Croissants and Pain au Chocolat
Oct 5th, 2008 by SteveB
If I had to choose a single pastry that is the embodiment of all that is French viennoiserie, it would have to be the croissant. In the U.S., croissants have been steadily increasing in popularity, particularly as the basis for a wide variety of breakfast sandwiches. When properly baked, the croissant has a crisp, flakey exterior with a light, open and wonderfully buttery interior. If formed in a rectangular shape wrapped around a stick or two of chocolate, the pastry takes on the name, pain au chocolat. A croissant with a favorite spread, or a pain au chocolat, and a hot cup of coffee is a great way to start the day.
The croissant formula used here is derived from the one described in Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas. Not having the osmotolerant yeast specified, I used just a bit more instant yeast. I also used an imported Irish butter (unsalted Kerrygold), with a slightly higher fat content than typical American butters (82% vs. 80%). I find that the higher fat content makes the butter a bit more pliable, making it easier to fold into the dough. The Kerrygold is also made from cultured cream, giving the croissants a wonderful, more complex flavor. For the pain au chocolat, I cut up a bar of high quality semi-sweet baking chocolate to form the bâtons.
Poolish
- 145 g Heartland Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour
- 145 g Water
- 1/8 tsp. Instant Yeast
Final Dough
- 335 g Heartland Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour
- 115 g Water
- 65 g Milk
- 65 g Sugar
- 10 g Salt
- 1½ Tsp. Instant Yeast
- 20 g Butter
- 290 g Poolish (all of the above)
Roll-In
- 225 g Butter
Chocolate
- Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate Bâtons (as needed)
The night before baking, prepare the poolish by mixing the flour, yeast and water until combined. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and allow to ferment at room temperature overnight, until the level of the poolish just begins to recede, about 12 hours.
The next morning, mix the flour, sugar and salt until evenly distributed. To the mixture add the 20 g of butter in small pieces and rub into the flour with your fingertips. Mix in the yeast, then add the milk, water and poolish. Mix with a dough whisk until all the ingredients are hydrated, then empty the bowl onto the countertop and mix by hand until moderate dough development is achieved. Immediately place the dough on a floured sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
After the 2 hour rest, the dough is transferred to a floured work surface and the dough is rolled out to a 7″ x 14″ rectangle. The butter is then incorporated into the dough and the dough is given its first turn as follows: After the first turn, the dough is returned to the refrigerator for another 1 hour rest. After the 1 hour, the dough is turned two more times, each time followed by a one hour rest in the refrigerator. After the final turn and refrigerated rest, the dough is once again placed on a floured surface and rolled and trimmed into a 16″ x 16″ square. The dough is divided in half and one of the halves is cut and shaped into croissants as follows: The other half of the dough is cut and shaped into pain au chocolat as follows: After the croissants and pain au chocolat have been panned, each piece is given an egg wash, and the pieces are allowed to proof by placing the sheet pans in an enclosed, temperature-controlled environment (I use a homemade proofbox) for 1½ hours at 76ºF. The pieces are then given a second egg wash and the sheet pans are placed in a 375ºF oven and baked for 20 minutes, the first 5 minutes being under steam. I dare you to wait for the croissants to cool before your first bite!
Steve, I’ve missed you. You are one of my main bread “porn” sites. The pastries look scrumptious! Do you think they could have their final rise, after shaping, in the refrigerator overnight? Patsy
Send some over!!! You are so funny, what a perfectionist… but it sure pays off. You should see me do it
Your dough and techniques are wonderful. Thanks for talking in the video, it makes a big difference explaining what and why you’re doing. And thanks for taking the time to make those wonderful videos (and thanks to the camera woman).
Jane
Patsy, what a nice thing to say! I’ve missed you too!
I see no reason why the shaped pieces couldn’t be retarded in the refrigerator overnight. According to Suas, once shaped and egg washed, the pastries can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. The pastries should go into the refrigerator immediately after shaping and egg washing and, after coming out of refrigeration, should be allowed to complete their final proof at room temperature.
Jane, I thought the audio would surprise you. With the age of silent films all but gone, I figured it was time to break into “talkies”. I’ll pass your thanks on to my cinematographer.
Steve,
What a well done post! Your final presentation photo looks as good as it could be and reminiscent of a fine Parisian restaurant.
I liked your method of incorporating the butter and the first turn. You have a very nice touch with the dough shaping. Well done Steve, as usual!
Eric
Eric, your kind words are always greatly appreciated.
SteveB,
Nice job on the croissants and great explanations!
-Mark
Waow, those viennoiseries are beautiful! You’re so talented!
I just can’t bring myself to work a dough with so much butter, so we’ll never eat homemade croissants at home (until one of my daughters bakes them for us, who knows).
