Stopped by a bakery in Portland and saw something weird with their croissants

I was in Portland last weekend and popped into this little french-style bakery. Every single croissant had this uneven lamination, like one side was totally flat while the other had big air pockets. Has anyone else noticed bakeries rushing laminated dough and skipping the chill times?

2 comments

2 Comments

sageburns3d ago

The bakery I stop at in Portland (not naming names but it's off Division) actually does a 24 hour cold ferment on their croissants and their lamination is spot on. But honestly, uneven layers can also happen if the butter breaks or the dough gets too warm during rolling, not just from skipping chill times. A lot of home bakers don't realize that the room temperature matters just as much - if the kitchen is over 72 degrees the butter will start melting into the dough instead of staying in distinct layers. Plus some bakeries intentionally do that flat side for even baking on sheet pans, it's not always a rushed job.

charlie_ellis1d ago

@sageburns totally nailed it. My kitchen hit 74 once and the whole batch was a buttery mess.