Croissants, take 3

Lol I really wanted to be able to make proper croissants, so I attempted them a third time this past August over a few days that were not as hot (looking back, not sure what I was thinking making them in the middle of summer haha). But they worked! Finally!!! :D

What I learned:

• You do want to beat the butter enough so that it's pliable and doesn't break into bits when you fold the dough. I was initially afraid that beating the butter would melt it, but it turned out fine.
• I baked them longer this time to get a crispier texture, but I think I may have gone a bit overboard hahaha. After comparing with storebought croissants, I realized that it's normal for the insides to be bready (especially when kept inside an airtight container). Once you retoast them they crisp up fine.
• If you place any rolls with the edges facing down (like I did with the mini-pinwheels below), all the butter will leak out onto the pan.
• I had enough dough to make 3 pains au chocolat this time—stuffed them with more chocolate; so good :')

I did end up using a different recipe—it was simpler both in terms of ingredients and method, and since it called for larger quantities of the ingredients it produced more dough (which is a great thing: why go through all this trouble when you'll only end up with 6 croissants, right?). The recipe was from a YouTube video so I took notes by hand haha (too lazy to type it up):

Yes that is me using SOHCAHTOA irl after like 15 years LOL

(original recipe from Alex the French Guy)

And here are some process photos :)