Better Croissants
Hi All,
Wondering if people can help me improve on my croissants. I've been making them for a while now and while they're not "bad" they're not amazing either. My problem is that they don't tend to rise as well as some of the ones I see in shops and they don't have the same chewy elasticity that I get from really good ones.
I follow the standard sort of recipe for croissants, but no eggs or milk powder. I first proof the dough for an hour before resting, and rest it for 24 hours before I start lamination. I also use SAF instant yeast.
First question: after my initial rise, I find that the dough becomes very light and lacy (as you expect with a good rise). However after punch down it doesn't get mixed that well again, so during rolling out, I suspect it never gets to a nice homogenous layer that you'd think croissant dough should be. Does anyone re-knead the dough after the first rise?
I've also read thomas keller's bouchon recipe about addition of diastatic malt powder. Does this assist more with flavour or with rise? I haven't tried this yet as I'm having trouble finding it, but given that it's an additive I can't imagine the great artisanal bakeries using a heap of this stuff. Or do they? I'm in Australian and from what I've read the type of flour here are usually not enriched.
Finally with proofing. I proof for about 2 hours at 25C. I've read that the most common problem with croissants is that they are usually underproofed, but from my experience I get a better rise at around 1-2 hours than proofing at 3-4 hours. Has anyone tried low and slow for croissants, and if so what temperatures?
However, I'm a bit thrown by the diastatic malt factor. If you're not happy with your CRX, it might be better to pursue perfecting them with the recipe you're using rather than switching. CRX don't need anything other than flour, water, salt, caster sugar, yeast and butter. If you feel you have to switch, why not try Bruno Albouze's CRX recipe (http://www.brunoskitchen.net/bread/croissant-taste-of-paris.html), I recommend it to everyone who asks me where to start making CRX. It has a great video accompanying it and he is a superb baker-patissier.
Two minor things I'd mention in addition: never 'punch down', it destroys the cell structure you've spent so long building up. De-gas very gently, letter-folding Hamelman-style. Also, try using osmotolerant yeast. It's designed to work with sugar-rich doughs and artisinal suppliers should stock it.
RoundhayBaker - I love Bruno Albrouze. I think he's a mad, crazy genius. If you have not tried his coated in bread crumbs and fried poached eggs, you really should. Also, I've made his ratatouille recipe, including the layering of the vegetables, many times.
He's a weird guy, but I love him.
Have you ever dreamed of being served croissants in a hotel room in Paris? Bruno Albouze will show you his secret. With his recipe, you WILL succeed!
I use very little yeast, mix the dough and put in fridge at least 2 hours until cold, then laminate on Day 1, then return to fridge overnight, then roll out and shape on day 2, then return to fridge or freezer until ready to proof and bake. In the fridge, this can be 8 hours or 4 days. Ideally I proof at about 72 degrees for about 4-5 hours. Works out great for me. I make about 45-50 dozen per week.
took me to the "Bread" page on Bruno's site.
After typing "croissant" in the search field it led me to the actual croissant recipe here:
http://www.brunoskitchen.net/blog/post/croissant-taste-of-paris
--Mike
I use pretty much the same recipe as Bruno Albrouze. I will try and see about proofing at lower temps. I probably also need to get a better oven as I have a gas one and the heat is not even. The base gets very brown while the sides are barely coloured.
Wow, your photos are so professional! Do you use retouching? Tell me what you think about these tips and ideas for food photography retouching http://fixthephoto.com/blog/retouch-tips/how-to-edit-food-photos.html. I would like to hear your advice. Thanks in advance!