FACQ is still a work in progress, but we published it because it could hopefully already be useful…
A lot of (first time) croissant bakers ask pretty much the same questions when tackling this challenging pastry. We composed a list of the top questions with our answers. Pretty sure your question will be answered here. If not, just put your question in a comment below. Now lets get to the point of your very valid questions!
GENERAL RECIPE QUESTIONS
Why is your version a three day recipe?
The three day croissant recipe schedule is done for the right planning of the whole process so you can make your croissants on the third day in the morning, but of course you can take less time if this fits your timing better. Take a look at our one day version of this recipe too.
I am a first time croissant baker. What is your best advice?
Choose a cold day with a room temperature below 20 ºC / 68 ºF for your first attempt. This way you will have more time for the whole process and less chance of butter being absorbed by the dough. The key is to keep the butter solid between the layers of dough, this is what gives the croissant its flakiness.
My first attempt croissants look nothing like the ones in your pictures! What did I do wrong?
Do not expect to get perfect croissants the very first time you try to make croissants, most people need to make them 3 to 4 times to get the general feeling for the process. There is no substitute for practice and experience. There is no way to hide little mistakes in your technique when making croissants, so work very precise and follow the instructions to the letter. One small mistake is no problem but several small mistakes add up!
My croissants have a bread-like crumb and no layers. What did I do wrong?
Several factors can be the cause of this. Most likely it is an accumulation of things going sideways. It starts with pressing too hard on the dough to try and lengthen it while it is already fighting back. Keeping at this for a while means, next to the pressing on the dough, you are taking too long and the butter starts to get warm and is absorbed by the dough. So in this case, while still learning and getting better and faster, until you do make sure you build in extra fridge time to cool the dough and then continue. Handle the dough with care, gently elongate without pressing too much or putting your weight into it.
Can I turn your croissant recipe into a sourdough version?
We would recommend finding a recipe that is already a worked out version for sourdough croissants. We are not really a fan of the sour taste in pastry and for that reason we do not have enough experience to guide you to a good enough result.
Can you provide the measurements as ml, tsp, cups, instead of grams for all the ingredients?
We very much recommend weighing your ingredients. Professional bakers use scales (also in the US) and in Europe home bakers do too. A scale will give you the exact same weight every time. Which is absolutely needed if you consistently want to make good bread and especially good pastry. You can get a scale for the same price as a few sacks of good flour and less than a lot of baking tools you already own, so if possible, go and get one!
What are the measurements if I only want to make half of your recipe?
If you halve the recipe, the dough square should be 18.4 x 18.4 cm and the butter slab 12 x 12 cm.
Put the butter slab on top of the dough square and wrap the butter.
Roll the dough into a 20 cm x 30 cm rectangle.
Fold letter style to a 20 cm x 10 cm rectangle.
Turn dough 90 degrees.
Roll from the short 10cm side to a 20cm x 30cm rectangle (the short 10cm side will get 30cm).
Turn dough 90 degrees.
Roll from the short 10cm side to a 20cm x 30cm rectangle (the short 10cm side will get 30cm).
Turn dough 90 degrees.
Roll from the short 10cm side to a 20cm a 55cm rectangle (the short 10cm side will get 55cm).
The size of the final dough, right before cutting, should be 20 x 55 cm.
Although it is possible to use halve the dough we advise to make the full recipe as described in the recipe as the geometry of the shapes are much easier to work with.
You can always use halve and freeze the other halve.
I want to bake croissants, but live in a tropical location. Can I still make them?
We have gotten tips from people who have successfully baked croissants in the tropics. The top tips:
Cool ingredients and even utensils in the fridge before use, and use the fridge a lot to cool your dough and cool for longer if needed.
Roll the dough at night, when it is cooler. Check the weather reports and choose the coolest period possible.
BUTTER
My butter breaks into pieces. What should I do?
We use organic butter with a high fat content and low water content (about 82% fat). A higher water content tends to make butter hard, which promotes tearing and breaking and ruins the layers. Your butter needs to be pliable and at the same time not too soft at the moment of usage.
