Best Butter Croissant – Bruno Albouze

Summary

This video script offers a detailed guide to crafting perfect croissants. It emphasizes the importance of using high-fat butter for flakiness and a precise dough preparation involving a mix of bread and all-purpose flours, yeast, and cold milk. The process includes multiple resting periods, rolling, and folding techniques to achieve the desired lamination. The script also touches on making chocolate and custard-filled croissants, with a focus on freezing for texture enhancement before baking to golden, buttery perfection.

Takeaways

• 📝 The ratio of cold water to milk should be one to one for making croissants.
• 💵 Fresh yeast, sugar, honey, bread flour, and all-purpose flour are essential ingredients for the dough.
• 💲 Salt and room temperature butter should be added to the dough and mixed for 5 minutes on low speed until it comes together.
• 💵 After initial mixing, increase the mixer speed to medium high and knead for 6 minutes or until the dough pulls away from the sides.
• 💵 The gluten development can be checked with the 'window pane test', which indicates if the dough is ready to rise.
• 💵 High fat butter is crucial for croissant making as it contributes to the flaky texture and flavor.
• 💵 The butter should be shaped into a square block that is the same size as the rolled-out dough for lamination.
• 💲 The dough should be divided, shaped into ovals, rested, and then frozen to facilitate the lamination process.
• 💵 The lamination process involves rolling, folding, and turning the dough multiple times to achieve the desired layers.
• 💵 The croissant dough should be rested in the refrigerator between turns to maintain the butter's consistency and the dough's pliability.
• 💵 Freezing the shaped croissants overnight strengthens the gluten and improves the final texture and appearance.
• 💵 The final croissants should be egg-washed twice before freezing and once more after proofing, then baked at 180°C for a crispy finish.

Q & A

What is the ratio of water and milk needed for making croissants?

The ratio of cold water to milk needed for making croissants is one to one.

What types of flour are used in the croissant dough?

Bread flour and all-purpose flour are used in the croissant dough.

How long should the croissant dough be mixed before increasing the mixer speed?

The croissant dough should be mixed for 5 minutes on low speed before increasing the mixer speed.

What is the significance of high fat butter in croissant making?

High fat butter is significant in croissant making because it has less water, making it tastier and ideal for the lamination process.

How long should the croissant dough rest in the refrigerator overnight?

The croissant dough should rest in the refrigerator overnight for approximately 12 hours.

What is the purpose of the window pane test in croissant dough?

The window pane test is used to check if the gluten is well developed and if the dough is ready to rise.

How long should the croissants be frozen before the first turn?

The croissants should be frozen for 20 minutes before the first turn.

What is the purpose of trimming the edges of the dough before folding?

Trimming the edges of the dough before folding helps to create straight, clean edges.

What is the purpose of flattening the laminated croissant dough into a slab called 'Pon'?

Flattening the laminated croissant dough into a slab called 'Pon' is a step in the process of creating the croissant's layered texture.

How long should the custard for the escargots be refrigerated before use?

The custard for the escargots should be refrigerated until it is cold before spreading it over the dough.

What is the final step before baking the croissants?

The final step before baking the croissants is to eggwash them twice before freezing and once after proofing and before baking.

Outlines

00:00

🥐 The Art of Croissant Making

This paragraph delves into the meticulous process of crafting perfect croissants. It begins with the essential ingredients and their ratios, including a mixture of cold water, milk, yeast, sugar, and honey. The importance of using high-fat butter for better lamination and flavor is emphasized. The dough preparation involves mixing on low speed until it comes together, followed by medium-high speed until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough is then tested for gluten development with the 'window pan test'. After shaping, it's refrigerated overnight. The paragraph also covers the technique of creating a butter block and folding it into the dough, followed by freezing and rolling the dough to achieve the desired layers. The process concludes with a discussion on the importance of the butter's fat content and the steps to achieve a well-structured croissant dough.

