Croissants
Croissant dough is a wet or soft, bland laminated yeast dough containing 25 to 50 percent roll-in fat. A classic croissant uses unsalted sweet butter for the roll-in fat. Croissants should be light and flaky, with a moderately open grain and a distinctly layered texture. Well-developed doughs that are rich in fat will provide these characteristics. The ingredients for croissants include bread flour, to keep the dough strong enough for shaping; cold water or milk, to retard yeast action and keep gluten relaxed; yeast, as the primary leavening mechanism; and salt, for flavor, for gluten strengthening, and to retard yeast action. Dry milk solids are used when milk is not, and along with granulated sugar; both soften the curst and give it color. Butter or shortening is adde3d in the cough stage to lubricate gluten strands. Eggs may be used for additional color and richness, although they are not used classically
Croissants usually receive an initial threefold, or single turn, and then three more threefolds to complete the roll-in procedure. Too many folds in a croissant can make the pastry heavy and chewy, rather than light and flaky.
Danish pastry
Danish pastry was originally made in Denmark and was brought to the United States by Scandinavian pastry chefs around 1919. There are five basic differences between Danish and croissants. Danish is flakier, has more flavor, has more roll-in fat, is more tender, and is softer.
The amount of roll-in fat in Danish dough is of great importance in terms of appearance of the finished product. In the production of real, high-quality Danish pastry, the mixed dough is weighed, and then enough roll-in fat is used to equal half the dough’s weight.
Danish, like croissant, is a wet dough- both use between 50 to 60 percent liquid in their formulas. Danish dough is semisweet to sweet; the dough is rich in eggs and further enriched with the use of milk. Cardamom is characteristically used to flavor Danish dough.
Types of Danish
The three types of Danish are American, Scandinavian, and European. The basic difference among these types is the amount of roll-in fat used in their production. American Danish is 10 to 20 percent roll-in fat; European Danish is 25 to 40 percent roll-in fat; and Scandinavian Danish, which is considered to be the best Danish, is 45 to 55 percent roll-in fat.
American Danish
Because there is a low amount of roll-in fat in American Danish, the flavor of the dough must be obtained through other ingredients. American Danish generally has a large amount of sugar and salt and an increased amount of yeast. Spices, shortening or margarine, and eggs are added to the dough for added flavor. American Danish is baked at 375 because the oven spring is not as important given the low percentage of roll-in fat.
Scandinavian Danish
Scandinavian Danish is a wet (soft), bland, laminated yeast dough containing between 45 and 55 percent roll-in fat. Butter, or sometimes puff-pastry shortening, is usually used as the roll-in fat, to produce very crispy, flaky dough. Scandinavian Danish should be baked between 425F and 450F.
European Danish
European Danish is less crisp than Scandinavian. European Danish is baked at moderate temperatures, slightly above 400F.
