Croissant quality depends on lamination and fermentation working together. Beautiful layers alone are not enough if fermentation is weak, and strong fermentation cannot rescue damaged butter layers.

What to do in practice

  • Develop sufficient dough strength before lamination.
  • Maintain clean butter layers during rolling.
  • Proof until the internal structure is ready to expand in the oven.

If it is going wrong, check these first

  • Underproofing and producing a dense interior
  • Proofing so warm that butter leaks
  • Forcing cold dough through the sheeter