But I love eating a croissant, once in a while, with a little strawberry jam and a nice cup of tea.
Thanks for your comment on Makanai. May I ask you where you first heard about that kneading technique?
Hi Mark, I’m glad you’re finding the explanations to be of some value. I’ve always debated with myself whether I should talk during the videos. I guess I finally found a time when I actually had something to say!
Hi Flo, thanks for your compliments. They are greatly appreciated, even more so because of the kinship I feel towards French bakers such as yourself.
I understand what you mean about the richness of croissants. I have a hard time passing the basket without taking and eating one and my waistline is beginning to show it!
I first learned the kneading technique I use at a baking demonstration about 5 years ago. See my detailed response to your comment in the “Comments” section of Musings on Mixing…
Hi Steve!
I want to thank you for your videos and explications because it helps us with reciepes that aren’t easy in some books.
The Croissants seems to be very dificult to do, but I’ll follow your steps. I hope I’ll be lucky
Regards.
Mònica.
Hi Mònica,
The steps in making a croissant aren’t really that much harder than the steps used to make any other bread… there are just more of them!
The trick is to remember to keep the dough and butter cool but pliable. Good luck and have fun!
Steve,
Your post about the croissant are wonderful. Thanks!
Regard
Carmen, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comments.
I’m just crying……bouhouhouhouuu ! It is the french tear of a pooooooor mum who has not the patience to do this job. Though, I know it worth it
Cécile, unfortunately here in the U.S. we don’t have as many fine boulangeries and pâtisseries as you have in France so we have no choice but to bake our own!
Excellent video and instructions. I’ve been “practicing” with croissants and pain au chocolat for several months (family and friend always willing to test the results) and have found your information extremely helpful. I am using a convection oven, use a lower temperature, and still find the cooking time shorter. Moving from a regular gas to convection just means keeping watch on the items. I am envious of your beautifully shaped rectangles of dough – I have made more of an effort to do the same in today’s batch, et voila, better looking finished product! I am glad to have stumbled upon your site via The Fresh Loaf. Your cinnamon raisin swirl bread is next on the list to try.
Laura, I’m glad you’re finding the video and instructions of value. You are quite right that convection ovens have different baking characteristics than standard gas ovens. Baking times and temperatures should always be adjusted to suit one’s own circumstances. It’s also gratifying to learn that you have come to the same conclusion as I, that neatness and precision in baking lead to a better quality product!
Wonderful video!
Your croissants are beautiful!
Like your site.
Steve, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’ve struggled with croissants and similar viennoiseries for a long time, so watching your helpful (and very educational) videos will probably put me on the right track
Your blog and posts on TFL are great resources for any serious baker. Thanks again, for the great post and for the inspiration it has given me!
Best wishes from cold Norway,
Hans Joakim
MyKitchenInHalfCups, thank you so much for the kind words.
Hans, it’s very gratifying to hear that you are enjoying the posts and that they have been of some value to you. Thank you. And now, whenever I start to complain about the cold New England winters, I will think of you in Norway and my complaints will vanish!
Homemade proofbox, eh? I think that merits some details.
Antonin, I hope to post the details of my proofbox in the near future. Basically, I’ve been using a simple, temperature-controlled proofbox constructed from an inverted plastic storage bin, a light bulb (for warmth), a thermometer mounted on suction cups (to monitor the temperature) and an inexpensive reptile cage thermostat with temperature probe (to dial in a constant temperature) available in any pet store. It’s large enough to hold multiple, stacked half-sheet pans.
Steve, your videos are wonderful and you make it look so easy! I work so hard to keep my dough square. I was in France in June and had a pain au chocolat every morning (and gained a few pounds:)) You have inspired me to make some!
Penny, it sounds like you had a wonderful trip to France. I’m envious! I’m glad you enjoy the videos and I feel honored to have inspired you. The beignets on your blog look great and remind me of the times I visited New Orleans, sipping coffee and munching on a beignet at the Café du Monde.
I really enjoyed your recipe and the videos, Steve. Thanks so much for sharing. Can the croissant dough be frozen for later use, either in the square before shaping, or after individual rolls are made and/or filled? (This question obviously coming from a novice.)
Sybil, I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes and videos. I don’t see why there should be a problem freezing the dough for later use at either the third fold stage or after shaping. Just make sure to allow for sufficient time after taking out of the freezer for the dough to unfreeze and become pliable enough to go on to your next step.
Back when I baked (professionally) in Spokane, WA (basement of the Glover Mansion), we froze the dough after the 3rd fold, and then again after cutting and rolling the croisants. Prior to baking (or cutting/folding) we would allow them to thaw in the (walk-in) fridge, so they didn’t attempt to proof on the bench.
But we were a (small, craft) production bakery, so it was always important to be somewhat “ahead” of the game.
