Found out my pastry butter temp was totally wrong for 5 years

I read this piece on Serious Eats last month about how butter temperature in laminated dough isn't just about being cold, it needs to be at EXACTLY 55-58F for proper lamination. Turns out I was pulling my butter straight from the walk-in at 40F and wondering why my croissants were tearing. Did a side by side test last week with the warmer butter and got my best layers ever. Anyone else ever get humbled by a specific temperature range like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

owens.anthony1mo ago

Did you temp the butter blocks or just the dough before you rolled?

grant4781mo agoProlific Poster

Used to think it didn't matter that much, but this thread got me second guessing. Butter temp can mess with your lamination layers way more than I gave it credit for. Definitely gonna start temping both from now on.

the_drew1mo ago

Honestly @owens.anthony, I temped the dough and then just kinda vibed with the butter. Probably should have checked the blocks but my thermometer's been acting up and I'm too lazy to replace it.