05:03

🍰 Crafting Escargots and Chocolate Croissants

The second paragraph focuses on the preparation of escargots and chocolate croissants. It starts with the process of flattening the laminated dough into a slab, known as 'pon,' and resting it in the refrigerator. The paragraph then shifts to making custard for escargots, involving cooking and spreading it over a frozen baking tray. The use of raisins and candied orange peels as secret ingredients is highlighted. The process of cutting the dough into portions, freezing them, and rolling them through a pasta machine to achieve the desired thickness is detailed. The paragraph also covers the assembly of escargots with the custard and fruit fillings, as well as the preparation of chocolate croissants by adding chocolate sticks and rolling them into logs. The importance of egg washing and freezing the croissants for improved texture is also discussed.

10:04

📢 Finalizing and Baking the Croissants

The final paragraph discusses the final steps in preparing and baking croissants. It covers the process of rolling out the dough to a specific thickness, cutting it into triangles, and rolling them up to form croissants. The paragraph also touches on the optional step of making incisions before rolling to achieve a different appearance. The importance of egg washing the croissants multiple times before freezing and baking is emphasized. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on the baking process, including proofing the croissants inside buttered and sugared cake rings for added crispiness, and baking them at a specific temperature. The video script ends with an invitation to visit the blog for the full recipe and a reminder to subscribe for more content.

Keywords

💡Croissants

Croissants are a classic French pastry characterized by their flaky layers and rich buttery flavor. They are a staple breakfast item in many cultures. In the video, the process of making perfect croissants is detailed, emphasizing the importance of the ingredients and techniques used to achieve the desired texture and taste.

💡Lamination

Lamination is a technique used in baking, particularly for pastries like croissants, where layers of dough are interleaved with layers of fat (usually butter). This process creates the flaky texture when baked. The video script mentions lamination as a key step in making croissants, highlighting the need for high fat butter for effective lamination.

💡Gluten Development

Gluten development refers to the process of creating a network of gluten proteins in dough, which gives bread and pastries their structure. The 'window pane test' mentioned in the script is a way to check if the gluten is well developed. Proper gluten development is essential for the dough to rise correctly and hold its shape.

💡Proofing

Proofing is the final rise of dough before baking, where it is left in a warm environment to allow the yeast to ferment the sugars, causing the dough to expand. The video discusses proofing the croissants for 2 to 3 hours at a specific temperature to achieve the right texture and flavor.

💡Butter Block

A butter block is a solid piece of butter that is incorporated into the dough to create the laminated layers in croissants. The script specifies that the butter should be at room temperature and shaped into a square to ensure even distribution within the dough.

💡Pastry Cream

Pastry cream, also known as crème pâtissière, is a thick, rich custard used as a filling in many pastries. In the video, the creator makes pastry cream to fill a type of croissant called 'escargots,' illustrating a variation of the classic croissant.

💡Candied Orange Peels

Candied orange peels are sweetened and preserved strips of orange peel, used to add flavor and texture to baked goods. The script mentions using candied orange peels as a secret ingredient in the escargot filling, enhancing the flavor profile of the pastries.

💡Pâte Feuilletée

Pâte feuilletée is the French term for a type of dough used to make pastries with many layers, like croissants. The script describes the process of creating this dough, which involves folding and rolling to achieve the characteristic flaky layers.

💡Egg Wash

An egg wash is a mixture of egg and sometimes other liquids, brushed onto dough before baking to give it a shiny, golden-brown finish. The video script describes applying an egg wash to the croissants twice before freezing and once after proofing to enhance their appearance.

💡Freezing

Freezing is mentioned in the script as a step in the croissant-making process, used to solidify the butter and to rest the dough. Freezing helps to maintain the integrity of the layers and can also improve the final texture of the baked goods.

💡Puff Pastry

Puff pastry is a type of pastry dough similar to pâte feuilletée, known for its many layers that create a flaky texture when baked. The script refers to techniques for making puff pastry, which is a base for various filled pastries like the escargots described.