Now that I live in Hawaii, I’ve not baked (other than a single birthday) cake in nearly five years. I guess my wife missed the ‘treats’, because she bought me a 6qt mixer for Christmas. Unfortunately, the 1/2 sheet pans, tart pans, etc are all in Las Vegas (where I moved the majority of my stuff post-Spokane.)
Great site.
Jim, thanks for your comments. You make a good point, one I failed to mention in my response to Sybil. When it’s time to start working with the frozen dough once again, it should be allowed to unfreeze in the refrigerator to prevent premature proofing.
je vous le redis STEVEvous etes un VRAIchef plein de talent et vos videos sont super même si je ne comprends pas l’anglais ,les images parlentd’elles même.christiane
Christiane, je suis heureux que vous trouverez les vidéos de la valeur.
Steve, love your website and quest!
I made these last night and they were fantastic!! As a fellow obsessive/engineer, I need to master this recipe. Some questions for you:
1. How do I know when “moderate dough development” is achieved? Windowpane? I used the slap and fold method but the dough remained sticky and shaggy, never got truly smooth. What do you think of using autolyse and folding for this dough?
2. When rolling the dough for cutting, even after giving the dough extra rest time, the gluten was still so strong that I could barely make it to 16″x16″. In your video, it looked like you had no problem rolling out the dough. I used KA AP flour, which probably has more protein than Heartland Mill AP flour. Should I suspect over development of the dough, or too high protein flour?
3. Any hints on how to roll out the butter or dough and retain the square shape? Did you trim the edges of your dough in the video to get the edges so straight?
4. Should I just buy Suas’ book so you don’t have to answer so many questions?
-Alison
Hi Alison, welcome to Bread cetera!
1) Moderate dough development can be determined through the windowpane test. You are looking for the formation of a mixture of coarse and fine gluten strands (not just the very fine strands of a highly developed dough, as shown in the post on Brioche Nanterre), with the dough just beginning to break upon moderate tugging. It’s difficult to describe in words but, with practice, I think you’ll see what I mean. The dough can be sticky but definitely should not be shaggy. Don’t forget that there will be some substantial dough development when performing the 3 turns, so when mixing the dough, it is better to err on the underdeveloped side.
2) There are times when I find it a bit difficult to roll the dough out to the desired dimensions. In those cases, I place the dough back in the refrigerator to rest until it relaxes. KA AP flour should work fine for this recipe.
3) I roll out the butter between 2 sheets of parchment paper. To get a nice square shape, I roll the butter out to a larger-than-desired square, then use my bench knife to trim the square to the desired dimensions, replacing the trimmings back on top of the newly cut square. The thickness of the square is then evened out with a quick, gentle rolling. Thank you for bringing this up; I probably should have mentioned this within the procedure.
4) You should buy Suas’ book AND you should always feel free to ask questions!
[...] von Bread cetera bäkt sie auch mit zwei Riegeln, und seine Technik des Einrollens ist deutlich besser, als die, die [...]
hi steveB
You said (335 g Heartland Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour )
If i use the” bread strong flour” or my ordinary “all-Purpose Flour”
is it good for this recipe ???
thanx
Yaman, all-purpose flour should work fine. Be sure to adjust the hydration level of the dough, if necessary.
thanx
i will do it to day
love your site
Hi Steve,
Great recipe instruction, I made beautiful croissant at my first attempt!
Thanks for sharing.
I feel like I’ve struck the motherload with your website.
Thank you.
shuttervector, I’m glad you’re enjoying the site. I hope to provide more veins for you to mine in the future!
Wow – amazing site. I live in Paris but I am Irish and so I was thrilled to see Kerrygold being used in your croissant recipe!!!
Such a good butter:)
In the hopes of becoming some kind of decent bread maker I am so happy to have found this site!
Hi Louise, welcome to Bread cetera! I’m glad you’re enjoying your visits to the site. I’ve visited Ireland a number of times and have always been impressed by the warm hospitality of its people and its beautiful countryside. And I like Kerrygold butter so much that it has become my everyday table butter!
Hi Steve,
Just want to thank you for your excellent Croissant recipe and directions! Wow, it’s just incredible – I finally made it after viewing the videos for countless number of times – I’ve been eating them this whole week for breakfast and even lunch. Thanks so much for all the detail instructions.
Really enjoying your website. My next plan is to make a steamer like yours for bread.
Hi Sandy, I’m glad the croissant recipe worked out well for you. I think you’ve probably discovered the hardest thing about baking croissants… knowing how many of the flaky pastries constitute a portion size!
