Yet another Croissant help post

too much liquid in the détrempe? Too heavy and the layers will bind together, not allowing the butter to spread out in between. I will check my notes to see the hydration ratios.

What percentage of butter, (by weight) are you using compared to the dough? Some French versions go to the extreme 50/50 (!) while 1 to 3 is a more acceptable percentage to my taste. You should definitely see layers while you roll out and trim the final product.

Very important is the first fold, getting the butter pat evenly distributed all the way out to the edges of the envelope, ensuring good distribution throughout the remaining processes.

I use the Tartine recipe as well, except that I make croissants often and use IDY and I use trimmings from previous batches instead of poolish.  That being said, my hydration percentage is closer to 65 (with a 12.3% or so protein flour).  My roll in butter percentage is 37.5%.

The dough in the picture looks great.  I don't make an egg wash (I don't have a use for eggs otherwise, so it's just easier, plus it can fuse the layers on the outside), I just cover with plastic wrap.  I probably use less yeast than you, but 2-3 hours at 68 would never do the trick for me.  I reckon you are not giving it enough time on that final rise.  Honestly, at 68 I would let them sit out all night.  In fact, I am about to head to the bakery and pull some frozen ones out and let them sit for 10 hours or so.  You really can't overproof croissants when the kitchen's too cold for butter to melt.  They should really get close to double size.  For me, this takes at least 5 hours at 71.  I've had bready croissants and I've had beautifully open ones, and I am convinced it came down to the final proof every single time.  I strongly suggest putting them on the counter to proof while you sleep; that way you won't get impatient.

hi luke. in my opinion, bready croissant almost always related to the imperfection of the laminating process, which means, the layers didn't form perfectly, which is mostly because the butter melts and merge with the dough. some factors that can caused this :

* the temperature is too hot while working on the laminating process

* the detrempe is too elastic aka the gluten is too well formed which can have negative effect while you roll and fold. (the dough cannot be too smooth by the time you finished mixing)

* too many folds. the more you fold the thinner the layer of butter gets and the quicker it melts while being worked on. the rate the butter melts when you worked it on the first fold is different than when you worked it on the third fold, because it's been thinned considerably therefore it also melts considerably quicker. how many folds you perform when you make your croissant?

* rough handling while rolling and folding which can damage the layers

there are many intertwining factor to pay attention to because each factor affect the other. there's no exact procedure which can guarantee perfect croissant. a simple example, i cannot tell for sure how long you must final proof the croissant, because it depends on how active and how much yeast you use. even if the amount is the same as mine, there's temperature, humidity difference between yours and my kitchen. don't get caught up in certain benchmark procedure, like for example : "do the first and second fold side by side, then rest 1 hour, then repeat the folds, etc" . remember, their condition is different from yours. if you think the paton (the detrempe with beurrage inside) feels somewhat soggy or soft after the first fold then put it in refrigerator, don't just continue making the second fold, because the butter inside is already starting to melt. if you think the paton needs to be refrigerated for 1.5 hours instead of 1 hour, then refrigerated it regardless what the procedure says, if you think the croissant haven't puffed enough after 2 hours proofing, then add another 10 or 15 minutes regardless of the procedure says, et cetera et cetera. your senses is the best indicator, particularly touch and sight. the key is keep practicing. there's no shortcut of it. in time you'll get hold of it. as for the butter, i don't think "...spreading the butter out instead of forming a block..." is a good idea...

cheers.

You can look at some very old blogs of mine, but I have been successful with croissants. I write these for your consideration.

• You may be going down the wrong path with such minimal dough development. I had a conversation with txfarmer on this matter a while back (since she used a firm pre ferment - which adds to dough strength) and tend to agree that the dough should be fairly well developed prior to lamination (uh, that and input from a couple of highly qualified individuals). Yes, it is harder to roll out if you are doing this by hand, but it does result in a better product. I use a flour from Lehi Roller Mills that is somewhat lower in protein than King Arthur Bread Flour, but would not go so far as to use a typical all purpose flour.
• What kind of butter are you using for roll-in? It either needs to have a higher fat content than typical supermarket butter (I use Plugra or President) or you can add flour to it prior to forming the butter block.
• When you laminate, the butter layers should be the same consistency as the dough layers. This can be accomplished by allowing the paton to rest at room temperature until you feel no difference in consistency or by "tapping" the paton with a rolling pin to create "cold/pliable" butter (as you would do to mix brioche, but with a little less vigor). I use a combination of the two. If the butter is too cold and not the same pliability as the dough, it will fracture and will not roll into the even layers that we so strive for in croissant making.
• Proofing times can be very long - I've done up to six hours in cool room temperatures. The croissant should be really "jiggly."

Hopefully this will help you. I'm sort of a "ghost" here on TFL, so if you have specific questions for me, please reply directly to this post so I will be notified.