# Croissant won't rise!



## Samenderya (May 3, 2006)

hi everyone,

i got this recipe froma  website , i made them the taste was great but my *croissant won't rise...*
*i think problem with yeast cause i used it in pizza dough too and it stiffens does not rises. thats the only yeast that is avaiable here , teh instruction say no need to dissolve it in milk or water can be added directly to flour!*
*can anyone help me and suggest something plz, the future of my bread making depends upon it !*


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## Ardor (May 3, 2006)

Can you show us the recipe?

The water where you add the yeast to should be warm, but not hot and contains sugar/honey.


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## Samenderya (May 3, 2006)

sure this is the place where i got the recipe!http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe314.htm


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## jkath (May 3, 2006)

I've never made croissants, but have made bread many many times. Strange that you don't need to give it time to rise....

Have you checked the expiration date on your yeast packet? Many times they've expired and you don't know it!


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## urmaniac13 (May 3, 2006)

I found this recipe which seems quite professional.  I think jkath has a point, the rising process just before baking (which was missing from the recipe Sam gave) may be the crucial difference.

It seems like a huge endeavour, but I would like to give it a try when I am particularly motivated... here in Italy "Cornetti" are much more popular, looks exactly like croissant but the texture is more caky and much sweeter, although cornetti are very good too, it is rather difficult to find a well made flaky buttery French style croissants, which I sorely miss!!


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## Shunka (May 3, 2006)

It does have an hour rising time in the recipe before you bake the croissants. I would dissolve the yeast that you have in water or milk, even though it says you don't need to on the yeast packet. I bet that would make a big difference. I've made croissants many times using Julia Child's recipe.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 3, 2006)

Disolving the yeast in the liquid, with sugar or honey, proves the yeast is still viable, that is, it's still a living organizm.  It doesn't do anything else to help the pastry rise.  If the yeast is good, you can add it directly to the flour, add the warm liquid and sugar/honey, and your dough will rise.  I also believe that as the yeast is dissolved and become well distributed in the liquid, it will be better distributed throughout the dough.

But you can't tell if the yeast is good unless you proof it first.  That's why I agree that you should dissolve the yeast into a liquid sweetend with sugar or honey.  When it foams, you know you're ready to add the other ingredients.

Hope that helps.


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## Constance (May 3, 2006)

Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> When it foams, you know you're ready to add the other ingredients.



Weed, I didn't know it was supposed to foam. Maybe that's why I can't get bread to rise?


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## Yakuta (May 3, 2006)

Hi Constance as Goodweed indicated if the yeast is alive it will bubble up.  It's kind of fun to watch this chemistry in progress. 

I normally stir the warm water or milk with the yeast and some honey or sugar and in 15 minutes or so it starts to become a pudding consistency and starts to rise to the top of the cup.  

This is how you know that your yeast is awake so to speak.  I also stir that with the liquid first and then pour it to my dough to ensure even distribution.


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## BrianMorin (May 3, 2006)

urmaniac13 said:
			
		

> I found this recipe which seems quite professional.  I think jkath has a point, the rising process just before baking (which was missing from the recipe Sam gave) may be the crucial difference.



This is close to what I used to do, except I didn't (would not) use margarine, and did not use half-and-half, although that sounds good to my stomach  . Plus I gave it three turns - makes them fluffier - but it only took two sessions to do that, as I would do two turns at once. Although that may take a bit of practice?  However, the recipe as is looks good. It's just the technique of putting it together, and the time. 

The first recipe posted gives you more like a cake/bread type product, nice and fluffy, but airy. Possibly closer to the “Cornetti”, whereas the second recipe is meant to layer the butter and dough and gives you a “mille feuille”, million leaves, effect. Le voila le raison d’été pour l’amour des croisant français. (This being the reason for the love of the French croisant.)


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## BrianMorin (May 3, 2006)

Important steps, etc. of bread making, (the ingredients for croissant could also apply here)I believe are. 


A strong flour (tenace). With all-purpose flour you can't go wrong. Whole-wheat flour, on the other hand, might be a bit trickier for most. You might want to mix it 50/50 with all purpose or bread flour.  

Good water!, Yes I said Good Water! Yeast dosn't like chlorine anymore than I (we?) do. I only use either filtered or spring water for bread making (when I say bread making I mean any yeasted product.) You might consider having all the liquid you use at around 21° C (70° F), at least, in order for* the boss** to be happy

Good strong yeast, *(the boss*)*, check the date (that’s already been mentioned here) this is very important to the outcome. The yeast is one of the major players in this process. It is alive, and knows exactly what it wants. It wants warmth (between 21° C (70° F) and 32° C (90° F). You might consider using higher temperatures for the first rising and diminishing as you go along, (i.e. 1st rise – 32° C, 2nd rise – 25° C (80° F) and so on. This is not critical however, as 21° C (70° F) is good for the first two risings and the final proof, you should just give everyone longer to rise when the temperatures are lower. (If you want some tricks as to how to proof at home with higher temperatures let me know and I would be pleased to oblige, it just takes longer.  ) 

 Please don’t forget the salt. Although there is a very famous Italian bread (I can't think of the region right now but if you want to know, let me know), made in a certain region, that does not use salt. It was made like that to protest the governments control over salt, they just decided not to use it… There were also those in Italy that used seawater; solves the problem again, *NO Taxes! *

So that's about it. If you want to add ingredients that's another story. So bakers add ingredients when they start the kneading and others add ingredients just before the final proof. Have fun baking


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## jpmcgrew (May 3, 2006)

If you are using the kind of yeast you add diectly to flour like SAF Yeast you should not warm it up and you add cold water that yeast is designed that way.I worked in a bakery where that was the only kind of yeast we used.


