Croissants (Antonio Bachour Class)

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hello Christine!.

Welcome to the Scoolinary community, and thank you for your question!

We appreciate you sharing your process in such detail along with the photos. Here are some key points that might be affecting the honeycomb structure in your croissants:

Possible Issues and Solutions:

1. Proper Flour PL (0.4 – 0.7):PL is the ratio between the flour’s tenacity (P) and extensibility (L).
A PL between 0.4 and 0.7 ensures a good balance of strength and elasticity, allowing the dough to stretch without tearing while maintaining well-defined layers during lamination and baking.
If you used a flour outside this range, your dough might be too strong (difficult to stretch) or too extensible (losing structure), which impacts honeycomb formation and volume development.

2. Gluten Development in the Détrempe:

If the gluten network wasn’t properly developed, the dough couldn’t support the laminated layers.
The dough temperature (24°C) might be slightly high. Ideally, the détrempe should be between 18-22°C to prevent gluten from weakening.
The flour’s hydration level and mixing method also impact gluten formation.

3. Détrempe Freezing Time (24 Hours):

Freezing the dough can affect gluten structure and moisture absorption.
It would be better to chill it in the refrigerator (4°C) for at least 12 hours instead of freezing.

4. Proofing:

While 29°C is a standard proofing temperature, ensure there are no drafts or temperature fluctuations in the proofer.
Also, check the relative humidity—the ideal range is 75-80% to prevent the dough’s surface from drying out.
Croissants should increase at least 1.5 times in size before baking. If they remain small, they might need more proofing time.

5. Baking:

If proofing was insufficient, the croissants won’t have enough strength to expand in the oven.

The oven temperature and steam during the first few minutes of baking are crucial for achieving proper volume and a well-defined honeycomb structure.

Try these adjustments and let us know how your next batch turns out. I’m sure you’ll see improvements!

Best regards.

Scoolinary Team

[kristyn.nassar]

Hello Susan,

Thank you for your fast reply, but:

1- I used the gruau rouge flour (Grands moulin de Paris) with a very good PL. For the detrempe I used your recipe, same amount of cold butter, Cold milk, yeast, flour, and everything, kneading it at a room temperature of 18degC and couldn’t achieve the gluten network within 15 min. After 15min the dough reached 24 degC so I stopped kneading… If I stopped kneading at a detrempe temperature 18degC, the gluten network wouldn’t have formed either…

3- I freezed the detrempe because in Chef Antonio Bachour class he said so… he said that we should no put the dough in the fridge because it will develop an acidic flavor…

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Christine.

Thanks for the clarification. Seeing that you used Gruau Rouge flour (which has an appropriate PL) and followed Chef Antonio Bachour’s instructions, here are some key points we can analyze:

1. Gluten development in the détrempe:
If the gluten network didn’t fully develop within 15 minutes and the dough temperature reached 24°C, it’s possible that:
The flour hydration wasn’t sufficient. Some strong flours require more time to absorb liquid and develop the proper structure. You could try an autolyse rest of about 20–30 minutes before kneading.
The kneading wasn’t effective. If the mixer speed or kneading technique didn’t allow for optimal development, you could try a slower and longer kneading process or take breaks to prevent the dough from overheating.
Keep in mind that the speed and force the chef uses when kneading may not be the same for everyone. You need to experiment until you achieve the proper gluten network. Kneading for 10 minutes in a high-power mixer is not the same as kneading for 10 minutes in a home mixer like a KitchenAid.
If the dough temperature rose too quickly before the gluten was properly developed, you might need to:

✅ Knead in intervals with pauses to cool the dough.

✅ Use even colder ingredients (e.g., refrigerated milk or flour).

2. Process consistency and practice:
At Scoolinary, other students have followed the same recipe and achieved good results. This shows that the process works, but each person needs practice to master it.
If you followed all the steps precisely and still didn’t get the expected result, it may simply be a matter of practice and fine adjustments.

This course is at an advanced difficulty level, and certain aspects of laminated dough can only be perfected with experience. Don’t get discouraged—keep practicing until you master the process.

Try making the suggested adjustments and let us know how your next attempt goes. I’m confident that with persistence, you’ll achieve great results!

We hope this information helps.Best regards!

[dolce.raffa]

This is really confusing. Chef Bochur says to put the dough in the freezer for 24 hours but the reply on your questions says not yo do it. Who is right? It is fundamental that we as students have precise and consistent replies.

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Raffaella.

Welcome to the Scoolinary community, and thank you for your question!

The recommendations provided are specifically for Christine’s case. She has already tested the process, and we are adjusting it based on her needs and results.

Keep in mind that factors such as climate conditions, altitude (baking at sea level is not the same as at 2,500 meters above sea level), and the type of ingredients used will lead to different outcomes for each student.

If you haven’t tried or made Chef Bachour’s recipe yet, we kindly ask you to follow it exactly as he teaches.

We hope this information is helpful.
Best regards.

[dolce.raffa]

Thank you