Member Mandie Lowe
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I actually split the dough amount in half, because the full amount wouldn’t fit in my mixer. I used my mixer for the one half and kneaded the second batch by hand. It’s definitely a workout, but it can be done. If you are used to kneading doughs, then just knead as you normally would, until you can pull a window pane. This could take 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how vigorously you knead! Good luck!
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Hi Andrew. I suspect that you are referring to a filling known in French as “creméux”, which means “creamy” when translated into English. It is usually a custard base, which can be flavoured as desired. Hopefully searching for the term “creméux” will give you some better results!
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Hello Gilary, you can make that substitution without any difficulty. Once gelatin has dissolved, it produces the exact same results in the finished product, regardless of whether it used to be in sheet or powdered form.
This question of how to convert the amount was answered in a forum post not too long ago. Instead of copying the information from there again, I hope it’s alright if I share with you the link? https://www.scoolinary.com/forums/discussion/gelatin-mass-and-gelatin-sheets
Good luck with your baking!
scoolinary.com
Gelatin mass and gelatin sheets - Scoolinary
Good evening! When in recipe is mentioned 35 gr of gelatin mass, I suppose when i am using gelatin in sheets it will be 5 gr of gelatin in sheets? if i remeber for 1 gr of powder gelatin we … Continue reading
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Hi Clint, sorry to hear about your croissants challenges. To me, it looks as though the dough lamination failed, stretching the butter too thinly and breaking it up, so as to incorporate it into the dough, which would prevent the flaky layers and open crumb from forming.
I wonder whether you’ve seen this article on the King Arthur website? https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2021/10/19/fewer-folds-makes-better-croissants
If making some of the suggested tweaks to your technique results in a more open structure, at least that can help rule out possible issues with the ingredients or the humidity.
I hope that you will find a solution and that you will share it with us when you do, as I am very curious to discover the culprit of the bready texture. All the best!
kingarthurbaking.com
When less is more: Why fewer folds make a better croissant
The surprising secret to better, flakier croissants is doing less work and making fewer folds when laminating your dough. Learn how our test kitchen discovered this pastry shortcut.
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Yes, you can brush your croissants with an egg yolk glaze for beautiful shine. I use one egg yolk and one teaspoon of water – you can scale it up to make as much as you need. Strain the yolk through a tea strainer (small sieve), to get rid of any stringy bits. For the most professional appearance, brush a light coat of the yolk glaze onto your proofed dough, then put in the fridge for 15 minutes. Brush a second thin layer of glaze onto the dough and bake.
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Hi Irena! Here are my strategies for storing croissants:
Store in an air-tight container and reheat in the air fryer or oven shortly before serving. This crisps the croissant up again. I keep mine for up to three days, after that, they are too dried out to be enjoyable.
Otherwise, once your croissants have proofed, par-bake them, until they are cooked, but not yet browned. Freeze them, then bake from frozen until they are as brown as you like. This way, you can have freshly baked croissants in a fraction of the time.
Reuse stale croissants to make almond croissants or a croissant bread and butter pudding.
You can also freeze, thaw and reheat fully baked croissants, but they might be slightly dryer/crispier than a fresh croissant.
I hope you find a method that works for you!
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Yes, you can defrost the unfilled choux pastries, then crisp them up in the oven again. You can also make the choux paste, put it into a piping bag, seal it and leave it in the fridge overnight, to pipe and bake on the day of serving.
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I had the same problem. You can do what they do for store-bought frozen pastry – line it with parchment paper and roll it up. Unroll once it’s defrosted enough to do so without cracking. Enjoy your croissants!
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What a fascinating recipe! Shortly before the chef pours the “liquefied” ingredient into the Thermomix, he explains what he has before him. The dark green liquid is the romaine lettuce extract, he refers to it as a lettuce “smoothie”. I suspect that he said “liquefied lettuce”, but that got lost in the translation.
I might have missed it somewhere, but it is not clear to me how this extract is obtained – is it made by blending the whole lettuce as the descriptor “smoothie” would suggest, or is it juice, extracted and removed from the lettuce solids? Perhaps we can get the answer here?
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For baking, European style butter, with a butterfat content of 80% or more, is recommended. I believe that Plugra is suitable, or failing that, you might have to consider purchasing imported European butter. I use Kerrygold or Lurpak more often than not, as it’s readily available and reasonably priced. Depending on what you are making, you might be able to source French butter for specific purposes, such as the flat butter slabs specifically for making laminated doughs.
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Neutral glaze or nappage is simply a tasteless, colourless gel that lends shine to pastries and helps to seal in moisture. If you cannot find it at pastry supply stores, you can make your own!
The recipe I use requires Pectin NH. I think that if you cannot find nappage, you might also struggle to find Pectin NH. In this case, you can search online for the most simple recipe, which uses sugar, water and gelatine only.
Another option, depending on what you are making and whether it will suit the flavours, is to melt smooth apricot jam and a bit of water and use that. It is not tasteless, nor entirely colourless, but this is what home bakers use as an easy glaze. Good luck!
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Neutral Glaze
220 g Water (44%)
186 g Sugar (A) (37%)
31 g Sugar (B) (6%)
8 g Pectin NH (2%)
55 g Glucose/corn syrup (11%)
0.35 g Citric acid powder (<1%)
1. In a saucepan, heat water, sugar (A) and glucose syrup to a temperature of 40 °C / 104 °F, mixing occasionally with a spatula.
2. In a bowl, mix the pectin NH with sugar (B) using a whisk. Gradually sprinkle the mixture into the syrup while stirring.
3. Add the citric acid, mix well and bring the mixture to a boil. Keep it boiling for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Strain the glaze into a clean bowl and let it cool down, covered with plastic wrap. Transfer it to the fridge overnight.
Apply the glaze using a brush, spatula, by dipping or pouring. It can be tinted using food colouring and can be frozen, too.
To use in a spray gun, bring it to a boil again, thin with water if it’s too thick. Add colouring, if needed, blend using immersion blender. Spray when glaze reaches 85°C/185°F.
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Hello, indeed, I am happy to help. In the United Arab Emirates, I order gianduja chocolate from an Italian supplier called Casinetto. I hope that this will help!
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It’s not typically called “creamy” in English, but I’ve heard it often enough that it seems to have become acceptable. I think that originally, people were either mispronouncing “cremeux”, or they’d heard that it meant “creamy” and assumed it’s also pronounced “creamy”. In any case, I use the French pronunciation, but it’s not technically incorrect to refer to it as “creamy”, since it’s a direct translation!
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Thank you very much for the response, I appreciate the information!
