The Great Canadian Baking Blunder: Croissants First Attempt

When my husband first suggested I apply for The Great Canadian Baking Show, it caught me a bit off guard. I like to bake - especially bread - but I'd never considered trying a competition. I'm not a bad baker, but I wasn't sure if I was up to the skill level the bakers on that show have.

So, I attempted croissants. After all, go big or go home, right?

I'd heard that they're tricky, which was exactly why I needed to try them.

The layers were everything. They needed to have multiple layers in order to be the light and flakey pastry that everyone knows and loves. One recipe I read suggested having over 700 layers!

At first, everything was going well. Dough was made, butter folded in. (Sidenote: beating butter into submission is absolutely as satisfying as it sounds.) Why did people say this was sooooo hard? It was time consuming perhaps, but so far so good!

Then, the dough started tearing.

Butter spread all over my counter as I tried to roll. Alright, maybe this was a bit harder than I originally thought.

When the butter coating became a bit much, I decided it was time to roll them.

Okay, they were sort of sad looking, but their general shape seemed okay. They had layers. They were vaguely croissant-ish.

After baking… they were no longer vaguely croissant-ish. They were just sad-ish.

I wouldn't be winning any points for appearance, but maybe they still tasted alright! Contestants have gotten through with worse, right?

Bleck.

They were both over and underbaked. Tough and chewy yet also strangely crunchy. They thoroughly confused my mouth.

Then, it hit me.

I had gotten so caught up in the technical folding and layering aspect that I had completely missed the first step.

I forgot the yeast.