I just baked this excellent recipe in a kitchen with 59% humidity and 33c. I live in Lagos, Nigeria. I anticipated the challenges. I had to chill the dough multiple times. The final proof was super fast, I refused to panic and continued to bake. The final result was fantastically good! I took lots of notes. I filled them with whipped cream and topped with a brown sugar toasted Italian meringue! My confidence has increased immensely! I will continue to make this every week. A thousand thank yous Martin!
I'm very excited to try this, Martin. I've been working on various lamination recipes. Learned great basics at KAF. Is this a dough one would use for pain aux raisin? Not sure what the French would say! Love your book, Cathy
Great post, Martin! And beautiful pictures! About those spent grains in your cupboard: They will add a very tasty and very different dimension to your breads. I brewed beer twice, and the only reason I would do it again is to get more spent grains. I was not too crazy about the intended result, but the sweet by-product, after drying in a very low temperature oven was worth the effort.
Holy Lamination, Batman. Kind of in awe. I have never attempted that peak, only Rough Puff Pastry Hill. Your meticulous recipe & guidance just may inspire me to clear a day and try. For today, that gorgeous chocolate pastry cream you leave us with (thanks for that bonus!) … I’m thinking cream puffs. Not the worst consolation prize. But damn.
I love rough puff! If you try them you can start in the morning and most of the dough work is done after only a couple hours--then they just need to proof. But you know, even easier is Pain aux Raisins. Fill with pastry cream and rum-soaked raisins, roll up and cut. Amazing! Or look at L'Escargot at Du Pain et Des Idées. Pistachio and chocolate rolled up--amazing.
Great recipe. Proceed with confidence. Made a quadruple batch, portioned 1/4 for supreme and made burger buns with other 3/4. Supremes and buns both turned out great!
Thank you for your generosity sharing your method and recipe! I’m quite happy with laminated dough so shall try them as soon as I can get my hands on some rings!
Baked these last night and did not get the rise I expected. Think nice sharp corners on the top of the pastry. Close, but not quite there. A friend who tasted wondered if I used salted butter. I didn't think so, but I've made bigger mistakes before! The laminating went very smoothly with Martin's directions. I didn't end up filling them. I didn't expect them to turn out as well as they did! Going to try again next weekend (I have to go to bed too early to do this in an evening!) Here are some photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_ylQtqEs9gL189hlr1Ub4_AnVf7_4526?usp=sharing.
Lack of crisp corners means they were under-proofed. Push them a little further next time (in my hot house they would fly today!). That will solve the round corners. Happy baking! M
There has been quite a run on them! I wish that I could claim something there but I think it's MUCH bigger than me, lol. There might be some math required to come up with the proper weight of dough in the smaller rings. Usually what we'd do in that case is try a couple different sizes and mark them clearly to see which size is best. I'd probably cut 1.25" widths and shorten the length from 11" to something like 8"? Hard to say but you could start there. Have fun! M
Pretty excited about baking this! Ordered my tins and waiting. I have NO lamination experience, so I expect that this will have a huge learning curve! But I can't ignore the art of this brioche, they're absolutely stunning! And, in a photographic note, kudos to whoever took the photos in this post!
Thanks for this great text! Will definitely try this weekend. Just one question: would it be possible to give your measurements in metric system as well? Have a great weekend!
That's quite a daunting climb. I think I'll stick to paragliding for my view from the top, and save my patience for my next trip to a bakery in New York City. Always fascinating to read your stories though...thanks!
I mean, paragliding sounds pretty great! And yes to visiting NYC and Lafayette, specifically! These long projects do have their ups and downs, hopefully the write up is enjoyable.
Gorgeous sunny day here in VT. Hope you're enjoying it!
I've made croissants before but am no expert. Just someone who loves using baking to procrastinate lol.
This dough gave me a lot of trouble. I had four attempts and everything kept falling apart in the lamination. Total disaster lol.
I ended up using the croissant dough recipe from Claire Saffitz's Dessert Person. They turned out pretty nicely, used tinfoil to make the rings, so not perfect but tasty.
I just baked this excellent recipe in a kitchen with 59% humidity and 33c. I live in Lagos, Nigeria. I anticipated the challenges. I had to chill the dough multiple times. The final proof was super fast, I refused to panic and continued to bake. The final result was fantastically good! I took lots of notes. I filled them with whipped cream and topped with a brown sugar toasted Italian meringue! My confidence has increased immensely! I will continue to make this every week. A thousand thank yous Martin!
You are amazing and fearless! And those finishes sound gorgeous.
Thank you for your kind words!
Would love to see photos, Adedayo!
Let me see if I can post photos on here.
I'm very excited to try this, Martin. I've been working on various lamination recipes. Learned great basics at KAF. Is this a dough one would use for pain aux raisin? Not sure what the French would say! Love your book, Cathy
Perfect for pain aux raisin! It’s on my list!
Great post, Martin! And beautiful pictures! About those spent grains in your cupboard: They will add a very tasty and very different dimension to your breads. I brewed beer twice, and the only reason I would do it again is to get more spent grains. I was not too crazy about the intended result, but the sweet by-product, after drying in a very low temperature oven was worth the effort.