Help, butter leaks out when baking!
Your croissants were probably under-proofed. Just let them proof a bit longer so they get wobbly and increase visually in size. When under-proofed the butter tends to leak out from in between the layers and you end up with a butter puddle.
There’s so much butter in these croissants! Can I use less?
We would suggest making the recipe with the amount of butter indicated, enjoy the croissants and just try to eat less instead of a less than buttery croissant.
Next day eat soup and a salad.
FLOUR
Can I use another type of flour than the French type 55 you use?
For a good croissant you need the right type of flour. We have tried at least 5 different types and brands before we found a winner. If you cannot get the type 55 French flour try to find a flour with around 11% protein (this can be an all purpose / plain flour) and make sure it is a good quality flour. Try different brands if needed or use a combination of flours. Using 100% bread flour can make your result ‘heavy’ so try a combination with all purpose for instance.
DOUGH
My dough was too moist and sticky to handle. What should I change?
First of all it seems your flour absorbs less moisture than the type 55 flour we are using and you need to make adjustments by using a little less moisture next time.
My dough resists and shrinks back when I try to roll it out. What can I do?
At any stage when the rolling of the dough gets harder you can cover the dough and let the gluten relax for 10 to 20 minutes in the fridge before continuing.
If you keep on pressing the dough, trying to roll it while it resists, you will damage the layers!
SHAPING, PROOFING & YEAST
Can I use fresh yeast instead of instant yeast?
Yes you can. Use three times the amount given (so for our recipe 33 grams of fresh yeast).
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?
Yes you can. Use 1.2 times the amount given (so for our recipe 13.2 grams active dry yeast).
At what stage should I add filling to my croissants?
You add filling just before the shaping / rolling up stage. Be aware that any filling will affect the layers and you will need less filling than you probably think. With chocolate for instance you will need no more than 5 to 7 grams per croissant. Professional bakers use stick chocolate for this, but you can use your own good quality (dark) chocolate. Fillings like jams are often added (injected) after baking.
I want to shape my croissants like a crescent. Why are your croissant not crescent shaped?
According to Raymond Calvel croissants laminated with margarine are formed into the crescent shape, while croissants laminated with butter are left in the straight form. We say, use whichever shape you like best, but do use real (organic) butter!
My croissants do not puff up like yours. What should I do?
First check the ‘sell by’ date on your packet of yeast and see if it is still OK to use it. Also make sure the temperature of your dough and proofing environment are correct.
Ideally you should proof the croissants draft-free at a temperature of 24ºC to 26.5ºC / 76ºF to 79ºF
BAKING
Why are my croissants under/over cooked?
Check the true temperature of your oven and see if any adjustments need to be made there. See our tips on the subject: Bread baking tips: Making the most of your oven.
Why are there pools of butter at the bottom of my baking pan when baking the croissants?
This could be a result of under-proofing, so make sure you proof at the right temperature and take the time to proof to perfection and get that nice wobble in your dough. It could also be you were not as meticulous as needed during the lamination process, so stick to the measurements, make sure they are as exact as possible, the edges are straight and follow our laminating instructions carefully.
Help my croissants split open during baking! What did you do wrong?
We suspect your croissants lack real layering and therefor are more bread-like with a lot of butter incorporated. Because they have this substance and are under-proofed and lack layering, you get an oven-spring during baking and the bread splits at its weakest points. With correct layering you get air pockets which will be able to expand and not rupture.
So try to work on your layering by keeping the laminated dough cool, work fast and do not press on the dough when rolling it but gently elongate it.
I want to freeze my croissants and bake at a later stage. What is the best way to do this?
Check out our tips for retarding and freezing with the one day version of our croissant recipe.
You can always find a way to adjust the recipe to fit your schedule.
What do I do to keep baked croissants fresh?
