Off the Map

From the 3 months from May to August 2020, I have 6 croissant trials in total, trying 2 different recipes’ ingredients, 4 different butter brands, and finally had some success. Sharing these 6 trials’ key takeaways, including comparison of 6 trials in ingredients, resting, lamination, shaping & proofing and baking temp & time.

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KEY TO (relative) SUCCESS

• Be patient, let dough rest in fridge when it refuses to stretch out, or when temp rises, or when dough breaks. Treat it as a easily sweating child in hot, humid, rainy summer night.
• Use European butter with higher fat content
• Ensure butter and dough are the same texture (softness) when first put butter sheet in dough for lamination
• The dough needs to be chilled for long enough and the laminating steps need to be quick (no breaking dough skins~).
  • Layers form from air, water evaporating out when baked.
  • If laminating too long, or dough not chill long enough in the fridge, butter will merge with dough; when we bake it, technically there is not much water left in the “butter” to evaporate, as it already merges with the dough, thus the layers do not form.
• Shape croissant dough tightly!! this is a surprise to me!
  • Rolling the croissant tighter while forming is the little secret, as there is no space for water to squeeze in and evaporate out while baking, the water will push up the layers and form good lamination, so roll it tighter helps!
• Bake at high temp to give dough heat shock, evaporate water straight to form layers, then lower temp

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Experiment Report & Steps Breakdown

Dough Ingredients

There are two main recipes I used, so far I can not tell big differences in ingredients, but the overall process time is different:

• Xiao Gao Jie 小高姐’s, click here:
  • day 1: form dough, store in fridge overnight
  • day 2: laminate, shape and bake
• Weekend Bakery’s 3 day recipe, click here:
  • day 1: form dough, store in fridge overnight
  • day 2: laminate, store in fridge overnight
  • day 3: shape and bake

	Ingredients
1st-2020/05/16	Xiao Gao Jie 小高姐 for 8-10 croissants: – 2g yeast – 155g room temp water – 330g AP flour – 30g sugar – 4g salt – 20g butter (put in with all ingredients) – lamination butter: 180g
2nd-2020/05/23	Xiao Gao Jie 小高姐 for 4-5 croissants: – 1g yeast – 78g room temp water – 165g AP flour – 20g sugar – 2g salt – 20g butter (put in later after dough formed) (this actually should be 10g, 1/2 of last time) – lamination butter: 90g
3rd-2020/05/31	Xiao Gao Jie 小高姐 for 4-5 croissants: – 1g yeast – 78g room temp water – 165g AP flour – 20g sugar – 2g salt – 20g butter (put in later after dough formed) – lamination butter: 90g
4th-2020/06/14	Xiao Gao Jie 小高姐 for 4-5 croissants: – 1g yeast – 78g room temp water – 165g AP flour – 20g sugar – 2g salt – 20g butter (put in later after dough formed) – lamination butter: 90g
5th-2020/06/21	5 croissants – 4g yeast – 47g water – 47g milk – 167 AP flour – 18g sugar – 13g butter – 4g salt – lamination butter: 93-94g
6th-2020/08/10	5 croissants – 4g yeast – 47g water – 47g milk – 167 AP flour – 18g sugar – 13g butter – 4g salt – lamination butter: 93-94g

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Dough Resting

I have referred to three types of dough resting:

• Xiao Gao Jie 小高姐’s proof till size doubles, rest in freezer for 10mins then fridge overnight (2-day)
• 美食台‘s roll dough into sheet, rest in freezer for 10mins then fridge overnight (2-day)
• Weekend Bakery‘s shape into disc and stay in fridge overnight without (3-day)

	Dough Resting
1st-2020/05/16	– proof dough for 3-4 hours, RT, till dough size doubled – straight in freezer 10mins – move to fridge overnight
2nd-2020/05/23	– proof dough for 3-4 hours, RT, till dough size doubled – roll out dough into a sheet – straight in freezer 10mins as a sheet – move to fridge overnight as a sheet
3rd-2020/05/31	– proof dough for 3-4 hours, RT, till dough size doubled – straight in freezer 10mins – move to fridge overnight
4th-2020/06/14	– after dough forms, directly shape into a disc – wrap well and put in fridge, stay overnight
5th-2020/06/21	– after dough forms, directly shape into a disc – wrap well and put in fridge, stay overnight
6th-2020/08/10	– after dough forms, directly shape into a disc – wrap well and put in fridge, stay overnight

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Butter Brand

Why European style butter?