Yes! I’ve been using them for years, just haven’t written something for others—it’s not something most people have.
Thanks for reading, Karl!
Looks delicious!
Holy Lamination, Batman. Kind of in awe. I have never attempted that peak, only Rough Puff Pastry Hill. Your meticulous recipe & guidance just may inspire me to clear a day and try. For today, that gorgeous chocolate pastry cream you leave us with (thanks for that bonus!) … I’m thinking cream puffs. Not the worst consolation prize. But damn.
I love rough puff! If you try them you can start in the morning and most of the dough work is done after only a couple hours--then they just need to proof. But you know, even easier is Pain aux Raisins. Fill with pastry cream and rum-soaked raisins, roll up and cut. Amazing! Or look at L'Escargot at Du Pain et Des Idées. Pistachio and chocolate rolled up--amazing.
Great recipe. Proceed with confidence. Made a quadruple batch, portioned 1/4 for supreme and made burger buns with other 3/4. Supremes and buns both turned out great!
So great to hear! Thanks, Wade!
Hello. Always in awe with the beauty of your writing and the attention to detail so thank you for that.
Regarding the butter leakage and evaporation, wouldn’t a perforated silicon mat and tray help?
Yes, that could help! But most people don't have those items so I'm hesitant to recommend. Enjoy the bake and thanks for reading!
M
Yes I can see what you mean. Thanks once again.
Thank you for your generosity sharing your method and recipe! I’m quite happy with laminated dough so shall try them as soon as I can get my hands on some rings!
Baked these last night and did not get the rise I expected. Think nice sharp corners on the top of the pastry. Close, but not quite there. A friend who tasted wondered if I used salted butter. I didn't think so, but I've made bigger mistakes before! The laminating went very smoothly with Martin's directions. I didn't end up filling them. I didn't expect them to turn out as well as they did! Going to try again next weekend (I have to go to bed too early to do this in an evening!) Here are some photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_ylQtqEs9gL189hlr1Ub4_AnVf7_4526?usp=sharing.
Hey Bruce, sorry for the delay here.
Lack of crisp corners means they were under-proofed. Push them a little further next time (in my hot house they would fly today!). That will solve the round corners. Happy baking! M
Where did everyone order the baking rings from? Tried windepot.com, amazon.com and webstaurant.com. All of them sold out. Martin's causing a run on tins! Ended up buying some 3" tins that will be here tomorrow 3" diam, 1.5" tall. https://www.amazon.com/HULISEN-Stainless-Dessert-Mousse-Cooking/dp/B0861D8DTN/ref=sr_1_6?crid=36EFRMHGE1I8J&keywords=baking%2Brings%2B3%2Binch&qid=1680919751&sprefix=3%22%2Bbakin%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-6&th=1
There has been quite a run on them! I wish that I could claim something there but I think it's MUCH bigger than me, lol. There might be some math required to come up with the proper weight of dough in the smaller rings. Usually what we'd do in that case is try a couple different sizes and mark them clearly to see which size is best. I'd probably cut 1.25" widths and shorten the length from 11" to something like 8"? Hard to say but you could start there. Have fun! M
Pretty excited about baking this! Ordered my tins and waiting. I have NO lamination experience, so I expect that this will have a huge learning curve! But I can't ignore the art of this brioche, they're absolutely stunning! And, in a photographic note, kudos to whoever took the photos in this post!
Somehow my response didn't land here! Sorry to be slow!
Glad to hear it.
Lamination does have a learning curve and words (and even pictures) can lack the information that will help.
For working at home you might check out Benny’s videos for some insight (https://youtu.be/2NC0W5Xtvoc).
I shoot all my own pictures! 👍🏻👍🏻
Have fun!
M
Thank you for sharing your lamination adventures, Martin! I may give these a try, thanks to your guidance.
I always look forward to your posts. Absolutely love your writing style.
Thanks so much, Melissa. You're too kind! Hope you catch the second post, all about toppings and fillings. Happy Baking! Martin
Thanks for this great text! Will definitely try this weekend. Just one question: would it be possible to give your measurements in metric system as well? Have a great weekend!
Hey Vanessa,
Thanks! For any measurement in inches you can multiply by 2.5 for cm and that will be close enough. Have fun!
Martin
That's quite a daunting climb. I think I'll stick to paragliding for my view from the top, and save my patience for my next trip to a bakery in New York City. Always fascinating to read your stories though...thanks!
I mean, paragliding sounds pretty great! And yes to visiting NYC and Lafayette, specifically! These long projects do have their ups and downs, hopefully the write up is enjoyable.
Gorgeous sunny day here in VT. Hope you're enjoying it!
Martin
I've made croissants before but am no expert. Just someone who loves using baking to procrastinate lol.
This dough gave me a lot of trouble. I had four attempts and everything kept falling apart in the lamination. Total disaster lol.
I ended up using the croissant dough recipe from Claire Saffitz's Dessert Person. They turned out pretty nicely, used tinfoil to make the rings, so not perfect but tasty.
Will need to try this dough again!
What is the final sheet thickness in mm?
Thickness is around 5mm but focus on the dimension (specified length and width) in the recipe. 👍🏻