Thursday, January 26, 2023

Croissant with Poolish

[Dough from 1/2 the following recipe - about two cups of flour and a lot of air. Slightly over-proofed.]

Poolish is a pre-ferment that you are supposed to mix up the night before and put in fridge: a small tsp yeast +1 cup flour + 1 cup water. [Today, I am starting the poolish in the morning, using it later this afternoon or evening; and freezing the dough for overnight, later.][I admit, I am not sure how much yeast to use. I put a bit too much in my poolish, so I'll go light with the additional yeast later.]

Mix:

poolish + 1/2 tsp yeast + 4 Tbs oil + 1 tsp salt + 1/2 cup milk + 3 Tbs sugar +  ~3 cups flour

Then follow the instructions for continuous croissant. Given all the amendments, here is what I am going to try:

- Kneed thoroughly, until silken

- Rest at room temp until double in size, then punch down and

- Either freeze the dough for overnight or put in fridge while softening the butter.

- [If frozen, next day:Take out of freezer and bring to room temp, then back in fridge to fridge temp]

- Soften butter, take out cooled/not-frozen dough and do the butter envelope, with two turns. 

- Rest dough in fridge for 2 hours, then do two more turns, then rest 2 hours, then form croissant.

- Let them rise until "jiggly" (not quite double) on a parchment paper-covered baking pan.

- Coat with egg wash, bake at 420 for 18 plus minutes. 

2 comments:

  1. (You know there are always going to be amendments.) These croissants may come out a little tough. If you read the Tartine Croissant recipe, the kneading and folding are more gentle and it might make a difference. Next time, I'll try that and see.

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  2. Indeed, you get a less tough dough with the Tartine method [minimal kneeding]: do not kneed initial mix. Let it sit for a few minutes then kneed for 10 seconds. Make 4 turns over the next couple hours. Rest the dough, soften the butter, proceed..... In a way this is the crossiants version of no-kneed baguette.

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