Highlights

Croissants require a one to one ratio of cold water and milk.

Use fresh yeast, sugar, and honey in the dough.

Add bread and all-purpose flour to the mixture.

Salt and room temperature butter are mixed in for 5 minutes on low speed.

Increase mixer speed to medium-high and knead for 6 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides.

Perform the window pane test to check gluten development.

Shape dough into a tight round and refrigerate overnight.

Use high fat butter for better lamination.

Form the butter into a 6x6 in (15x15 cm) square for lamination.

After 12 hours, split the fermented dough into two portions.

Deflate dough and shape into ovals, then freeze for 20 minutes.

Butter should be turned into a supple block before use.

Roll out the dough to twice the length of the butter block.

Fold the dough over the butter and give it a quarter turn.

Make deep straight cuts on each border of the dough.

Refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes before the first turn.

Give a double turn fold to the dough.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before the second turn.

Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter.

Create a Pon, an 8.5 in (22 cm) squared slab, and refrigerate for an hour.

Make custard for the escargot filling.

Drain raisins soaked in rum for the filling.

Cut the Pon into portions and freeze for 15 minutes.

Roll out the dough to 5 mm thickness for shaping.

Use a pasta machine to roll out the dough for even thickness.

Spread chilled pastry cream and add raisins and candied orange for filling.

Egg wash croissants twice before freezing and once before baking.

Proof croissants inside buttered and sugared cake rings for extra crispiness.

Bake croissants at 180°C in a fan oven.

For the full recipe, visit Bruno alo.com.

