September 16, 2016 - 4:59am
Croissant crumb texture troubleshooting
Hi All! Can anyone guess what I do wrong? It's my second time that I make croissants and again got the same bad result which is distinct layers in the crumb instead of the honeycomb texture...
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First of all, I wouldn't call that a "bad" result. For a second time making croissants, I'd say you're already well on your way to pulling off a batch of delightful honeycombed ones, just keep on practicing !
If you post your recipe and your process, we can give you a better idea as to why your croissants aren't lifting off into honeycomb ecstasy. A lot of factors are at play in croissant-making, and it's a process that involves enough steps to leave ample room for error.
I would say, off the bat, that the gluten is not well-developed enough to support a honeycomb structure. Or it could be that you're not using enough yeast. Or it could be that the butter is melting while you're doing your folds. Again, process and formula will be very helpful !
They look a little dark to me.
Thanks for your replies.
I followed the recipe below with three differences: 1) used half of them 2) didn't have active dry yeast so I used the one already hydrated (http://www.bigodino.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/lievito-di-birra1.jpeg) 3) after I made the dough I freeze it for 2 days as I didn't have the time to shape and bake the same day.
Leaven and poolish were active (I am into bread an pizza so I am sure about it).
First 3 laminations the thickness was maybe abour 3 cm (1/1.5 inch) whereas when I shaped it was 1/2.
I was thinking maybe I needed to reduce the thickness of the first 3 laminations? As I said that's my second time I bake croissants, but I think it's not a matter of rising.
Baked at 220C and were ready in less than 30 min.
Taste was good, just layers not thin enough!
Looking forward to your replies!!! :)
450 g milk full cream
300 g leaven
400 g poolish
1000 g bread flour
28 g salt
85 g sugar
10 g active dry yeast
400 g cold unsalted butter
½ cup flour
Thanks for your replies.
I followed the recipe below with three differences: 1) used half of them 2) didn't have active dry yeast so I used the one already hydrated (http://www.bigodino.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/lievito-di-birra1.jpeg) 3) after I made the dough I freeze it for 2 days as I didn't have the time to shape and bake the same day.
Leaven and poolish were active (I am into bread an pizza so I am sure about it).
First 3 laminations the thickness was maybe abour 3 cm (1/1.5 inch) whereas when I shaped it was 1/2.
I was thinking maybe I needed to reduce the thickness of the first 3 laminations? As I said that's my second time I bake croissants, but I think it's not a matter of rising.
Baked at 220C and were ready in less than 30 min.
Taste was good, just layers not thin enough!
Looking forward to your replies!!! :)
450 g milk full cream
300 g leaven
400 g poolish
1000 g bread flour
28 g salt
85 g sugar
10 g active dry yeast
400 g cold unsalted butter
½ cup flour
and see if you can drag the baking time out to 30 min. Try 205°C :)
I see that you used fresh rather than dry yeast . . . which means that you are pretty darn lucky if you can have regular access to it ! (although I'm not crazy about commercial yeast, I find fresh yeast to be far superior) Anyway, if you used only 10 grams of fresh yeast in a recipe that calls for 10 grams of dry yeast, that could contribute to a lack of spring in your croissants. Usually you will need 4 times the quantity of fresh yeast when substituting for dry, as you must account for the water. So throw in 40 grams of fresh yeast per kilogram of flour and that should help.
Additionally, it is imperative that everything remain VERY cold while you are doing your folds and turns ? How are you going about incorporating the butter ? That can also make all the difference. I'm guessing you're doing it by hand, as very few home cooks have the space or the budget for a laminoir.
Good luck !
Just another quick note : you should try to roll out, cut, and form your croissants and THEN freeze them up. Freezing at the steps before can create ice crystals that can tear the dough while rolling it out. If you need to wait before shaping, keep the dough in the fridge (if you know that you're going to have to let it sit in the fridge a while, you should lower the quantity of leaven, as well).
Re yeast - I believe the one I used is the worst one as when transported the temperature bump can influences bacteria. I believe the best is the dry yeast since it's stable. In the end we are talking about bacteria!
Re quantity yeast - Forgot to mentioned that I used 3 times the quantity suggested since normally, based on my knowledge, dry yeast:fresh yeast=1:3.
I do not have a laminator (even though now that I am thinking I got this http://www.cibo360.it/images/cucina/scuola/strumenti/macchina_pasta.jpg) and yes, I did everything by hand.
Everything was pretty cold and used a marble bench to roll the dough. Butter was 83% fat. I incorporated the butter using the letter method thus divided the rectangle by three, put the butter on the two third starting from the right, fold the left side (which has no butter) on top of the butter, then the right on top of it... not sure if I explained myself...
Question - maybe when I folded the dough and rolled I should've done it thinner? Normally how thick should be (after rolled, before folded)?
Another thing I noted was that my dough was very airy which has been pushed away when rolled.
I can try to bake at lower temperature, but to be honest I do not think it fixes my main problem...
Thanks again for your help! :)