Hi Steve,
Just got back from a baking class at the Cordon Bleu in Paris and had an absolutely fabulous time. My classmates and I have exchanged email addresses and we are now trying to clean up our notes that we took in class. And finding your website, has helped tremendously in filling the gaps. So, THANK YOU, for taking the time to have this blog. But, I have a couple of questions regarding making croissants and hope you can help me.
1.) If I don’t use the poolish, will it alter the taste of my croissant?
2.) Is it necessary for the croissants to go through a 5 minute steaming in the oven? What would happen if I didn’t give the croissants the steam.
3.) Regarding proofing, at the Cordon Bleu, we put our rolled and 1st egg washed croissants to proof in a proofing oven, which really assisted in our rise. I obviously don’t have this proofing oven nor do I have a homemade proofbox. So, what’s the next best thing I can do to take care of this issue?
Thanks in advance Steve!
Marie
Hi Marie,
1) Since the use of a poolish does contribute to the taste of the croissant, a croissant made without a poolish will have a different flavor profile.
2) Steaming delays the setting of the croissant crust, allowing for greater expansion. A lack of steaming may result in a croissant with less volume.
3) I would recommend constructing a simple homemade proof box, the details of which are discussed here. In lieu of a proof box, simply cover your tray of shaped croissants with an inverted plastic storage box and place in a warm area (~74-76ºF).
Thanks much Steve! One more question:
1.) Can I keep the dough in the fridge overnight after it’s last turn (before cutting and shaping)? I want to cut and shape 1st thing in am.
Thanks,
Marie
Marie, refrigeration of the dough overnight after the final turn shouldn’t present any problems. Just makes sure to let the dough reach the proper temperature (i.e., the temperature at which the dough and butter layers reach the same degree of malleability without the butter melting) the next morning before rolling, cutting and shaping.
Hi Steve,
1st batch of croissants turned out great. But, the second batch not so great. The 2nd batch came out greasy and heavy. I used same ingredients. And it did not “poof” out as nicely the 2nd time around. It as a little flat on top. What would have caused this to occur? Any insight would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Marie
Hi Marie,
Without seeing exactly what you are doing, it’s hard for me to definitively say what is causing your problem. Things to pay close attention to include: 1) keeping the croissant dough cool while performing your turns so that the butter layers stay firm yet pliable and 2) controlling your proofing temperature so that the butter layers don’t melt during the proof. If you aren’t already using a higher fat content European-style butter, I would also highly recommend you try that as well.
Hi Steve,
The only thing I did differently with this batch was I forgot to put the tray while proofing in a controlled environment. The tray was on top of my fridge for 3 hours or so. I am using a higher fat european butter. As I mentioned in my earlier post, my 1st batch excellent. The 2nd batch, the one i had out in open air while proofing was greasy and heavy.
Thanks,
Marie
I made the croissant dough and transformed it into a King Cake. It was light, tender, buttery, and flaky. LOVIN IT!!!!!
I filled it half with strawberry and cream cheese and the other half with a praline(that I made) and cream cheese. Everyone in the office is raving over it. 100 times better than that heavy cinnamon roll dough.
Thanks!!!!!!!!
Kara, your version of the King Cake sounds delicious. It would be perfect for this year’s Mardi Gras celebration.
Wow! I just tried to make croissants but they turned out like croissant shaped bread- it wasn’t flakey like croissants should be but more like bread! So disappointed…I think it might be because I didn’t bake them immediately after proofing them in the oven in a low temperature…it was getting late at night and I thought it would be ok to leave them in the oven (switched off) then just bake them in the morning….when I opened the oven door today, the croissants had sunken! I baked them nontheless but was very disappointed… do you think it turned out like bread because I’d left it? I’ve rolled it and refrigerated it 3 times according to the instructions with my bread machine (I used it to make the dough)
Kathy, it sure sounds like overproofing was the cause of your problem. Control of time and temperature is the key to gaining a modicum of control over the overall bread-making process. However, one can’t impose one’s own timetable on a bread; the bread tells you when it’s ready!
What I find works real well for me is just to use more butter. Not too healthy maybe – but cranking up the butter content makes pastry taste so good.
Hi STEVEB !
Your Croissants so beautiful .I love it . Can i ask you some question ?
65 g Milk ? You mean it half & half ,or nonfat dried milk , or something like that .
Can i use Gold Medal bread flour ,in stead of Heartland Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour . Is it all right ?
Thanks for your share recipe .
have a wonderful day .
Hi TranL,
The milk called for in this recipe is just regular cow’s milk. Although I prefer a lower protein flour for croissants, Gold Medal bread flour should work fine. Just be sure to adjust the amount of water added to the final dough to achieve the desired dough consistency.
Thanks SteveB so much .
I’ll be try it for next week . May i post my croissant to your website ? how to post ?
TranL,
I’m sorry but Bread cetera only allows the posting of comments.
