on the low hydration side. I gradually pour in the water and knead the dough. The dough is firm like chilled butter. Also because the dough isn't sticky, I don't use so much flour during the folding. I find that if you add too much flour during the lamination, it makes the layers crunchy and tough. Lightly flour and brush off excess flour during the folding.
I also notice that when I'm stretching the triangle, if the triangle is slightly rubbery, like a rubber band, when you're pulling it, there's good expansion of the croissants during baking. When the triangle is rubbery, the gluten in the dough will help it rise during the baking. I remember when I was stretching the triangle when the dough was too wet, the triangle stretched too easily and the croissants didn't rise or expand too well. If there is too much gluten in the triangle during the stretching, then let it rest for a few minutes. I remember I stretched a triangle that had too much gluten that the tip snapped off. Just let it rest if it's too rubbery.
As for proofing, a good warm place that will not melt the butter. Let them proof until they're puffy.
Initial baking temperature should be high (450 to 475F). Bake it at a high temperature for 5 minutes and then gradually turn down the temperature. You don't want them to burn, so that's why temperature is lowered to thoroughly bake the inside. If the inside isn't baked thoroughly, they tend to collapse. Once you put it in the oven, the butter should start to boil. You want the butter and water to create steam, so the layers can puff. If the temperature is too low, the butter just melts, and you don't want that.
I don't have a convection oven. I do use two baking sheets on top of each other because the baking sheet is too thin. If I use one baking sheet, the bottoms of the croissants end up being burnt. Two baking sheets stacked on top of each other prevents the croissants from burning at the bottom. I use the middle or top rack because the heat element is at the bottom. I don't use a baking stone. I don't use steam.
Hello lazybaker!
Thanks for the detailed reply. The part about stretching the triangle really struck me, as i rarely get triangle that slightly rubbery when pulled. most of them stretched too easily and my triangle kinda 'soft' and need extra care handling it. i dont know if i use too much hydration or the room temp is too hot, because if its because too much hydration, how is 50% is too much? i've read people using up to 60% hydration in their recipe and get fine results. Also, in every youtube video i watched, all of them depict somewhat dry and stretchy triangle (some even not so gentle while handling it but it still get very good results) and they usually using 50% above for hydration. so i'm pretty confused. if the main reason is the flour water absorption level, how come the bread flour i use differ so much with theirs?
For the folding, because i only use 40-45% margarine (around 200-225gr margarine for 500gr flour) i'm afraid if i do too much turns it'll produce smaller honeycomb crumb (and with my not-so-great laminating skill, more risk in tearing the dough and make the margarine seeps), so i usually ended up with 2x double or 3x single.
As for baking temperature, i agree with you by using higher temp then lower it step by step. i also placed another baking tray filled with hot water right next to the croissant tray for steam effect (my deck oven don't have racks, so theres no 2nd,3rd level) and then using hand sprayer, i sprayed 3 times in the first 10 minutes of baking.
The amount of water is going to be different for each person because of the humidity. For me, the amount of water I use varies at several times. One time I'll need more water. Another time I need less water. What I do is just gradually pour the water in increments instead of dumping the water all in at one time. After adding the water, I mix & knead until I get dough that is firm as the chilled butter. The dough isn't sticky, but it isn't too dry or hard either. What I do is press down on the dough with my thumb and then press down on the chilled butter to compare firmness. The firmness should be about the same for the dough and butter. I allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. I don't let the dough ferment. I laminate immediately. For me, I always end up with bready texture if I allow the dough to ferment before lamination; it happens all the time for me. I just decided to skip the fermentation before lamination because the fermentation prior to lamination didn't work for me. I let fermentation happen after the lamination & during the proofing after shaping.
In some lamination recipes, txfarmer did do 3 double/bookfold, and she still has an open crumb. I think having large air bubbles/open crumb result from gluten in the dough and initial oven baking spring. For me, I have closed crumb when the dough triangle stretches too easily because the dough was too relaxed either from too much water in the dough or allowing the dough to relax too much. With soft or wet dough dough, I suspect the layers tend to fuse/stick together during the proof, and you lose flakiness and the insides tend to get bread-like. With dough that is on the dry side, the layers don't fuse/stick so much; the layers are able to separate during the baking.
If you want to experiment with changes, you could always start with smaller amounts of the ingredients as not to waste so much. That's what I do.
I hope you achieve the perfect croissants. Good luck! :)
Now you mentioned about humidity, i think you're right. i guess environment really plays big role in bread making. Earlier today i made another batch of croissant (still using txfarmer preferment method) with less hydration. To be exact, usually i use 250gr milk/water with 500gr of flour(50% hydration), and now i decrease the hydration to 230gr milk/water (45% more or less) in hope of getting dryer/firmer dough. But when i'm about to do my first fold i found the dough still pretty soft/wet as though the hydration cut back take no effect, in fact it feels wetter than before (its been raining all day, i wonder if it has effect on the dough). I still haven't develop the senses to 'see and feel' on spot that experienced bakers have, i still too focus on the ingredients measurement in exact number/quantity without the flexibility too adapt with the environment condition. i hope i can gradually develop it with every batch i make in the future.
I agree with you to go with lamination before fermentation. I got mostly bad results by laminating after fermenting. I dont understand the logic of why it happened though. by using basic math i've calculated the overall time needed of the whole croissant making process from beginning to the end, and both using the same amount of time. i'm just substituting the sequence of doing things, like in this case if i go with lamination before fermentation then i laminate the dough then let it ferment overnight (9 hrs more or less) in the fridge, while if i go with lamination after fermentation then i ferment it first (the same 9hrs in fridge) then laminate it, and yet it bears different results. its really confusing.
