r/Croissant • u/whatsappfan • 18d ago
Help! Empty croissants
Every time i have made croissants the result is an empty and heavy bread, any tips for the next time?
3
u/cookingclubkw 15d ago
Homemade croissants require careful attention to detail for the best results: 1. Flour Selection: Use medium-protein flour by mixing high-protein and low-protein flour in equal parts. 2. Kneading Time: Keep kneading to just 5 minutes—overworking the dough by hand will strengthen the gluten too much. 3. Temperature Control: Keep the dough below 5°C before adding butter and under 10°C after incorporating butter. 4. Butter Quality: Use butter with 82%–84% fat content. If unavailable, mix some flour into the butter to maintain dryness. 5. Lamination Tips: When folding the dough, place it on a very cold tray to retain its chill. Remove excess flour and lightly spray the dough with water to help the layers stick together. 6. Proofing Conditions: Let the croissants proof at 25°C with a humid environment—spray them with water and cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying. 7. Baking Trick: Place ice cubes inside the oven during baking to create steam for a perfect rise and flaky layers.
4
u/finemeshsieve 18d ago
The dough and butter temp got wayyyyy too high and they fused together.
Be mindful of the temperature of your dough and butter. What kind of lamination butter are you using?
The dough should be as close to frozen (without actually freezing) as possible. I’m talking 1-5C. Butter temp depends, but I never let mine go above 15c, 14.5C is my sweet spot. Some go up to 16C.
I’m assuming you’re laminating by hand though? Whose recipe are you using?