We would advice to put the croissants you do not eat on baking day in the freezer, after they have cooled. For extra flakiness and ‘almost as good as freshly baked’ you can put them into an oven for about 8 minutes at 175°C / 345°F, straight from the freezer.
Emiel van der Zwet says
How does the croissant burn from inside groetjes Joris
Weekend Bakers says
Joris, we do not really understand your question…?
Meg says
If the dough is too sticky, can more flour be added before kneading?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Meg,
Yes, but be careful with this, so if you found the dough to be too sticky, add just a small amount of flour to avoid going over to the too dry side.
Chane Pieterse says
I’ve put in butter on each layer as I folded it, will it make a difference in the baking and layering of the Croissant? I didn’t quite understand how to do the layers so I did the butter on each fold I did?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Chane,
If you look at our video you will understand what to do:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…roissants/
There is one butter block that is wrapped into the dough. Follow our instructions to the letter when making croissants for the best chance of success.
Krish says
What if the dough rips while laminating
Weekend Bakers says
We do not completely understand your question, but the dough should not be damaged in any way because butter will be able to get out that way. Try to roll to the exact measurements and be gently with the dough.
Arjun says
can i make half the recipe
Weekend Bakers says
Yes, see instructions above under ‘general recipe’!
Ridwana says
Hi I baked croissants using the 55 flour and butter
But my croissants are really dense inside
They baked really well and then poof the air left them when I took them out
Please advise
Weekend Bakers says
Can you tell us if butter also leaked out during baking? What flour did you use with what protein content?
Look Ka Ling says
HI Weekend Bakery,
I came across your page regarding croissants and i did the same as your method. The recipe that I’m using are very similar to your. The only difference was i did replace 12% of flour with rye flour.
But i still ended up with croissants like bread. It doesn’t have crumbs at all and taste oily too. It wasn’t my first time, its was my 4th time making croissants.
I have been careful with lamination as i did in cold air condition room, i make sure dough is 4 degree celsius and butter(that have been hit with rolling pin and very pliable) is 15 degree celsius when i did french lock in. Then rest in freezer for 15 mins before i took out to perform single turn. I repeat the same process, freezing 15 mins + single lock for another 2 more times. In total i did 3 single turn.
I rested the dough overnight in chiller (4 degree celsius). Next day, roll out 31 cm x 25 cm . I cut accordingly and roll it to make 6 croissants with some left over.
I proof for 3 hours at 27-28 degree and egg wash. I bake at 200 degree for 8 min and 175 degree for 6 mins.
Another thing was, I use instant yeast as i couldn’t find fresh yeast. I had a feeling the yeast wasn’t as active too.
Help!!
Weekend Bakers says
May we ask why you wanted to use rye flour in your croissant? Could also be your proofing temp is just over the limit.
The butter was somehow incorporated in the dough. Could be the handling of the dough, the temp or both. Maybe oil leaked out too during baking? Then the proofing needs to be longer.
We would suggest first make them as we suggest, without the use of rye.
Dave says
Thank you so much for this FAQ!
I had a try on making my own croissants. There was a puddle of butter at the end of the proofing process and they ‘delaminated’ when baking. We could see all the layers inside. Next time I’ll use your recipe for sure.
Weekend Bakers says
Proof to perfection Dave! Let us know how it goes.
yasmin says
why we cannot roll to sides when rolling the laminated dough?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Yasmin,
You need to stick to the exact measurements and instructions because that will give you the right size of croissant in the end. It is a pattern of rolling out, folding and rotating, where the length is 3 x the width and must stay that way. It is not a good idea to change this without getting to grips with the geometric ideas of this recipe.
Eli says
Hi
Would it be possible to shape the croissants and then proof them in the fridge? I don’t have time to bake all of them at the same time. If so, how long do they need to be in the fridge?
Thank you!
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Eli,
Yes that is possible, you can read about our method for retarding and freezing at the bottom of this one day croissant recipe:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…nt-recipe/
Enjoy your pastry baking!
