Ah Croissants, how you perplex me.
I'd be massively grateful for some diagnosis on my croissant crumb. After a couple of attempts I feel I've got the layering but the large air bubbles evade me still.
The photos are actually from a batch made with pastry flour so the low protein could be the problem - they didn't rise at all really during proofing.
I've been getting similar results with AP flour though and when I use Central Mills Artisan Bakers Craft I seem to get too much gluten even if I don't knead, with bubbles all over the place during rolling.
I could share my whole process with you but don't want to bore everyone. Plus for all I know the fault is obvious from the pics.
Thanks in advance
After shaping and before baking, you need to let them rise a good 3 hours or more, until they're big and puffy.
Well pastry flour is certainly a problem for croissants. You actually need some strength in croissant dough to hold the layers. Pastry flour is way too weak. In fact I aim for bread flour when making croissants. As for the bubbles maybe a little more description of your process would be helpful for a remedy.
Are you chilling your dough sufficiently before beginning the lamination?
I'll await some more details and see if we can get it figured out for you.
Josh