Posted by ashlee on February 16, 1998 at 17:57:47:
hi! I am a pastry chef at a small country house hotel. We offer croissants every morning for breakfast. I make everything from scratch. The daily volume differs greatly so I make, roll, and freeze, the croissants for proofing and baking as I need them. I experience problems every once in a while with a batch not proofing at all. I have gone though all of the variables I can think of- killing the yeast, weather too hot when they were rolled, not proofing long enough, etc. the only other thing I can think of is that the freezer does something to the yeast. does anyone know of a good way that works to go about freezing croissants in advance? Can the freezer kill the yeast? Is there and additive I could use to improve my consistencey in proofing?
I don't have a proof box. I only have a rolling rack with a zippered plastic cover. When the weather is cold I also add a hotplate with a bowl of water on top to add warmth to the box.
Any ideas will be helpfull. Thanks.