Hey there Steve! Your croissants look amazing, I just have a few – OK, make that several – questions.
1. I’ve tried several recipes, and each time, my dough ends up rather ‘scarred-looking’, if you know what I mean, even after I roll it out. Yours, on the other hand, looks so soft and stretchy and smooth. Could it be that I need to knead the dough a bit more, or is that the way it’s supposed to look? I’ve tried that test you mention in your article, and my dough does tear with moderate tugging.(I knead by hand).
2. How do you prevent the bottom surface of the dough from tearing and sticking to the surface? (I use a wooden table in my kitchen). There seems to be a difference in opinion on this matter, with some recommending duting the surface liberally with flour and others recommending using as little flour as possible. Also, how do you wrap your dough when resting between turns? Do you have to wrap it quite tightly or leave room for possible expansion? Do you chill in the fridge or the freezer? What should the consistency of the laminated dough be after chilling? I’ve had instances where the edges are hard and slightly cracked, while the middle is softer.
3. When baking the croissants, pools of butter form around the croissants, so that the bottoms as well as the interiors are soggy and fried – not at all pleasant! I’ve tried baking them straight after shaping, as well as baking them after proofing in the oven with a pan of hot water. Same result in both instances. Will it make a difference if I use 2-3 sheets of baking paper instead of just 1?
4. I’ve seen several videos of the triangles of dough being stretched before being rolled, and in each instance the dough looks so stretchy and silky and smooth, like it’s rubber. When I try to do this, the dough tears. Does my dough need to be colder?
5. Whew! Last question, I swear! Is it alright if the butter seems more visible in some spots than in others when the dough is rolled out? (I don’t mean that the butter has cracked and therefore, is not being rolled out at all).
*I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions, so thank you in advance!
Afnan,
Answering your questions in turn:
1) It sounds as if you might need to add a bit more water to your dough when mixing. The dough should be smooth and supple after mixing. For this recipe, make sure you are using flour with a protein content in the low 11% range.
2) To prevent sticking, I lightly flour my surface when rolling out the dough. To chill the dough, I place it on a lightly floured half-sheet pan, cover it lightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.
3) To prevent butter from leaking out of the croissant, make sure your proofing temperature isn’t too high and that the croissants are proofed to the proper degree.
4) If your croissant dough tears when it is stretched, it hasn’t been allowed to relax enough before shaping. Give it some additional resting time in the refrigerator before shaping.
5) The only place the butter should be visible is at a cut end, where it should appear as very thin alternating layers. If you are seeing butter in some spots on the surface of the rolled out dough, then your turns are not giving you even layers of butter and dough. This should be your goal when turning the dough.
Steve!
I was searching for a sourdough croissant recipe and nothing I found seemed worth pursuing. So I gave up and went back to this recipe as I had plenty of Sourdough I figured I would use it instead of a poolish. So in went 290g of sourdough starter and wow!
You must give it a go next time you make croissants Steve, very very good.
Cheers,
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll have to try it sometime.
Thank you for this! I can’t believe it, but I actually made croissants! They are delicious, flaky, flavorful…I am not sure they are better than having them in Paris, but they are sure a lot better than 99% of croissants I’ve had here. (Nothing would beat real Parisian/French croissants though, because that would mean I was on vacation in Paris rather than in my kitchen!)
One minor question–I did notice some butter leaking out of the croissants while they baked; I imagine this was just a sllight bit of tearing of the dough?
Second minor question–I sort of expected the butter to roll out together with the dough; rather it seemed to break up while still encapsulated in the dough. Since I have made “quick puff” pastry before, (and since I think of croissants as yeasted puff) I wasn’t too worried and it did turn out, but I am wondering if ideally, this is not supposed to happen? And if so, how do I avoid it?
Thanks so much. This is something I never thought I’d have the guts to try!
Hi Sara,
Congratulations on your success in baking croissants!
When I first started baking croissants, I, too, was having difficulty with some of the laminated butter leaking out of the croissant while baking. I found that giving the croissants a slightly longer proofing time solved the problem.
When rolling out the laminated dough, the butter should be pliable and of similar consistency to the dough. The butter should not crack during roll-out. If it does, it might mean that the butter is too cold and the laminated dough should be left to warm up ever so slightly before roll-out. Using a butter with a higher fat content might also solve the problem.
Thank you for sharing your great recipe. I made your croissants today. They were failure because the butter was too cold for the dough to emerge to get together. I should have left the butter at the room temperature for 20 minutes before using. But I really like your recipe. I will try it again. My croissant’s picture is the last one on my blog.
Thank you again,
Akiko
Akiko,
As you’ve seen, it is important for the butter and the dough to be of similar consistency when rolling out laminated doughs. If the butter is too hard, it can crack when the dough is rolled out and disrupt the layered structure of the dough. If the butter is too soft, it can both be absorbed by, and leak out from, the dough layers. Careful temperature control is the key to proper laminated dough preparation.
