Croissant questions

dukegus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhpxkGB1OyY
Watch this guys recipe

100% flour
50% water(!!!!!)
7.5% sugar
2% salt
5% fresh yeast
added butter 25%

I did the conversion by memory, sorry if I did anything wrong.
Isn't the hydration too little?
How the heck does he get sooooo big holes? Is it the yeast? I used 10% in mine but will try more.
Is there a difference in sweet doughs and breads in the way yeast works??
Category: 
Advanced
up
309 users have voted.

Replies

dukegus 2009 September 3
Oh and how can I hand knead a dough with so little hydration?

*Hope I'm not being too aggressive with the questions...
PaddyL 2009 September 3
When it cools off a bit.   It's supposed to go down to 20 C over the weekend, maybe then.  I think I get a better upper body workout than that guy does, though, as I roll it all out with a plain old-fashioned rolling pin.
dukegus 2009 September 3
[quote=LeadDog]Maybe you can try a formula from that post.  http://sourdough.com/forum/topic/1016[/quote]


Will try it, looks like a classic croissant dough but a bit vegeterian :) I have tried similar recipes but can't get too big holes in the dough too...It's a bit difficult to fold the butter in with 30+C here in Greece.

[quote=PaddyL]When it cools off a bit.   It's supposed to go down to 20 C over the weekend, maybe then.  I think I get a better upper body workout than that guy does, though, as I roll it all out with a plain old-fashioned rolling pin.
[/quote]

I hope it would go below 20 so I could brew some beer too... With the rolling pin sometimes I can't roll it evenly all over. Especially if it has started fermentating and there are CO2 bubbles...any tips?
PaddyL 2009 September 3
And poke the holes with a skewer.  You shouldn't have to apply too much pressure with the rolling pin, just as even as possible and keep at it.  It took me a couple to tries to get it right, but I did in the end, with a recipe using a whole pound of butter rolled into the dough.  If I get a bit of oozing, I simply sprinkle flour over that bit and shove the whole thing in the refrigerator to firm up.  I did make Dan Leader's Sourdough Croissants once and they were very good, if rather more like a pastry croissant than the bready kind - though his recipe called for more commercial yeast along with the starter.
dukegus 2009 September 5
Well the kind of trick miiiiiiiight be that he shapes before they even start rising, by chilling the dough maybe.  
But I can't understand how the £"%£ he gets so big holes in the final croissant with a dough with such a small hydration!!! Any ideas? It is just 50% hydration....I wish I could get that kind of results!!!
PaddyL 2009 September 6
...let them rise a long time, up to three hours, before egg washing and baking.  They really have to be puffy before baking, and if you've got the butter rolled in properly, you'll get those nice holes.  But a good long rise is necessary too.
dukegus 2009 September 6
Thx for the amazing info Paddy, will definitelly try when I get some money for ingredients (student in university so I got to wait for money from parents... :) )

I'm in a quest for the most fluffy croissant, hope I make it!

Post Reply

Already a member? Login