從麵包師的角度欣賞麵包 3 From A Baker's Perspective 3

傳統的法國牛角酥是未完成的作品!

The traditional croissant is a work-in-progress.

傳統的牛角酥，理論及技巧是建基於派皮”puff pastry”之上，縱使麵團添加了酵母，但所得出的效果其實與派皮大同小異，依舊是酥脆”flaky”的表層。若果不能充分理解並發揮”發酵使麵團膨脹”之特點，牛角酥在眾多不同的烘焙產品中將黯然失色，甚是遺憾!

The traditional croissant is theoretically and technically based on puff pastry with one key difference: addition of yeast. Yet, given how similar they are in terms of their flaky exterior, it takes in-depth understanding of the fermentation process to bring out their unique differences. Otherwise even a properly made traditional croissant would be lost among other baked delectables and that would be a pity!

派皮所以酥脆，是因為內裡形成了合適的蜂窩狀結構，所使用的手法是透過摺疊至牛油層出現合適的破損。而因牛角酥麵團在發酵時會膨脹，將牛油層拉得更薄，因此摺疊次數比起製作派皮時所需的較少。

Let’s start with the puff pastry: its crisp layers is the result of appropriate formation of honeycomb interior structure. We create that through multiple folds of the butter and dough layers until they are appropriately merged. However when we make the croissant, we need to take into consideration the process of fermentation due to the presence of yeast. This causes the dough to rise, further stretching the butter-pastry layers on its own. With that in mind, the number of times we need to fold the croissant dough is less than that of the puff pastry.

基於上述特點，我認為牛角酥所能做到的效果，將會是將摺疊次數減至最少，以特顯出層次感，並將口感改變為硬脆、爽脆，充分利用”發酵使麵團膨脹”之特點將使得牛角酥從派皮的影子走出來，成為獨當一面的產品!

Based on the above point, I deduced that to bring out the distinctive layers of the croissant is to keep to the minimal number of croissant dough folds. Furthermore, by making the exterior crispy and crunchy (similar to wafer), this fully utilizes the effect of fermentation. These two steps will help to differentiate the croissant from puff pastry, helping it stand out.

技術上要解決的問題主要有幾項，包括配合不同麵粉的油溶性，糖的滲透壓作用，酵母的活性，冷凍對麵筋及酵母的影響，牛油的溶點等等。要做到完美的"天然酵母麵包店獨有的牛角酥"感覺上還有很漫長的一段路，但每當聽見顧客問到”為何貴店的牛角酥與眾不同?”都仍舊感慨萬分。

However there are several technical challenges to overcome:

1)  Right blend of flour based on its ability to dissolve in fat (butter)

2)  Osmosis activity due to suger

3)  Yeast activity

4)  Effect of freezing on the dough gluten matrix and yeast activity

5)  Melting point of butter

Creating a croissant with a distinct textural contrast has taken me years. There is a lament lingerining in my heart whenever I hear delighted cheers on the uniqueness of our "Levain Bakery Style Croissants".