[...] October 28, 2010 tags: baking, pastry by Sara Croissants from a wonderful recipe on an amazing blog, Bread [...]
Hi Steve!!
I must say, I was pretty frustrated with making these halfway through…the dough was very battery and the butter kept poking through (honestly, I’m no baker, so I know it wasn’t your directions but my clumsy first attempt that was the problem)…HOWEVER!! I kept with it and I was so proud of the results! And so thankful to you! They were amazingly good (although the butter did leak out, I saw others had trouble too and longer proofing time’ll do the trick…but when you say longer, do you mean like 5 mins longer or 15 mins?) It is now 10PM and I’m eating pain au chocolat. My belly is thanking you but my pants, if I keep this up, will soon be distressed
Hi G,
If the butter began poking through the dough as you were rolling out your turns, it means that the butter was not the same consistency as your dough. As stated in the post, I use a higher fat content, European-style butter to ameliorate this problem.
If you are still finding that the butter is less pliable than the dough (as it appears to be in your case), allow the dough/butter package to rest at room temperature for a short time until the dough and butter are of similar consistency. If the butter is too soft, place the dough/butter package in the refrigerator for a short time to firm up the butter.
As far as how much longer you may have to extend your proofing time, there are many variables that come into play, so the determination will have to be made by trial and error. That’s not such a bad prospect, though, when even the errors are delicious!
Hi Steve,
Thanks much for such a great step-by-step explanation!
I am particularly amused by you use of a tape measure while cooking. Given how nice your dough and butter are shaped, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re using a framing square too when nobody’s looking!
My first attempt at pain au chocolat was passable and I’m excited to try again next weekend. I have a few questions for you:
- The butter appeared to break in pieces within the dough, rather than smoothly and thinly spread. I used a cultured butter which seemed a bit more crumbly. I also shaped and refrigerated the butter when I made the dough, so perhaps it was just too cold. Any thoughts?
- What exactly are you looking for during the proofing? Growth? My pains au chocolat grew mainly during the bake. I am wondering now if that’s right.
Thanks,
Chris
Hi Chris,
Cracking of the butter during the lamination process can be a function of the composition of the butter being used. If the butter you are using has a relatively high water content, then the butter tends to get brittle when cold and can crack when rolled and turned. To address this problem, you might try a European butter, such as Kerrygold, or a ‘European-style’ butter, like Plugra, where the lower water content (higher fat content) yields a more pliable butter. Another suggestion would be to first pound the dough/butter laminate with a rolling pin right after removing from the refrigerator but before rolling out to increase the pliability of the butter in the laminate.
You should be seeing some increase in the volume of your croissants and pains au chocolat during the proofing stage. It’s difficult to give you an exact figure for the percentage volume increase you should be seeing. A gentle finger poke of the dough should produce an impression which then slowly rebounds.
Hi Steve,
Thanks much for your help. I’m all geared up to give it a second go thsi weekend.
Another question for you — do you think there’s a problem with a long rest between folds, say 8-10 hours? (Assuming that the dough is wrapped to prevent drying out and kept in the fridge to minimize early proofing)?
It would be ideal to start the dough on a weeknight and get a fold in early in the morning before heading off to the office, then again in the evening. My goal is to do the final proof and bake in time for a Saturday morning post-run breakfast.
Thanks,
Chris
Chris,
I would recommend performing the folding steps in a contiguous fashion with one hour of refrigeration between each folding. Lengthier refrigeration between foldings could result in the butter and dough becoming too cold and could have a negative impact on the pliability and ability to roll out the dough/butter laminate.
Steve
Once more unto the breach. 1/4 tsp of instant yeast=2 1/2 tsp of red star; so 1 1/2 tsp of instant yeast, as called for in the pain au recipe=15 tsp or 3 tablespoonsful of red star active dry yeast-yes????
Thanks again,
Jeff
Jeff,
A standard conversion for different types of yeast is:
1) weight of active dry yeast = 0.4 x weight of fresh cake yeast
2) weight of instant yeast = 0.33 x weight of fresh cake yeast
If by ‘red star’ you mean Red Star Active Dry yeast, then the conversion from instant yeast would be:
3) weight of active dry yeast = 1.21 x weight of instant yeast
The ratios shown above can be used as approximations for volume equivalents.
Steve
Thanks for your patience. I confused volume and mass. Also, thanks for the reply on the bread side.
Thanks again,
Jeff
Steve
Wife and I were in Paris last week. I love pain au chocolat and sampled them from Fauchon, Dalloyau, Kayser, Hermes, and a few others . NONE compare with the results made with your recipe. I don’t BS, the croissant and the pain au chocolat were perfect.