• higher fat content
• higher melting temperature thus holds together during lamination
• would not break easily
• less water

As for brand, I have used 3 brands’ butter: Pulgra extra creamy, Plugra European Style, Danish Creamery and Kerry Gold Pure Irish butter. Since only trial 6 is satisfactory using left over butter from all three types, will need to evaluate how important the role butter plays!

	Butter Brand
1st-2020/05/16	Plugra Extra Creamy
2nd-2020/05/23	Plugra European Style
3rd-2020/05/31	Danish Creamery
4th-2020/06/14	KerryGold Pure Irish Butter
5th-2020/06/21	Danish + KerryGold
6th-2020/08/10	Plugra EU + Danish + KerryGold

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Dough Lamination Style

There are two ways of folding and I gave them names (created by myself obviously so absolutely NOT professional!)

• top row: blanket folding, 3 or 4 fold
• bottom row: sleep folding, make pillow first then pull up blanket

As beginner, I think blanket folding is easier and friendly, trade more layers for less dough breaking, shorter lamination time is the priority now!

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	Lamination Style
1st-2020/05/16	Blanket Folding, 3 or 4 fold
2nd-2020/05/23	Sleep Folding
3rd-2020/05/31	Blanket Folding, 3 or 4 fold
4th-2020/06/14	Blanket Folding, 3 or 4 fold
5th-2020/06/21	Blanket Folding, 3 or 4 fold
6th-2020/08/10	Blanket Folding, 3 or 4 fold

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Final Proofing & Shaping

Proofing:

• without proofing oven/box, I recommend proofing in room temperature for 1-1.5 hours or till size doubles;
  • sign is a wobbly croissant when moving baking pan~ puffy and wobbly
  • I tried proofing in oven with a pan of hot water beneath, but I CLOSED THE OVEN DOOR, rising oven temp rapidly and all butter melted right away (refer to 1st croissant baking);
  • if you would like to rise croissant in oven, either not put hot water and door closed, OR, with hot water AND door open (2nd croissant baking)!

Another factor I would like to briefly comment on is that when rolling dough tightly will creates better swirl, layers then loosely rolled dough!

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Wobbly Croissant dough after proofing~

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Baking Temp & Time

Tried two styles of baking temp & time:

• first high temp (>400F) then lower temp
• relatively lower temp (< 400F) overall

In my oven, I think baking at high temperature first then lower is better because high temperature seems to give the dough a “heat shock” (literally haha), will prevent butter from melting and the water will go straight to evaporate out. the most recent time I baked first at 425F for 7mins and turn down to 375F for around 10mins or till golden brown~

	Baking Temp & Time
1st-2020/05/16	Xiao Gao Jie 小高姐: – 425F 10mins – 375F 12-14mins
2nd-2020/05/23	Weekend Bakery: – 195C/385F 6mins – 165C/330F 18-20mins
3rd- 2020/05/31	390F 20mins (burnt fast in my oven and butter melted)
4th- 2020/06/14	Weekend Bakery: – 195C/385F 6mins – 165C/330F 18-20mins
5th-2020/06/21	– 380F 6mins – 330F 18-20mins color browns fast so remove earlier
6th-2020/08/10	Xiao Gao Jie 小高姐: – 425F 10mins – 375F 12-14mins

1st try on 2020/05/16

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2nd try on 2020/05/23

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3rd try on 2020/05/31

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4th try on 2020/06/14

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5th try on 2020/06/21

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6th try on 2020/08/10

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RESOURCES

Xiao Gao Jie’s 小高姐

美食台

Weekend Bakery:

https://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/classic-french-croissant-recipe/?fbclid=IwAR2PaF_QiMDEoZhxzBY2gsxXJkpV8BqDaSifmlA0hP35WE-FvFmtMlFApu8