Danielle says
Hello! I’ve been practicing your recipe for several weeks now, and they’re turning out better each time. However, I’ve had to stretch this into a 4 day process. I spend an entire day trying to get the dough rolled out to the proper length, and I still can’t quite get it to that 110cm. I rest it for an hour every time it starts to spring back. All day. I carefully follow your recipe and am using KA Sir Galahad flour, which is as close to French 55 as I think I can get. Do you have any suggestions for me? Thank you!
Tim says
I have the same problem….roll, rest, roll rest – repeat. I manage to add maybe 5-10cm each time and I’m sure each time I am damaging my layers.
Also, when I compare the way the dough looks to the video, mine does not look the same or feel the same.
I wonder if it is developing too much gluten in the first step in the mixer despite sticking to the 3 mins of mixing?
Any other things I can be doing to reduce the amount of elasticity I am experiencing?
Danielle says
I’ve tried reducing the mixing time down so that the dough is just barely mixed enough, and while the first couple of turns are easier, it seems to make no difference by the final roll out.
I’m careful to roll out quickly but gently so that I’m not developing even more gluten.
I also use as little flour as possible on the work surface to keep from sticking. I’ve tried 3-4 different recipes and all have the same issue!
Weekend Bakers says
Like with Tim, we guess the issue is not with the recipe(s) but with the ingredients / the flour you are using possibly in combination with other factors like hydration.
Weekend Bakers says
Yes Tim, it might very well be the flour you are using. Next to the amount of gluten in a flour (for this recipe our guideline is 11%) it is also the type of gluten that plays a key roll in how your dough behaves. There’s elasticity and extensibility. For this dough you want more extensibility and less elasticity. We tell more about it here:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…ut-gluten/
We know a lot of people are not spoiled for choice when it comes to flour at the moment but if possible try a different (soft wheat) flour.
Another suggestion would also be to look at your hydration, it could be the flour you use needs a different amount of liquid.
Michèle says
Is there a way to keep the chocolate in the croissant gooey after cooling?
The chocolate firms up – returning to pre-baking consistency.
Help!
Weekend Bakers says
We understand. What kind of chocolate did you use?
Mariflor says
Hi. My croissants broke on top and showed some of the butter. Would they be over proofed? How do I know this is the case? I live in a very very hot city and even though I cool the dough as much as possible, butter keeps seeping from the dough. I then spread it with more flour but I guess that is not the way to go because you can reduce flakiness. Any ways, they are not as they should be and when baked the lines are broken. Can you help me please?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Mariflor,
We do not think you over-proofed. The challenge is that the butter must stay solid and not get liquid. So use as many tools as you have to keep the dough cooler, from using actual tools like your rolling pin cold from the fridge, if needed only bake at the coolest time of the day (or night) or period of the year. Use the freezer instead of the fridge to cool the dough.
The challenge with this dough is that in the beginning, when you are still practicing, you do not have enough speed to do each stage quickly, so you take too much time and warm up the dough. In your case this goes extra fast and in no time your dough and butter is too warm.
So longer fridge and freezer time, cool utensils, cool dough and try and work faster or cool sooner before the butter gets too soft.
Hope you will give it another try. We understand it is hard, croissants are already a challenge, but in tropical climates it is extra impressive if you succeed!
Ruth Do says
I successfully made croissants (yay!) but the chocolate inside was not melted fully. I used ghiradelli 70% cocoa chips. What am I doing wrong?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Ruth,
We are not sure. Did you use a small amount like we suggest (5 to 7 grams) and was it spread out over the length of the dough or was it all in one ‘heap’? But glad the croissants were a success!
Shivani says
Hi my dough looks crumbly and might not stretch. How can I salvage it?
Weekend Bakers says
We do not think it would be a good idea to use this dough and ‘waste’ all the butter (if you were not yet at the laminating stage) if the dough is not the right quality. Our suggestion would be to start over and make sure you use the right flour and develop the dough as described and if it looks too crumbly and dry be not afraid to use just a little bit more water, because every flour can have a different absorption capacity.
