Retarding Croissants?
Hi
I wonder if any of you can help me, I'd like to make croissants for breakfast but we are not morning people so I was wondering if it was possible to make the croissants then leave them in the fridge overnight?
I have two recipes the proportions are slightly different but more importantly the rise times are different so:-
Recipe 1 goes Mix proof 1hr in warm, knock back chill 1hr, do folds and resting etc. then shape and rise 1hr in warm.
Recipe 2 says mix proof 1hr in warm, knock back chill for 4-8hrs, do folds resting etc. then shape and rise in cool (not fridge) 2hrs.
So I wondered if I use the second recipe could I switch the 2hr cool rise with the 8hr retarded rise and then bake straight from the fridge or is this going to just make a mockery of the whole thing.
Thanks in advance
Yours Aye
Pest
If you want light and airy croissants, give them a good long rising before baking, up to three hours. You could try putting them into the fridge after shaping and letting them rise overnight before baking, OR do as Beth Hensperger suggests, and let them rise fully, then freeze them, take out and bake as you want them.
I have had really good results with freezing shaped croissants in ziplock bags (don't worry, they don't stick together) and then when I want to have them I let them thaw in the same bag in the fridge overnight. That way you can just put them on a baking sheet (egg wash if you want to) first thing in the morning to proof. Speed them up by putting them in a cold oven with a pan of boiled water for a warm, moist environment. Just don't forget to take them back out when it's time to preheat the oven.
Summer