Transcripts

the secrets to making perfect pure be

croissants let me cut it in half and see

what

happens quants are the most rever

breakfast pastries they delicate flaky

layers and buttery flavor make them a

favorite around the world so for the

quandoo you will need a one to one ratio

of cold water and milk fresh yeast sugar

and honey stir that up and add two types

of flowers bread and allp purpose add

the salt and the room temperature butter

mix for 5 minutes on low speed until it

comes together like so then increase a

mixer speed to medium high and need for

6 minutes or until the dough pulls away

from the sides of the ball transfer

dough on the countertop without the use

of any any extra flow now let's do the

window pen test looks awesome that means

the gluten is well developed and your

dough is ready to rise shape the dough

into a tight round and transfer to

lightly oiled ball this helps prevent

the dough from sticking and allows for

easier removal later on and place the

dough in a refrigerator overnight so now

the $1 million question what matters the

most in croissant making the answer is

high fat butter higher butter fat means

less water therefore tastier and ideal

for the lamination so you simply want to

turn the room temperature butter into a

6X 6 in 15x 15 cm square in order to

achieve the perfect butter block all

right let's grab our quandoo from the

refrigerator it's been approximately 12

hours look at this pretty thing amazing

right so unless you work in a

professional kitchen and have one of

these do you won't need to split

your fermented cisson do into two

portions but at home it's a different

story deflated dough and shape into two

tight ovals let rest 10 minutes and turn

them into two narrow rectangles like so

and place on a frozen tray and freeze

for 20 minutes then flip and freeze

again next and just about 15 minutes

before giving the turns leave your

butter block out however during the warm

season your butter block won't take that

long before it becomes Supple and ready

to be used just about 5 minutes get the

quandoo out of the freezer and roll out

into two 6X 16 in 15x 40 cm rectangles

about twice the length of the butter

block Place butter on top of the dough

and fold over the butter and kissing it

in dough rotate to a quarter turn and

gently press down with a rolling pin to

follow and with a cutter make a deep

straight cut on each border this trick

helps the butter to get evenly

distributed throughout the dough right

from the beginning flatten a little bit

and let rest 10 minutes in a

refrigerator before giving the first

turn if you do have a do sheater though

skip it so here we go we're going to

give a double turn fold to D first roll

out D into a long strip keep all edges

as straight as possible starting rolling

and out from the center of the dough

towards the edges and not from one side

of the dough all the way to the other

side this technique helps to keep the

dough at an even thickness fold in

approximately 1 six of the dough from

the left Edge inward then bring the

other edge of the dough to meet the

folded Edge then the right third is

folded in and fold the entire folded

dough in half like you would a book all

right so now let's going to go in a

refrigerator I'm going to cover it

with parment paper I saved from the

butter

block that's going to go in the fridge

for approximately 30

minutes even longer all right to follow

we are going to give the single turn to

sample roll out D into a 6X 27 in 15x 70

cm rectangle like so and in order to

create straight clean edges the edges

may be trimmed pre folding then the

dough is folded in thirds like a

business letter now you want to flatten

the laminated candoo into an 8 and 1/2

in 22 cm squared slab called Pon in

French and place in a refrigerator an

hour to rest in the meantime I'm going

to make the custard for the escargo p p

Ora once the custard is cooked spread it

over a frozen bacing tray lined with

plastic wrap let cool and refrigerate

and just before use smooth it out using

your stand mixer fitted with the paddle

attachment pastry cream creem patier

belongs to the pastry fundamentals the

mother of all custards not done yet next

in the agenda I am going to to drain

raisins that have been soaked in ROM

normally you would get them plumped in

water Fu and the secret ingredient

candid orange pills all right so now I

am going to grab the first croissant Pon

from the refrigerator I'm going to cut

it into pons and freeze them for 15

minutes and then keep the dough

refrigerated roll out dough so then it

fits in the widest sitting of the

rollers gently feed the dough through

the pasta machine taking care to support

the dough as it passes through as the

dough becomes thinner gradually decrease

the thickness setting on a pasta machine

and continue to pass the dough through

until it reaches 5 mm thickness voila

and you should end up with a 8 by9 in

20x 48 CM rectangle as you can witness

using heavy duty pasta machine helps a

lot it's like having a small do shoter

at home otherwise refer to my written

recipe for more details at Bruno alo.com

so follow the same rolling protocol for

the escaros chocolatines and regular

croissants same length with and

thickness yet half cant Pon gives you 16

spread the chilled py cream evenly add

the raisins and the diced candied orange

pels and roll into two logs and cut each

log into eight escaros arrange them on a

baking tray egg wash and freeze for the

chocolate croissant known as chatin or

pan o cha cut croissant sheet into eight

rectangles add chocolate sticks or disc

it would do the job if you don't have

any and roll into tight logs egg wash

and freeze next batch croissant roll out

dough into the same thickness 5 mm cut

in half then into lengthwise and make

two triangles out of each rectangle make

sense now you've got eight 65 to 70 G

cant now here is where things get

interesting some pist of indeed choose

to make an incisions from the base of

each triangle before rolling them up to

form cants this additional step

increases the width of the cant

resulting in a slightly different

apparance with the base of the triangle

held in one hand elongate the dough by

very gently stretching from the base and

continuing all the way to the tip of the

triangle starting at the base of the

triangle roll towards the the tip press

down the tip to seal the rolled

croissant so yet you want to eggwash

your croissants twice before going to

the freezer and once proofed and ready

to bake freezing croissant overnight

strengthen the gluten improving final

results all right feels like my family

branch menu is approaching so the night

before get everything ready to go B will

be proofed inside buttered and sugared

cake rings that trick will make them

super crispy I can't wait any longer

let's proof for 2 to 3 hours at 25° C 77

fah and B in a fan oven at

180° C all right let's bake this bad

boys and see what happens simply amazing

now you can make it remember the only

way to taste it is to make it to get the

full recipe and hundreds more visit my

blog at Bruno alo.com if you like the

video please give me a thumbs up and

click down below to the Subscribe

button it is a universal truth that a

great day will always start with a good

breakast have a gorgeous day see you

very soon

soong