Amelia says
Hi! This is my second try making croissants. The first time they didn’t rise much and were grossly under-proofed after 2 hours. So this time I activated my yeast in lukewarm water before hand. However, both times, I’ve had trouble proofing them.
I left this second batch proofing almost 6 hours, checking on them every hour. They get wiggly-giggly, but they don’t really increase in size and the layers don’t seem to split. I decided to put them in the oven to cook, and butter started leaking, (puddles!!) meaning they are still under-proofed, right? As soon as I noticed, I took them out. I was wondering if I could let them ”reproof” or if they are a lost cause, and might as well just put them back in the over and accept that this is as good as it’s gonna get for this batch?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Amelia,
Do you have any idea at what temperature you are letting your croissants proof? Maybe your dough and surroundings are too cold?
seema latif says
Hi can anyone help me. I have recently moved to Karachi Pakistan from London.. unfortunately i cannot find storng bread flour here to make croissants. i have tried making my own bread flour, thanks to youtube, but its not quite the same as the one i used to get in London. i would really appreciate any help anyone can give me. any idea what i can use instead of strong bread flour? i tried making my onw by mixing whole wheat flour with plain all purpose flour like outube said.
many thanks
seema
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Seema,
We are not the experts on what is available to you in Karachi, but we would suggest to try a batch, using only the all purpose flour and not add the whole wheat because it makes the pastry very heavy.
Also, if possible, add some ground vitamin C to the flour to help improve your result. How this works you can check out in this recipe:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…wich-loaf/
Greetings from Holland
Ed & Marieke
julie says
Thank your for your excellent video and notes! I am thinking to use my pizza stone to replicate your Rofco B20. Any thoughts on what temp to use and how long to heat it for? Rolling and shaping my third attempt tomorrow. Can’t get French T55 here so tried 450g pastry and 50g all purpose to mimic the 9.4% protein content of T55. Found this combination absorbed more water so will add 3-5% more like you suggested to other baker. Thanks
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Julie,
We do not bake the croissants in the Rofco, w use a convection oven and also have good results in our normal household oven with convection setting. So we do not bake the pastry on a stone.
The T55 we use has around 11% protein. We think 9.4 would be too low for the pastry, but maybe you still get a good enough result with it. Getting the right hydration is key too.
If you want to use your stone, make sure to heat it well , so at least an hour in advance would be good.
Hope you will be able to bring it all together to get great croissants.
Enjoy your pastry baking and stay safe!
Ed & Marieke
Weekend Bakers
Maria says
Hi! I have 2 questions.. My dough started to proof again on the fridge while resting it after the laminating process. Is that okay? Also, I when proof the shaped croissants they end up slither textured rather than smooth. Thank you! Hope you can answer.
Maria says
Slightly*
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Maria,
No that is not a big problem, but it does indicate your fridge is not cold enough, so try to place it in the coolest spot in the fridge or make it a bit colder for a while if possible, otherwise leave the dough in for a bit longer.
We do not have a definitive answer for your second question, but maybe you could try a different flour and make sure your dough is not too dry or you do not add too much flour to the dough during handling.
Good luck with it!
Ibraheem says
How do I know that my butter and dough are at the same consistency, what should I do? I want my croissants to have even layers.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Ibraheem,
You should closely follow our recipe and work quickly, yet as precise as possible and stick to the exact measurements and then everything will be in harmony.
Lisa says
Thank you for such great content and thoroughly answering questions. There is a lot to learn here. Now I know why mine split and some butter leaked out during baking. But I’m left with another issue, my croissants don’t taste buttery, at all. I’ve used both Plugra and Kerrygold butters two separate times and both times the layers are great but no flavor. Any thoughts?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Lisa,
Thank you and so sorry for the late reply, but we do not have a definitive answer for you. How does this butter taste before baking, does it have great taste or not so much? Is too much butter leaking out? Some may leak out and gets absorbed again, so at the end of the baking process there should not be much butter on your baking tray. Try proofing longer to help and avoid this.
