Tried butter from a local creamery and my croissants came out greasy

I grabbed a batch of butter from Cedar Creek Creamery near Portland last week because everyone raves about it. Used it in my standard laminated dough at 82% hydration and the layers just didn't hold, it was like a puddle of grease on the sheet pan. Learned that the butterfat content was around 80% instead of the 84% I usually get from Plugrá, so the extra moisture wrecked the lamination. Has anyone else had trouble using local butters in high temp baking like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

rosebarnes16d ago

I've actually had the exact opposite experience with that same Cedar Creek butter. I used their 82% butter in a croissant recipe at 80% hydration and got the best lamination I've ever had, clean layers with a really defined honeycomb inside. The extra moisture actually helped me get a better oven spring because it created more steam early on which lifted the dough before the fat could melt out. I think people overstate the 84% thing, I've had more problems with Plugrá being too stiff and cracking in my dough than I ever have with a good local butter that's a little softer.

elliot_barnes15d ago

Melt the butter slightly and let it re-chill if you're having stiffness trouble, it'll roll out smoother without cracking. I've had good luck cutting Plugrá with a stick of store brand to balance the hardness and get a better workable temp.

joel_butler16d ago

Started out totally on the Plugrá train myself, thought any butter under 84% was a waste of money. Then a friend brought over some Amish roll butter from a farmer's market and I gave it a shot in my puff pastry just to prove her wrong. Burnt the hell out of the bottom because the extra water turned to steam way too fast, but the flavor was honestly incredible, like actual cream instead of just fat. It made me realize I was being a snob about numbers instead of paying attention to how different butters behave, especially with hydration in the dough. Now I keep a block of the local stuff for shortcrust or scones where the extra milk solids add richness without ruining the structure.