Preparation of the croissant dough in Croissants and Viennoiserie with A. Bachour

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Mary.

Smaller KitchenAid mixers, such as the 4.3 and 4.8-liter models, can handle doughs made with up to 0.8 and 0.9 kilograms of flour, respectively. Since croissant dough is enriched and denser, it’s advisable not to exceed these capacities to avoid overloading the motor. A full croissant dough recipe results in 2.668 kg of dough; reducing it by half yields approximately 1.334 kg, which is still above the optimal capacity for a small KitchenAid mixer. Therefore, it would be best to prepare the dough in two smaller batches to ensure proper performance and extend the lifespan of your mixer.

If you plan to work regularly with larger or denser doughs, you might consider investing in a mixer with greater capacity and power, such as the 6.9-liter models, which can handle up to 2.2 kg of flour.

Always refer to the manual of your specific model for the manufacturer’s capacity guidelines and recommendations.

I hope this information is helpful.

Best regards.

[bergadano1966]

Thank yoiu. Is it okay if I make it with 1/3 of the ingredients instead? I’ve just bought my KitchenAid and I won’t be buying a new one for few years.

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Mary.

As a suggestion for these recipes, it’s ideal to either halve or quarter the recipe. This not only reduces the amount of ingredients but also the dimensions of the dough and the butter for laminating. It would be quite cumbersome to calculate the measurements for 1/3 of the recipe.

We encourage you to prepare 1/4 of the recipe.

The new measurements for 1/4 of the recipe for the dough and butter for laminating are:

The dough should be rolled out to 25 x 15 cm.

The butter should be rolled out to 15 x 15 cm.

We hope this information is helpful!

[bergadano1966]

Thank you. I will try.

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Mary!

Great! If you have any other questions or inquiries about the courses or platform, we’re here for you and happy to help.

Best regards!

[רות בביוף]

If it’s too small for me,and I want to make half of the recipe, then what will be the sizes?

And I want to use it just for regular croissants, so do I have do decrease the amount of the ingredients?

Thanks 😊

• Esta respuesta fue modificada hace 1 mes, 3 semanas por  רות בביוף.

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi רות בביוף

If you want to make half the recipe, the measurements for rolling out the dough and butter for laminating would be:

Half recipe:

Dough: 35.5 x 21 cm

Butter: 21 x 21 cm

If you prepare half the recipe, you’ll have approximately 995 grams of dough. From that amount, you’ll need 675 grams for laminating.

There will always be some extra dough since this recipe is designed for making bicolor dough and other variations.

Best regards.

[רות בביוף]

Hi Estela,

Thank you for your reply!

If I make half the recipe,

then what will be the dough and butter size?

Also I’d like to know if there is any difference between Antonio’s first and second course.

I want to make a dough with 500 grams o flour.

Which one of the recipes is the best?

First edition or second?

Than,what will be the dough and butter size.

Thank you for your response!

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi רות בביוף

As a recommendation, start with the chef’s first pastry course. Keep in mind that this is an advanced-level course or one with a certain degree of difficulty. This is the chef’s technique, not the conventional method for making croissants, so it’s possible that you may encounter some challenges on your first attempts. However, with plenty of practice, you’ll improve over time.

As I mentioned in my previous response, the measurements for half the recipe for the dough and butter for laminating are as follows:

Half recipe:

Dough: 35.5 x 21 cm

Butter: 21 x 21 cm

If you want to work with just 500 grams of flour, you’ll need to divide each ingredient by 3. Since the total flour required in the recipe is 1500 grams (from the first edition course), dividing it by 3 gives you 500 grams of flour.

For this amount of dough, the laminating measurements are:

Dough: 28.9 x 17.3 cm

Butter: 17.3 x 17.3 cm

We hope this information is helpful.

Best regards.

[רות בביוף]

Dear Estela,

Thank you for your reply and patience!

I prefer using the second edition by Antonio,

because I feel it’s a better recipe

and technique.

In the first edition, he recommends to let the

dough rest in a bowl after kneading.

In the second edition,

just the opposite!

He doesn’t let it rest!

Now,because I still deal with the flour, because I didn’t find an appropriate one,

I don’t want to waste my time and money,

so I prefer making small batches of dough,

till I reach the perfect one.

So I’d like to know, if I make 1/4 of the recipe,

What will be the sizes of the dough and butter.

Also I’d like to know what’s the importance of letting the dough rest,

which is mentioned in the first edition and not in the second.

Waiting for your response!

Thank you!

/4

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi רות בביוף

If you’re only going to prepare 1/4 of the recipe, you’ll need to adjust the quantities and measurements proportionally.

Measurements for rolling and laminating:

Butter: In the original recipe, the butter is rolled out to 30 x 32 cm. For 1/4 of the recipe, you can proportionally reduce the butter dimensions to a rectangle of 18.5 x 15 cm.

Dough: The original dough is rolled out to 55 x 30 cm. For 1/4 of the recipe, reduce the dimensions proportionally:

Stretch the dough into a rectangle of 27.5 x 15 cm.

Purpose of resting the dough before laminating:

Letting the dough rest serves several important purposes in croissant preparation:

-Gluten relaxation: During kneading, the gluten is activated, making the dough too elastic and difficult to roll out. A cold rest relaxes the gluten proteins, making it easier to laminate and preventing the dough from shrinking.

-Temperature control: Working with cold dough (0-2°C) is essential to prevent the butter from melting and blending into the dough. If the dough is too warm, it becomes harder to maintain defined layers.

-Slow fermentation (in some cases): In certain recipes, resting allows for partial fermentation before laminating, which can result in improved flavor and texture.

Differences between the two recipe versions:

If one version includes resting and the other does not, this could be due to several factors:

-Work strategy: In the version without resting, it’s likely that the instructor worked with freshly prepared and already chilled dough. This eliminates the need for additional resting.

-Process pace: If time is limited (e.g., in a class setting), skipping the resting phase can be practical, but it requires greater temperature control and more skill, practice, and experience when handling this type of dough.

I hope this information is helpful.

Best regards.

Sussan Scoolinary Team.

[רות בביוף]

Hi Estela,

Thanks for your response.

I still don’t understand why he doesn’t let the dough rest.

It wasn’t lack of time,and it wasn’t a ready

dough .Do you recommend tolet it restif Igo accordingthe secondedition?.

y

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi

It could be that the chef is making a variation of their technique, which is why in one edition they let the dough rest and in another they don’t. As a recommendation, let the dough rest to make it easier to work with.

Best regards.