Hope you are able to give it another go and get great buttery croissants.
Stay safe and healthy.
Greetings from Holland,
Ed & Marieke
Imke says
Hello!
First of all, I’d like to thank you for your recipe and its detailed instructions, I thought them to be very useful!
However, I didn’t quite succeed when making my first batch… Even though I could see some layering, I didn’t get the desired laminated effect. I think I may have pressed the dough too hard when rolling it to the desired length at the end. I did try to be delicated, but felt I needed to use some strength though, to make sure the cold dough would actually go where I wanted it to go. This ensured that the croissants also hadn’t risen as much as I would have liked -though they did have a small jiggle to them-, making them a little dense and almost cake like. Do you have any advice as to how to go about the rolling next time?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Imke,
If you see your dough is cold and does not cooperate, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes and try again. Maybe it is a bit too cold.
It would be good to be able to measure temperatures with a digital thermometer. Same goes for your proofing stage. Make sure you are able to proof your dough at the right temperature to corespondent with the proofing time. If it is colder and your dough is colder, it can take much longer for the dough to be fully proofed.
Because of all these small factors, the dough is not yet laminated correct and proofed correct, resulting in butter incorporation and or leaking during baking, ending up with your cake-like structure. With experience you will definitely see improvement. After all it was your first attempt, so well done already and just enjoy the process and the road to perfection.
Darius says
Hi! The old Joy of Cooking recipe says not to proof the croissants the final time at all, but chill for 30 minutes and go directly into the oven — “Never allow them a final rising, because they will not have the proper flakiness.”
Have you ever seen this idea and do you have any comment? The Joy of Cooking was generally pretty authoritative.
Thanks for a fascinating site
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Darius,
This is new to us and we would not recommend doing this with our recipe. We also cannot accuse our croissants of not being flaky. It is really hard for us to say something useful, not knowing the rest of the method of this recipe. Maybe let us know, should you give this method a try?
gisella says
anks for your tips but i dint find one to my problem.
i work in bakery, iam baker but with a little experiencies with lamination…i made croisants in 2 bakeries, with diferentes recipes, thecniques and types of folds, and was perfects croisants with perfects alveolos…but when a i try (following the same steps of the bakeries) by myself dont work.
my problem: the dough get flat… after rolling it, during the proofing look weak, dont rise upward, its flat like over fermentation but it is not overfermentation..of course when i bake it is flat..never rize upward..always flat…i tried in asia and europe, i try with w200 /w130 flour, t55 and t80 and diferentes brands, i made the dough just combined or kneading, with poolish, sourdough and yeast….laminated by hand and sheeter….my butter is good french queality with 82 % of fat and at 14 Celsius, its maleable.
i thinks my lamination technique its ok because i can see the layers perfectly…and after bake it…it is layers of dough, when i break it to eat…get separate by itself the layers.
would be my flour too weak? its no enough stronger to keep up the structure ? or its not enough elastique and before rolling it, i elongate it to hard and this action break the gluten structure?
what can give more elasticity to my dough? spelt flour?
thanks for your time.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Gisella,
We are at a loss as to why all your different attempts, ingredients and methods should always lead to the same flat result. We do not have a satisfying answer for you. T55 should do the job just fine, it is what we use too. Could it be that there is something wrong with your yeast and / or sourdough?
Gisella de la cruz arotoma says
No, the yeast work perfectly with my other recipes…same the sourdough…
I Will try your récipe step by step and let see
😉
Netta says
Thank you so much for this site. After reading through several posted questions, I believe I found the answer(s) to my problem(s). My centers do not rise in proofing, so of course they are underdeveloped in the baking process. I figured the proofing process was happening to fast and even though the slight pinch seemed perfect, the under proofing of the center also caused the oven-springing, (now that I know the name for it). I also found I could be rolling out my dough to hard. After trying for the last two weekends, including today, and not having success, I am walking away for a couple weeks and will come back a little later and try again. I am not giving up. I love to bake and “will” conquer this. I need to get over the waste of all that wonderful butter. (lol)
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Netta,
Thank you for your very recognizable comment. We all understand and have had these moments. It is a wise decision to take a small break and take a fresh turn with new energy. You made a very good analysis and we are sure you will make good progress and see improvement with your next bake. Tip: Make sure you have no distractions and are in a relaxed state of mind when making the pastry.
