What we’re about
Welcome fans of The Great British Baking Show! Our group was started in November 2020. It is for bakers who enjoy the Great British Bake Off/Baking Show and want to try to replicate some of their bakes. Each month we have a Technical Challenge with a recipe chosen from the show. We have members of all levels of experience, of all ages and from all parts of the country. Our goal is to share what worked well for us and what didn't and discuss our baking experiences and results with other like-minded bakers.
We meet virtually on Zoom on Sunday evenings at 6pm Eastern Time (5pm Central Time).
The frequency of meetings changed from 1x per week to 1x per month (July 2023).
Upcoming events (1)
See all- May 2025 Bake - Croissants, a Paul Hollywood recipeLink visible for attendees
Croissants - Paul Hollywood recipe
https://www.paulhollywood.com/post/croissantsFor our May recipe, we are going to bake rich, buttery, flaky croissants using Paul Hollywood's recipe.
Please read the recipe before you begin. Expect this project to be done over 2-3 days. A majority of the time is the dough proofing, resting, and chilling in the refrigerator. Temperature, time, and humidity are all important factors in making croissants.
Baking temperature is 200 C or 392 F.
Notes on some of the ingredients:
- Strong white bread flour (SWBF), this is the British term for U.S. Bread flour which has 12% - 14% protein in it. SWBF develops more gluten than other kinds of flour. You want a higher protein content for croissants because a strong web of gluten in the dough will trap gas bubbles as the dough rises.
- Instant yeast, if you use any other type of yeast (fresh or active) you will want to see if there is a quantity conversion
- Unsalted butter, Paul H recommends using a Normandy butter. His recommendation is because Normandy butter contains at least 82% butterfat. A higher butterfat content contributes to a richer flavor, softer texture, and lower melting point
- Eggwash - used to enhance appearance (beautiful shine and a rich, golden-brown color) and to slow down moisture loss, helping to maintain freshness
Brief history of croissants, from https://www.ice.edu/blog/brief-history-croissant
Croissants, known for their flaky and buttery layers, have a history rooted in Austria and were popularized in France in the 19th century.The earliest recorded introduction of the kipferl to France occurred in 1839, when Austrian artillery officer August Zang founded a Viennese bakery in Paris. Parisians fell in love with the kipferl (and with Viennese baking as a whole), and imitated the bread in their own shops. The name "croissant" also began appearing in historical record, referring to the crescent shape of the bread.
In 1915, Sylvain Claudius Goy recorded the first-known French version of the croissant recipe. Instead of brioche dough, as August Zang used, Goy transformed the recipe to use a laminated yeast dough. Lamination involves folding butter and dough to create thin, flaky layers of pastry.