Another thing about bready croissants is even though i understand that it can be caused by poor laminating process (butter melted inside) but i'm sure i can also get it from overproofing the croissant. Because in one of my experiments, from one batch of croissant i divide it into 3 baking phase. the first one is proofed 2.5 hrs, the second one is proofed for 3.5 hrs and the last one for 4.5 hrs. and the results was very bready croissants for the longest proof time and less bready for the less proof time. i don't know if its just coincidence or what. has anyone ever experienced it too?
But when i'm about to do my first fold i found the dough still pretty soft/wet as though the hydration cut back take no effect, in fact it feels wetter than before (its been raining all day, i wonder if it has effect on the dough).
When I used bread flour before, I think it takes a while for the bread flour to absorb the water. I remember mixing the dough and the dough seemed like it had enough water. But after a few minutes or more, the dough felt wet! It wasn't raining when it happened. Allow the dough to absorb the water before adding more water.
Maybe the long proofing time caused the butter to melt into layers, and that's why the result is a bready texture??
Yeah maybe that's the reason. Sometimes i got so confused about everything, maybe because i experiment with too much variable (and with my limited knowledge) so i cant determine the cause of each changes.
Yesterday i made croissant with preferment (just like txfarmer method) . When in final proofing stage i found out that after 1.5 hrs i finger-poked the croissant and it gave overproofed signs (it has doubled in size but some of them didnt bounce back up after poked) while usually i proof it for 2.5hrs for baking (3.5 hrs to get overproofed signs).
so my question is, does final proof become shorter if we use preferment method in producing croissant?And, which condition resulted in bready-croissant, is it underproofed or overproofed?
Thanks in advance for answering!
Hi boeboen,
In general, the use of a pre-ferment such as a "poolish" was originally adopted by bakers seeking to use their limited supplies of bakers' yeast most effectively. The true focus was really to try to speed up the final parts of the process.
Use of a pre-ferment seeks to catalyse all the essential and complex changes which are taking place in a piece of fermenting dough to allow it to become the intended final product you want it to be. Th changers may be enzymatic, microbial, biological, chemical, whatever. The adoption of an initial stage of slow and long fermentation of a portion of the flour used in the formula will speed up all these changes in the final dough.
Bready croissants usually result from poor lamination technique. Concentrate on this part of the process rather than thinking about the effect of different levels of proof.
Nice work here
Best wishes
Andy
Hello Andy!
Thanks for the insight, i get better understanding of preferment method now. I admit lamination process become pretty tough for me with my temperature condition. If i do it too slow, the dough will become warm (with the possibility of melted margarine/butter) and need more time in the fridge than before. if i get started with really cold dough to compensate the laminating time i need, the hard margarine/butter inside will tear the dough from inside while laminating. so i guess i need more practice in this aspect. as for now every rolling and folding phase need around 15 minutes to complete, so i think i must practice more to be able to done it in around 5 minutes time.
Is there anyone who can give some explanation (maybe its your personal experience) about the differences in the croissants results made by using a LOT of butter/fat in the detrempe and the one made WITHOUT using butter/fat at all in the detrempe? Will the high fat in the detrempe make the resulting croissant tender and thus crispier layers. I havent tried it myself, and i will someday but maybe some of you who have done it can share your experience with me. Thanks a lot.
Dough with or without butter mixed in the dough didn't make a difference for me in terms of texture of the layers. The layers seemed pretty much the same for either kind of dough--thin flaky sheets. I think maybe the by-product of yeast tenderizes the dough. That's my guess.
However, the butter in the dough for puff pastry does make a difference. Puff pastry that doesn't contain butter in the dough has hard crunchy layers. Butter mixed into the dough creates tender flaky layers.
i see. thanks for the insight. maybe because puff pastry is not bread, the effect of lacking fat element in the dough become more distinguishable e.g tough/hard layers. the only thing cross my mind of which have the effect tenderizing dough is protease enzymes which present initially in the flour we use. but if it is so then it should have effect too in puff pastry. as for the yeast all i have ever heard is that it strengthen the dough, as they always wrote (especially in croissant-making instruction) "resting the dough not only relaxes the gluten but also add strength to the dough". they said the acid produced from fermentation is responsible for strengthening the dough. some of the veteran bakers on youtube (like vincent) don't actually use butter in the dough and the result is still excellent. so i guess in croissant, as you said, using butter or not in the dough doesn't make a lot of effect.
Hi Boeboen,
I have been baking croissants for a period of time, but I would like to know if you happen to have any experiences or recommendations for using enzymes in the production procedure in order to improve the final quality of the product.
By enzymes I mean the ones which we use for making baguette or hamburger breads like Alpha Amylase, Lipase, Gluco Oxidase, etc.
Thanks in advance
Sorry for the super late reply. Truthfully I haven't had any experiences with those kinds of dough conditioners.Because from what I've learned, we only use that kind of additives when we want to produce commercially frozen products. If we make fresh products i don't think it is necessary to add those ingredients since the flour and the environment provides enough of pretty much everything needed for a normal baking process to produce a good bake.
If you aim to produce commercially frozen products then i think it is a necessity to use dough conditioners since frozen dough reacts differently from normal dough. You have to be able to get a good dough strength from the beginning by adding some oxidizers such as ascorbic acid (or gluco oxidase) since prolonged freezing might degrade the gluten structure of the dough, and also if the flour isn't sufficiently provide amylase enzyme that meets your requirement then you need to add alpha amylase such as malt to compensate that deficiency to ensure the yeast got a supple amount of simple sugar to do their job when it is time for them to be proofed, and also add some emulsifiers for better crumb texture/softness and maybe slows down staling process. But that's entirely different knowledge (at least for me) that you should learn about. each ingredients' usage, the quantity used in batch etc, needs some knowledge which unfortunately i can't provide.