Love to hear about your progress!
Thomas says
Hi there,
Can you please help me understand why the honey comb might collapse revealing the rolls in a croissant ?
I’m new to croissants and I have noticed underproofin is an issue here is there any other possible reasons ?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Thomas,
More often the reason for this is bad or not good enough lamination and to rough dough handling. See under ‘General’ what did I do wrong?
Anna says
Hello! I’ve made my second batch of 3day croissants and they’ve gotten better but still are not quite right.
One thing I noticed is that my initial dough doesn’t look as moist or smooth as yours does. It seemed a bit dry and stiff, and I had to rest it much more frequently to keep it from fighting back. Do you know what might cause this, and how to fix? I’m thinking perhaps it’s that my flour is more absorbent than what you’re using…do you think adding a bit more water would help? Maybe 145-150 grams?
Thank you!
Anna
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Anna,
Very good, you already answered your own question. Yes, you should add a bit of extra liquid and aim for your dough to look like ours, rather than sticking to the initial amounts given in the recipe. As an indication we would say between 3 and 5 %, so close to what you already said too.
Hope it will be even better!
Caleb says
Could I possibly let the dough rise at room temperature for a few hours until doubled or tripled in size, then punch it down and roll into the square, instead of leaving it overnight on the plate?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Caleb,
Yes you can. If you want to speed up or slow down the process, we can recommend reading the instructions with our one day version of the recipe:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…nt-recipe/
Enjoy the baking and eating!
Caleb says
Thanks, this information is very helpful! I certainly will 🙂
Caleb says
Hi! What are the measurements if I want to double your recipe? Thank you so much for this recipe!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Caleb,
For timing and workable size when doing the process by hand, we advice to make two batches for a double recipe. Otherwise the size of the slab gets too big to handle and it takes too much time to roll it, making the butter too soft with chances of leaking and ruining your layers.
Caleb says
Thank you so much!
Tiffany Chang says
Hi Ed and Marieke,
Thank you for your wonderful website. I have been following your recipe and making croissants for a while now and I still can’t get it perfectly right.
I read your comment to the person above that it should take no more than a minute to roll out per turn, however, my dough is always quite firm so It always takes some effort to roll out to the required 60cm. I actually have to roll out half way, let it relax in the fridge again then roll the remaining.
This is especially hard after the overnight rest per last turn…is my fridge too cold?
Another question is the overnight retardation of the dough. Overnight it had zero activity…not risen at all. I take it out of the fridge and let it sit at a warm place for 2 hrs and it did rise a bit…I guess it goes back to: is my fridge too cold for the overnight retardation?
Thank you so much for your help!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Tiffany,
We have a few tips for you. First check the date on your yeast and maybe buy a new packet if you have had this one for longer, because the quality and activity can deteriorate. If you think your fridge is very cold you could of course set it to a slightly less cold temp, if this does not effect other things.
You can let the dough relax 2 times instead of one and take it out of the fridge sooner so it gets some room temp. So play with this and see if it makes a difference.
Hope this helps!
Good luck with it,
Ed& Marieke
Tiffany Chang says
Thank you! I’m making a batch now so will report back!
Weekend Bakers says
Let us know how it goes!
Sheila says
Am I supposed to see chunks of butter in my dough on the final step or should the butter be more incorporated into the dough? The first turn looks good, but the butter breaks up in my later turns. Does this mean I’m letting the butter melt or that the butter is too cold at some point? My end product has the give like structure, but it leaks a decent amount of butter while baking. I’ll try proofing it longer.
Weekend Bakers says
Do you use the right type of butter Sheila?
