Croissants with Poolish

This was my third time attempting croissants. I used txfarmer's adjusted recipe but I used bread flour instead of the AP suggested. I was really going after those thin layers, the honeycomb, etc.

Unfortunately I didn't have access to a higher quality, high fat, european-style butter, so I tried the "beat some flour into the butter" method. Not sure if this helped or not, but I imagine it helped absorb some of the water from the butter I used, also helping it to plasticize more easily.

The taste with the poolish was really interesting actually. To me it seemed noticeably less sweet and more complex than the recipe I'd been using before (Paul Hollywood's). 

The layers were pretty good, but still not what I'm looking for. However, the shaping was FAR superior than my previous attempts. I was actually able to get the "7 steps" that I was going after- rather than the 5 or even 3  (AH!) from previous batches.

For some reason (more liberal use of resting?), this dough was way easier to stretch and roll up than the other two times I'd done it. I used KA Bread flour instead of the Gold Medal Bread flour - but I changed too many other variables to conclusively say this had anything to do with it.

 Notes for the next time:

• Mix the dough more thoroughly.
• Don't forget to add the sugar until the last second! (Boy that was hard to mix in)
• Maybe add more yeast to make up for the fact that I don't have any osmotolerant yeast
• Be very rigorous about tidy, accurate folds
• If there's any doubt, let the dough rest in the fridge. This can only help the final product
• Be careful with the egg wash! Don't let it drip into the layers! (I tried to do this, but wasn't as successful with the second egg wash, right before going into the oven)

Here are some pictures from my previous attempts at shaping (oof, they're rough!)