Let’s make some croissants

Let’s make some croissants!

After the recent mishap, I decided to take a break and make croissants, something that brings me joy and calm.

Making croissants can be a bit of a challenge, and there are a lot of things to keep in mind. I always start by adding the liquid ingredients first, then (leavening and sugar) , followed by the flour, fat, and salt. Sometimes, if you’re planning to use the dough the same day, you can add crushed iced to keep it cold. If you’re not using it right away, wrap it tightly in plastic and store it in the refrigerator overnight. The dough should be cold and not exceed 10 degrees Celsius. Ideally, it should be as cold as the standard temperature in the refrigerator, which is usually between 3 and 5 degrees Celsius. After incorporating the ingredients, I use my HamiltonBeach commercial stand mixer to mix the dough for 6-7 more minutes and then store it in the refrigerator while I prepare the butter.

I’ve tried a few different types of butter in the store, including affordable butter, margarine with butter blends, and labeled butter, but none of them were really the real deal. This is one of the premium butter brands I found, called Flechard butter sheet. It has 82% fat, which will make the pastries light and crispy.

After each folding, I need to put the dough in the refrigerator to make sure it stays cold. We don’t want the butter to melt, so we need a very cold working environment. Some of my instructors suggest a temperature of 16-18 degrees Celsius. Thats a pretty cold room.

Once I’ve flattened the dough to my desired thickness (between 3-4 milliliters), I measure, cut, divide, and shape it. In some bakeries or schools, they flatten it from 2 to 2.5 milliliters, which is much thinner.

I proof the dough at a specific temperature of 25-30 degrees Celsius. The butter starts to melt at 32 degrees. After 3 hours, I noticed that the dough wasn’t proofing properly, so I extended the time. In total, it took 4 hours. (I already knew something was wrong.)

While baking the croissants at 170 degrees Celsius in my UNOX Oven, I could smell the rich, buttery, nutty, and aromatic flavor of the butter. It smelled so good!

Imagine the delightful aroma of freshly baked croissants passing through the bakery, tempting passersby to step inside and indulge in the heavenly taste. The enticing scent would surely draw a crowd, creating a delightful buzz of anticipation and excitement.

Unfortunately, my croissants didn’t rise up properly. I let the baked croissants rest and then checked where I went wrong.

I still can’t believe I didn’t notice the yeast. It had been sitting in the refrigerator for 8-9 months! I tried to toast it and eat it with a cup of good coffee,
And it tastes so good, it’s like a flavor explosion in my mouth!

Realization
I’m still in recovery mode, my mind is still buzzing and not fully focused on work.

#croissant #FlechardButter #baking #baker #unoxoven #bakinglover