On Jun 29, 9:02�pm, Julia Altshuler > wrote:
> We now have a list of things to do differently next time. �They're all
> to bring us closer to the BI recipe: �get the salt right, switch flours,
> use the cuisinart instead of hand kneading, pay closer attention to
> keeping the dough cold, check oven temperature. �Then, after we've done
> all that, if we still don't like our results, we'll look for a different
> recipe or more information.
>
> For one thing, I'm not sure about the instructions given for the turns.
> � It doesn't seem like it would produce enough layers. �I attended the
> Culinary Institute 20 years ago and don't remember much, but I do have a
> picture in my head of the turns being done differently.
>
> Jim and I also have a question about the oven temperature. �In addition
> to thinking that the croissants didn't taste right (probably due to the
> lack of salt), they seemed underbaked to me, pasty or doughy in the
> center when the outsides were browned. �They took longer than the
> recipe's 18-22 minutes to bake.
>
> Jim would solve the problem by putting the oven temp higher than 400
> degrees. �I think that would make it worse, would make them burn on the
> outside before the centers were cooked at all. �I'd lower the oven temp
> to 350 and bake them longer. �I'm also thinking that we need larger
> cookie sheets to bake them on so there's more room for air to circulate
> between them. �Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks to everyone who wrote.
>
> --Lia

The recipe I use says to bake the croissants at 425 degrees for 12 to
15 minutes. It also says nothing about kneading the dough since the
dough is basically kneaded when you do the turns. The dough itself,
without the butter, is a very soft and wet dough. You have to use a
LOT of flour when you roll it out initially but you want to make sure
that the extra flour doesn't actually get worked into the dough. If
the dough is too stiff you end up with something that's close to a
flaky biscuit rather than a croissant. Here's the recipe.

Butter roll-in
1 1/4 cups cold butter (I've use both unsalted and salted butter with
equally good results. In fact, I actually prefer the taste of salted
butter)
3 tablespoons flour

Beat butter and flour together until flour is thoroughly mixed in and
the butter is plastic. Shape into a 6- by 8- in rectangle. Set aside
in a cool spot.

Dough:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups milk, heated to about 110 degrees
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 7/8cups all-purpose flour ( I've used Gold Medal, Pillsbury, and
Kroger brand with equal results)

Mix the dough ingredients like you would any type of yeast dough but
do not knead. Refrigerate dough for 10 to 15 minutes. For the
initially rolling be sure to use plenty of flour on your rolling
surface, and I do mean plenty. Use a sifter or a shaker to evenly
distribute the flour and make sure it's at least a sixteenth to an
eighth of an inch thick on your work surface. Roll out dough to
10"X14". Place the block or slab of butter on one side of the
rectangle and fold the other half over and seal the edges. Give the
dough 4 three-folds making sure to brush away all traces of flour
before folding the dough. Refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes to an
hour between each turn. Chill dough at least 3 hours after completing
the 4th turn. Roll dough out into a 10" X 20" rectangle. Cut into 8
squares and then cut each square into two triangles. Stretch each
triangle until all sides are the same length. Roll up and curve
points inward to make a crescent shape. Place on baking pans that
have been lightly sprayed with baking spray, or you can use parchment
paper. Cover croissants with a towel and let them rise in a
relatively cool spot so they're nice and puffy. Don't place them in a
warm spot because the butter in them might get soft. Rising time may
take several hours. Brush croissants with an egg wash before baking
them.

tip: After you get through rolling out the dough each time you can
take a pastry brush and sweep up all the bench flour and re-use the
next time you go to roll out the dough. You'll find that very little
of the flour used to roll out the dough actually gets worked into the
dough.