Thanks
Jeff
Hi, Steve
This is the second try…. your video of making croissants are amazing and very helpful. I couldn’t have done this without your helpful site! Thank you so much! I let my croissant’s picture on the website that is written in Japanese. I also link this site on it, too. I hope that you don’t mind it…
Sincerely,
Akiko
Hi Akiko,
I’m glad you found the instructions helpful. The crumb structure of your croissant looks beautifully light and airy. I’m honored that you provided a link to this post on your site.
Hi Steve,
Loved the results. It was my first attempt and I definitely have room for improvement, but the end results were still gorgeous and delicious. Do you have any recommendations for having these ready to go for guests straight out of the oven in the morning without have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning? I was wondering if you can let them sit in the refrigerator over night and start the proofing part or maybe the cutting and then proofing part in the morning? Will that be too long if the last rest is overnight?
Hi Katie,
It is quite possible to freeze viennoiserie for a short period of time right after shaping (but before proofing) in order to bake it at a later date. Before baking, the viennoiserie should first be thawed out under refrigeration or at room temperature. Final proofing and baking are then carried out in the usual fashion.
Hi – the croissants are great. Just one thing – they were fine when warm – the chocolate remained soft; but I left them overnight (room temperature) and the chocolate inside has hardened. How do I prevent that?
Hi Judy,
As you’ve discovered, croissants are best eaten on the day they are baked.
Although I haven’t tried it, I would think that piping a fairly firm chocolate ganache instead of using chocolate bâtons might give you the soft chocolate center you are looking for.
can you show the picture how to make the shape is? step by step. it will be more easy for us to understand..^_^
Hi Steve!
First of all, thank you for such a detailed explanation of the whole process of making croissants. Although I live in France and have easy access to delicious croissants and pain au chocolat, I wanted to try making my own (especially since I’m trying to incorporate more organic food in my diet and organic croissants are a bit harder to find and can be quite pricey).
The dough was fantastic to work with and I’ve never rolled out my “tours” so easily. I guess this is due to the high hydration of this yeasted dough as opposed to the very low hydration of the unyeasted “pate feuilletee” detrempe.
I pretty much followed your instructions. The main thing I didn’t follow was the proofing temperature (I don’t have a proof-box, and no way to precisely control the temperature, but it’s summer and the kitchen was above 20 degrees C).
When it came to baking, my croissants and pain au chocolat seemed to rise quite well and I didn’t have any problems with butter pooling around them. They tasted as they should and the flavor was amazing. *But* (yes unfortunately, there’s a but), the texture was not what I was expecting. Instead of a very flaky interior with wide holes, my croissants had a flaky exterior and a spongy interior, closer to a bread-like texture (though light, not heavy and dense).
Several things got me thinking:
1. Did I over-knead the dough at the start? (I don’t think that was the case but you never know)
2. When I make pastries with pate feuilletee, if I bake them straight after shaping without allowing for a rest period in the refrigerator, they also tend to be dense and do not rise as they should. This, I was told, is because the butter gets too warm and the layers of dough don’t separate as well as they should. I was wondering whether the same thing was happening here, since I see croissant dough as a yeasted pate feuilletee. I was wondering whether proofing them in the fridge for a longer time and then baking them straight out of the fridge would make a difference (unorthodox in terms of bread-baking, I know).
Your thoughts?
Also (sorry for making this so long), I came across other recipes for croissants that call for dough with much lower hydration levels (45%). Have you tried those kinds of formulae? Any ideas on the effects that would have on puffiness/flakiness?
Thanks!
Hi Aisha,
One of the things I’ve learned by having the opportunity to bake with organic (bio) T55 and T80 flour from France is that French flour typically requires less water than a similar type American flour to arrive at a comparable dough consistency. Because the above formula was developed for an American flour, I wouldn’t worry too much about strictly adhering to the hydration level specified. Try adding less water, just enough to yield a dough of medium-to-stiff consistency. Less water in the dough should help improve the interior texture of your croissants and pain au chocolat.
That helps a lot! Will be taking this advice for my next batch and will let you know how things turn out.
And now for the feedback… Your advice worked. I lowered the hydration level of the dough to about 50% and the texture improved a lot, less spongy and a lot flakier. I still need to work on the proofing times. But I will definitely be making these again (whenever my husband is around to eat them up… So that my baking adventures have less of an impact on my waistline!)
Thank you very much Steve
Hi Aisha,
Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad to hear that the lower hydration worked out for you.