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## jpmcgrew (May 3, 2006)

Urmaniac has the better recipe.Bernard Clayton is one of the best pastry guys. There should not be any egg added to dough.It sounds like your dough wasn't cold enough.The way we used to do it is to make dough cover well and chill over night.Make sure your butter is cut in small dice size chunks  and make sure its ice cold.The next day roll out your dough add the butter and roll it out.Some people will chill dough between each roll out.Everything must be well chilled or butter blends into dough and you lose that flakiness kinda like pie dough if the shortening blends in pie dough you get a stiff dough.You do not want that butter to melt into dough!
Its ok if usu see little chunks of butter through the dough thats what you want as you roll it a couple of times it works in better.
Also I think it's better to egg wash croissants just before they the go into oven if you do before proofing it can dry out the outside and keep croissants from rising properly.


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## BrianMorin (May 3, 2006)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> Today 03:52 PM
> jpmcgrew
> 
> Make sure your butter is cut in small dice size chunks and make sure its ice cold.The next day roll out your dough add the butter and roll it out.



I know if there are a million and one bakers, there are a million and one techniques and each on is the best.   Howerver I will put in my two cents anyway, for what it is worth. 

I use to roll my butter out on plastic wrap and put it in the fridge while I prepared my dough. With this technique the butter is in one rectangular, fairly thin, slab. I would let my dough rise for ½ an hour, then roll it out large enough to accommodate the now hardened butter. This of course would depend on the size of the batch. 

Example of my origianl recipe:

*

One variation of
Croissant français​
500g Farine (fort) - This could be bread or all purpose flour
10g selt - Salt at 2% of the flour weight
20g Levure - yeast at 4% of the flour weitht
60g Sucre - sugar
330g lait - We also weighed our liquids - I don't usually at home however, it isn't as critical, I find. But having said that it is very efficient. 
250g beurre - I believe that is about ½ lb of butter, just a little over. *
Then just follow the procedures that you saw in urmaniac13's post.​




			
				jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> Some people will chill dough between each roll out.



I didn't always have the luxury to chill my dough between every tour (turn), so I would go like mercury to get two tour in one. 




			
				jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> Today 03:37 PM
> jpmcgrew
> 
> If you are using the kind of yeast you add diectly to flour like SAF Yeast you should not warm it up and you add cold water that yeast is designed that way.I worked in a bakery where that was the only kind of yeast we used.



Ok, I don't know much about this type of yeast. It sounds very good. We used to use cake yeast 2% of the flour by weight except for croissant I use 4% - always by weight. I don't really know what that works out to by valume? I think it can very vastly however.

With the powdered yeast I us 1% for most bread recipies and 2% for croissant, and I use standard messuring spoons. 

Just a little aside: You can use the same dough to make Chocolatine: You just cut your dough in squares and roll them up with lots of chocolate chips inside... Ummm! Yummie!

God bless and Have fun baking...


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## jpmcgrew (May 3, 2006)

I also would roll out all at once and I would cut butter in slabs a break up by hand however I was trying to simplify this procedure for some one who is not familiar with croissant making.It's not the easiest pastry to make for some one that has not done it before.Im familiar with your rolling out the butter but I have never tried it.
I actually think cake yeast is the best yeast I love how it smells,I suppose alot of bakeries use the SAF now to save time and money.


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## Constance (May 3, 2006)

Thanks for the info, Yakuta. I never let mine stand more than 5 minutes... Perhaps that was my problem.
I finally decided that there was no point in beating a dead horse. After many years of trying to do breads, I finally gave up. I buy mine from the bakery now. 

I don't feel guilty about it...I figure I cook enough really good food, that I can be forgiven for not being about to do yeast breads. I do make great bisquits, but Kim always says he didn't marry me for my bisquits.


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## BrianMorin (May 3, 2006)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> I would cut butter in slabs a break up by hand [/qoute]
> 
> I wouldn't break up my butter. I would just put it in the dough in one piece. Cover it and roll.
> 
> ...


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## Samenderya (May 4, 2006)

thank u soo much guys ! , i really really appreciate it , u have no idea how those little buggers(yeast) have been bothering me , i mean i could never try bread or dough making cause they would never rise, next time i would your recommended methods and keep those buggers alive hehehheheh and then may be i might even say "it's alive haaaaaa" will surly inform u guys of my success!(plz plz plz god let them live in my dough !)


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## BrianMorin (May 4, 2006)

Samenderya:

I am eagerly looking forward to your success story..


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## Samenderya (May 5, 2006)

okay i think i better tell u guys what sort of yeast is avaiable here , cause i have concludede that diffrent types need diiferent process, it's only fair...they are alive 
okay my yeast comes in sachets , of 11 g... is granular , u know small small balls of brownish color ( very light brown), it is being made locally ... 
oh yes one more thing should i use castor sugar or simple sugar ! ( i know its a dumb question, but the problem is no one near me does baking so all my help comes from u guys )
thanx once again


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## Samenderya (May 5, 2006)

okay i think i better tell u guys what sort of yeast is avaiable here , cause i have concludede that diffrent types need diiferent process, it's only fair...they are alive 
okay my yeast comes in sachets , of 11 g... is granular , u know small small balls of brownish color ( very light brown), it is being made locally ... 
oh yes one more thing should i use castor sugar or simple sugar ! ( i know its a dumb question, but the problem is no one near me does baking so all my help comes from u guys )
thanx once again


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