On Jun 29, 9:48�am, Julia Altshuler > wrote:
> The results from yesterday's croissant baking marathon are mixed. �I was
> excited at the prospect of making perfect flaky buttery croissants on
> the first try. �It wasn't a total disaster, but the reality fell short
> of expectation.
>
> I can't put my finger on it, but I didn't like the flavor. �The big
> mistake I made was forgetting the salt. �I'm so in the habit when
> cooking of leaving the salt out in the kitchen. �That way I can put it
> on at the table, and Jim can leave it off. �When baking, I always used
> to buy salted butter, then leave off adding salt from the container.
> This time I screwed up, used unsalted butter, and forgot to add the
> teaspoon of table salt the recipe called for.
>
> The problem with the flavor could also have been the flour. �We used
> King Arthur. �The book recommends Gold Metal. �Our technique might need
> refining. It was fun rolling out the dough and doing the turns, but I
> can see how if you don't do it exactly right, you can incorporate the
> butter instead of getting it to layer.
>
> One success was the frangipane. �We'd never made that from scratch
> before, and it was wonderful. �It's something I'll put in other
> desserts. �Already I'm thinking about putting it with apples and pears,
> maybe in phyllo dough.
>
> --Lia

It was definitely the lack of salt that kept your croissants from
tasting the way they should. Without salt baked goods have a bland
pasty taste to them. The fact that the recipe suggested Gold Medal
flour means nothing. The publishers of the book probably had an
advertising deal with the makers of Gold Medal flour. There's nothing
unique about Gold Medal flour.