The Fresh Loaf

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Adding flavor to white bread or croissants, how to?

Emerogork's picture
Emerogork

Adding flavor to white bread or croissants, how to?

Too much purchased bread now a days taste like Styrofoam and even my home made croissants taste like Pillsbury refrigerated tube biscuits.

I have improved the texture of croissants by ignoring the high temperature and preheating the oven as is suggested in all recipes that I have seen.  I now let them rise for 4 - 5 hours (covered with occasional misting) and place them in the oven then set the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for about 20-25 minutes.

However, after many attempts to make a flavorful croissant or white bread, I may have realized a change from store bought butter, and even European butter, for a better flavor.  My next batch will be 66% butter and 33% lard.  I figure that this will drop the moisture content as sought for by using European better and add the flavor of the lard as I prefer in my pie crusts.

Has anyone tried this?

 

 

 

 

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

The water percentage in the butter is not reducing the flavor, nor will lard increase the flavor.  To increase the flavor, mostly adding a sense of sweetness to the crumb and myriad flavors to the crust, cold retard the bulk ferment for 12 to 16 hours.

Additional means of enhancement include using a sourdough leaven, and adding 5% rye flour, white or medium.

cheers,

gary

Emerogork's picture
Emerogork

"The water percentage in the butter is not reducing the flavor,

I saw that European butter has a lower water content than conventional butter and it helps the structure.  I am figuring that butter and lard will accomplish the same thing.  I might even try a 50/50 lard/butter someday.

nor will lard increase the flavor."

I wonder why it seems to improve my pie dough.  I have tried other fats but they are not the way "mom's pie crust tasted"

 

"To increase the flavor, mostly adding a sense of sweetness to the crumb and myriad flavors to the crust..." 

Interesting, how does one add the crumb and something else to the crust?  I am not looking for a flavored bread such as cinnamon or honey.  My quest is real bread flavor.

"cold retard the bulk ferment for 12 to 16 hours. " 

Is this before I add the butter and roll the layers?  Does this suggest that  I refrigerate the original mix ball of dough overnight?

"Additional means of enhancement include using a sourdough leaven,"

Will this produce that awful flavor of Sourdough Bread or is this something different?"

 

"adding 5% rye flour, white or medium."

Whey (powder and/or liquid), Malt Barley Syrup, rye,  baking soda (powder?) and now Diastatic Malt powder  have been suggested.  I might even try browned butter.

Thoughts on any of those?

 

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

  1. Butter is a fairly strong flavoring agent. Lard, not so much, so you're merely diluting butter's goodness.  For laminated dough's roll-in butter, a lower water content adds elasticity compared to common, supermarket butter.  European butter is the better choice.

  2. Lard is especially good when you need to cut in the fat, having little or no water. It's a physical thing.

  3. and
  4. For croissants, after the initial, short knead, pat the dough into a flat shape, roughly square and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Don't think of it as a fermentation time. That will happen with each fold and re-chill.  For any breads, an overnight cold retard will allow the enzymes to break down the complex carb chains, to better feed the yeasties and increase the sugars for flavor.  That is what improves the flavor of the crumb.  The crust is further improved by two additional chemical activities, caramelization and Maillard reaction.  Both are caused by the temperature.  The crumb is not affected because its moisture does not allow its temperature to exceed 212℉.

  5. If you don't like a little sour hint, don't use it.  I use sourdough leavening, but I really have to work to get much sour. Your mileage is obviously different from mine.

    I'm pretty much a plain bread kind of guy.  I seldom trick things up beyond the common unless the dough needs it to work, e.g. diastatic malt for bagels.

cheers,

gary

RoundhayBaker's picture
RoundhayBaker

...it's there for the lamination. Which is why 82% or higher butterfat is needed to avoid making dense, soggy, dough-like croissants. However, I cannot think of a reason why you shouldn't use lard as long as its water content is low enough to match the butter. Having eaten croissants made with non-butter alternatives, I would not choose to bake with anything but 100% butter. I guess its all a matter of taste. If lard is what you prefer, then why not?  Let us know how they turn out. 

I must admit I've made croissants using all Gary's suggestions and they do make subtle - and very nice - changes to a croissant's flavour. You are right to ask about the sourdough. A mild sourdough works well, a strongly acidic culture does not. For me. Yet again, it's all a matter of taste.

It may be that you've done this already, but, if not, can I be cheeky and suggest you find a good, but different, croissant recipe and follow that to the letter - ingredients, weights, timings, temperatures etc? Covering during proofing with tented plastic bags or damp cloths instead of misting too. You might be surprised how well they turn out and how tasty they are. Improvising classic patisserie recipes is rarely a good idea. Unlike other forms of cooking, great baking usually comes from precision and attention to the fine detail of the instructions.

King Arthur Flour have a good recipe on their site:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/bakers-croissants-recipe

It has step-by-step photos and lots of useful tips and advice - all on one page.

gerhard's picture
gerhard

Lowering the moisture content of the fat too much may have a detrimental effect on the croissants, from what I understand the moisture in the butter along with the laminating helps with the flakiness.

Gerhard

Emerogork's picture
Emerogork

"Lowering the moisture content of the fat too much may have a detrimental effect on the croissants, from what I understand the moisture in the butter along with the laminating helps with the flakiness."

As I recall, yes, the presence of water makes for steam to assist in the rising and flakiness.

Emerogork's picture
Emerogork

It is interesting that they have options at the top of the recipe to show ingredients in Volume, Grams, or Ounces.  I choose Grams or Ounces because I always lose count of how many cups of flour I have measured out. (:

However, when I chose Grams or Ounces, the paragraphs of directions remain by volume....

Also, maybe someone can answer this for me.  In refining my making of turkey gravy, I realized that lumps would only occur if water existed in the drippings when I added the flour.  Being sure to use oils only made for easy making of the roux.

My question is: Why is it that any recipe I see, they always mix the liquids then call to have the flour added to it rather than adding the liquids to the flour.  When I am going by the directions, I always have to work out the lumps but my way, it is rarely or never.

Cooking shows and even the America's Test Kitchen videos add dry to liquid.

Is there any benefit to adding flour to liquid?

 

 

 

 

Wild-Yeast's picture
Wild-Yeast

Cultured butter will provide a new taste experience for croissants and brioche breads.

NY Times Story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/dining/making-cultured-butter-at-home.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

NY Times Recipe:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015208-homemade-cultured-butter

Once you've tried it you'll find the leftover buttermilk exceptional. 

I use a creme fraich culture to sour the heavy cream which is then churned to make butter. Caution this will become another life long culinary activity - it's addicting especially when spread on fresh pain au levain.

Wild-Yeast

Emerogork's picture
Emerogork

as if making croissants is not work enough, now it is cultured butter  (:
However, I just may give this a test to see if it goes where I want.