Substitutions for "European style" butter in croissants
I've been trying to make croissants at home. Many recipes I've read specify "European style" butter, with a higher fat content. However, finding this kind of butter locally is very difficult. In the places I have found it, it's very expensive.
I've found that when using ordinary unsalted butter as sold in the US there seems to be no good temperature for laminating the dough. Cooled as recipes suggest, the butter is brittle and cracks. Allowed to warm slightly more, the butter is absorbed into the dough.
So I'm wondering, is there some substitute available (not for butter generally, but "European style" butter? If a higher fat content is what's needed, I wonder if some combination of clarified butter mixed with ordinary unsalted butter might work. Any suggestions?
Best Answer
A mix of clarified and ordinary unsalted butter works well.
I used clarified butter that was simmered for a long time to be sure the water was thoroughly removed, just to the point where it stops sputtering, and the solids in the bottom begin to brown.
If the unsalted butter has a fat content of 80% and clarified near 100%, then a 20% clarified to 80% unsalted ratio results in 84% fat.
I let the two warm to room temperature, then beat them thoroughly with an electric mixer to combine.
Immediately after beating I transferred the now very soft butter to parchment paper. Folding the paper over, I squished the butter into a nice slab for laminating, wrapped it tightly with the parchment, and put it in the fridge to chill until the dough is ready.
I'm still experimenting with the flavor of croissants made this way. Obviously this won't reproduce the complex flavors of a cultured butter.
However, the workability of this combination is great: no shattering even when chilled in the freezer, unlike 80% fat unsalted butter alone.
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What is a substitute for European Style Butter?
A mix of clarified and ordinary unsalted butter works well.Can you make croissants without European butter?
Don't write off European-style butter just yet, though. Some pastry chefs swear by it for making croissants. They think it makes their laminated dough more workable at colder temperatures, and also makes a richer pastry. But there are also those who argue that just a little bit more water in butter can be a good thing.Can I use normal butter instead of European butter?
The recipes using Land O Lakes\xae Extra Creamy Butter, a European Style butter, were developed to highlight the tender texture you get from our European Style Butter. While you can substitute regular butter in these recipes, you may notice a difference in the flavor of the food and the texture of baked goods.Which butter is best for croissant?
What butter should I use? French boulangeries use butter that has a high fat content of 85 to 87 percent. For best results use quality butter with a high fat content and no additives or extra water. European style or imported butters can often be found in specialty grocery stores.Battle of the Butters!
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Answer 2
I haven't tried this, but it could work...
Since the difference between European butter and American butter is fat content, maybe you could do a combination of butter and shortening. American butter is normally 80% fat (or more). European butter is normally 85% fat (or more). Shortening is 100% fat (it doesn't contain water). I wouldn't use all shortening though because that butter flavor is too delicious to miss. Also, I think you need the water to create steam that leads to flaky layers...also delicious.
Answer 3
I don't know how fast water will evaporate from butter, but leaving slices of your butter exposed to (dry) air for half a day could be a low-effort way of reducing water content? The butter would discolour slightly, but there shouldn't be noticeable off-flavours that would affect the dough. (I've successfully used a fan over egg-whites to rapidly reduce water content for a different baking task.)
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