We use organic butter with a high fat content and low water content (about 82% fat). A higher water content tends to make butter hard, which promotes tearing and breaking and ruins the layers. Your butter needs to be pliable and at the same time not too soft at the moment of usage. So if needed wait a few minutes after using the fridge to let the butter get a little bit less cold and never use too much force on the dough, be gentle.
Leaking is often the result of under-proofing, you are right about trying to proof for longer.
Good luck with it!
Randi says
How do I use dry yeast instead of fresh yeast? I took a cooking class in Paris and recipe called for 10 grams fresh yeast. I will need to proof the yeast. How much yeast should I use with how much water and sugar? Recipe calls for 250g cake flour. Thanks for getting back to me.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Randi,
You can find how to convert form dry to fresh yeast and the other way around here: www.weekendbakery.com/cooki…nversions/
You can go to the multi converter, choose yeast and type in the amounts.
When using instant dry yeast you do not need to activate it, you can just add it to the flour and make your dough, sticking to the total amount of water given in the recipe.
Joyce says
I am making chicken salad sandwiches using croissants. Should they be sliced into 2 pieces or halfway and filled??
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Joyce,
Do not think there is a right and wrong here, but most of the time these croissants sandwiches are made with two halves like you would with a bun.
Hope it will be delicious and enjoy your Christmas!
Marla says
My croissants cake out cookie like not fluffy
Weekend Bakers says
We think you need some more practice if this is your question:
My croissants have a bread-like crumb and no layers. What did I do wrong?
Several factors can be the cause of this. Most likely it is an accumulation of things going sideways. It starts with pressing too hard on the dough to try and lengthen it while it is already fighting back. Keeping at this for a while means, next to the pressing on the dough, you are taking too long and the butter starts to get warm and is absorbed by the dough. So in this case, while still learning and getting better and faster, until you do make sure you build in extra fridge time to cool the dough and then continue. Handle the dough with care, gently elongate without pressing too much or putting your weight into it.
Wouter says
What a great website and huge amounts of suggestions! I tried your croissant-recipe for the first time and I am slightly pleased with the result. Unfortunately I cannot find my issue described in the FACQs. The croissants came out decently layered and honeycombed (although not as much as shown on your pictures), but had not cooked completely, especially on the bottom side. Compared to your pictures, my croissants had a much more flattened bottom side. That problem arose during the proofing; the croissants did not get to the wiggling-stage, not after 2 hours and not even after 6 hours at proofing temperatures between 24 and 26˚C (between 75 and 78 F). I baked them in batches and extended the baking time for the later ones (at a slightly lower temperature) but to no avail unfortunately.
I tried to follow your recipe to the letter. One thing went differently, though: the dough had risen quite a lot during the final resting between the last turn and the making of the croissants; it approximately doubled in size. I therefor measured the fridge-temperature and it turned out to be 7˚C (44.5 F). That seems fine to me. I suspected something wrong with the yeast, so I double-checked the date on the yeast and tried the left-overs from the same package with a small bread. That worked fine, so for now the yeast is off my suspect-list.
If you have any thoughts on this problem or what I could try to do differently next week, I would appreciate to hear from you.
Thank you for your great website and thanks in advance for any answer!
Wouter
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Wouter,
Sorry for the late reply, it is very busy this time of year. And thank you for your kind words and trying our recipe. We talked about it and want to give you the following suggestion: The handling of the dough, in the beginning can take a bit longer. When skilled and with practice a turn is done in less than a minute. But if you are taking more time, the dough warms up and the warmer dough does not cool enough during fridge time and the yeast is more active. This could be (part of) an explanation for what happened.
We would try and work at a slightly quicker pace (this will get better with each try) and take a bit more fridge time or even use the freezer. But keep in mind it is hard for us to pinpoint your problem without seeing what you do and your actual pastry.
We hope the next batch will be even better, but reading about your results you can already be very proud and enjoy great croissants!
Greetings,
Ed & Marieke