Problem solving my croissants

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Aaron.

Welcome to the Scoolinary community! Thank you for your question.

Making croissants is one of those baking tasks that requires a lot of practice and patience. It’s not impossible, but mastering the technique takes time and dedication. From the photos, I can see a few points that might be affecting the result:

1. Lamination and layers: The interior shows some layers, but they aren’t fully defined. This could indicate that the butter melted during lamination or that the dough didn’t rest enough between folds. Make sure to work in a cool environment and refrigerate the dough after each turn.

If you’re just starting out with croissant-making and don’t have much experience, you can work with the butter at a temperature of 14–16°C (57–61°F) and the dough at around 4–6°C (39–43°F).

For those with more experience, we recommend working with both the dough and butter at 15–16°C (59–61°F), as experienced bakers tend to work more quickly, preventing the dough from warming up, the butter from melting, and the layers from disappearing.

2. Fermentation: The croissant looks a bit dense, which might indicate underproofing (the dough should double in size before baking) or overproofing, which could cause the dough to collapse.

3. Baking: The color is nice, but if the surface is very dark while the interior remains a bit dense, this could be a problem with oven temperature — too hot, causing the exterior to brown before the inside is fully baked. Try baking at 170°C (338°F). You can use an oven thermometer to ensure the temperature is correct, helping you achieve even baking.

The key is to practice a lot to master the technique, adjust small details, and observe how your dough responds at each step.

I hope this information helps!

Best regards.