Hi
please can you tell me why my croissant looses its shape (becomes flat) once it enters the oven.
thanks for early reply
Hi Becky,
Without knowing the specifics of your croissant production process, it’s difficult for me to give you a definitive answer to your question. One common cause of loaf/pastry deflation is over-proofing. Try cutting back on the proofing time and see if that helps.
bonjour! un croissant et un pain au chocolat (ou une chocolatine) qui n’est pas fait par un français n’est pas vraiment une de ses succulentes viennoiseries. C’est le secret d’un bon croissant!
Hello! a croissant and a pain au chocolat (or chocolatine) that is not made by a French is not really one of her delicious pastries. This is the secret of a good croissant!
Hi Steve,
I just stumbled onto your site. I tried croissants some years ago and they were a colossal failure. I did a one day course some months ago and when I tried yet again……failure. I live in the Caribbean where it is hot! hot! hot! so keeping the butter cold and firm is challenging especially since my kitchen is not air-conditioned and I don’t have a table that I could take into an air-conditioned room to use (yes I have thought of that!! (I’m desperate I want to do this) Any advice on how I should proceed. Also what is ‘osmolated yeast (is it? cant find the post with it for correct spelling) HELP!!! I really want to try this again and master it.
PS: I know you don’t call for that yeast for Croissants, but I saw in in another recipe. Thanks much
Do you mean 1 1/2 tsp or Tablespoon for the yeast in the dough? You say Tsp but with a capital T. Most doughs I’ve seen call for a tablespoon. Just checking before I attempt this recipe. Thanks,Naz
Hi Dedre,
Without knowing what resources are available to you, it’s difficult for me to make a suggestion as to how you might keep your dough and butter cool despite your hot ambient conditions. As you know, the trick is to keep the dough and butter at a cool enough temperature so that they have similar plasticities. This will prevent the butter from cracking, being absorbed by the dough or leaking out of the dough during roll-out.
The yeast I believe you are referring to is osmotolerant yeast. This yeast has been specifically developed to perform well in high-sugar environments.
Hi Naz,
The formula calls for 1½ teaspoons of instant yeast when making up the final dough.
Hi, I’ve made a couple different versions of croissants. I know after reading other comments here that I need a consistent temp. for proofing. I have not made a poolish before with other recipes. I’m looking for a croissant with a flakey outside and a very soft bready middle. Will I get that with this recipe? Thank-you
Hi Susie,
A properly made croissant will have a flaky, crispy exterior and an open, almost honeycomb-like interior structure. Whether this result is achieved or not is greatly dependent upon the technique of the baker. With proper technique, the formula described above will result in just such a croissant.
I just tried this recipe for the first time and it came out beautifully! I used some amish roll butter and it really produced a wonderfully flaky result. I have no idea what the fat content is of the butter, but I’m guessing it might be along the lines of the European butter that you recommend since it rolled out so well.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe and great instructions — I’m definitely going to make this one of my staples
Hi Steve! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I want to know if I should use powdered milk or liquid?
Thank!
Hi Louise,
This particular recipe makes use of whole, liquid milk.
Thanks Steve! I will be making this today and I just can’t wait but I know I have to be patience when making bread. I love you site!
I just want to let you know that my Croissants and Pain au Chocolat
Turn out very good. I’m surely going to make this again and again but I have to double the batch next time.
[...] passed again. Time just flies. In between we’ve enjoyed some croissants and focaccia. Tried the croissant recipe from Bread cetera, flavor was gorgeous, but the structure was missing some flakiness. Didn’t [...]
I am trying VERY hard to improve and hopefully perfect my croissant making, and would be very grateful if someone could tell me what difference it would make, if any, if one used all water, rather than a mixture of water and milk? Many thanks.
Hi chris,
Typically, milk is used in a bread formula to produce a more tender crumb as compared to that obtained by using water alone.
Hi Steve – many thanks for your response. I am getting a reasonably good lamination on my croissants (I would love to be able to send you some pics, but not sure if it’s possible on your site?) but they just feel a tad heavy, and the inside can look a bit dense, and I just wondered if using all water might help to provide a more open texture. This just feels to be the final hurdle to croissant nirvana and it is SO frustrating!! Best wishes Chris
Thanks for the recipe. I tried to follow your videos, but the audio got way ahead of the video and there were not controls for me to re-wind or pause to let it download and hope the audio and video would sync.
I’m planing to make Pain au Chocolate for Christmas this year.
Dan
Turned out great! Thanks for the recipe and instructions.
Merry Christmas,
Dan
Why do you use a poolish? o_O We just use fresh yeast in France. And basically in a baking school we use water, not milk.
250g white flour, 10g fresh yeast, 5g salt, 35g sugar,125g water, 125g butter. The less is more.
thefrog,
A poolish serves to increase the extensibility of the dough and improve the flavor profile of the final viennoiserie.
We never use a poolish in croissant pastry, I think that complicate it for nothing.