# Please: bake your french pastry a little darker



## jerry i h (Aug 11, 2008)

Doin' a little traveling this summer. Rather tired of being confronted with an entire case of french pastry, all under-baked. Look: pastry based on puff paste should be nice and dark, think rosewood or cherrywood. NOT: pale like yellow pine.
If this is how you bake yours, try this: when you take the sheet pan out of the oven, leave a couple of pieces on the pan and stick it back in the oven. I promise you that the interior will still be soft and buttery; and the contrast between the dark, carmelized, crunchy exterior will contrast nicely with the rich insides.


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

so more like a croissant (brown and tan) then say...any eclair I have ever seen? they are usually pasty yellow.


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

Golden brown, rich, lush caramelization! 
On cue and baked. 

Happy Travels!


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## chefpeon (Jun 14, 2006)

Just to add, we pastry chefs would probably prefer to bake our croissants and danishes a little darker.....problem is, you have American customers and even bosses who insist on a lighter bake. I've encountered this many times. Lots of people in the US think the European bake is just plain "burnt".:lol:


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## chefelle (Feb 17, 2007)

I hear ya, Annie. I have the same problem here in Canada!


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## dgcooks (Mar 20, 2009)

I agree darker is better, tell the customers they are wrong!!


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## meatpie (Jun 20, 2009)

And you will have customers who will buy elsewhere.
Over here, there is a preference for brown but not burnt.
I've not seen pastries the colour of rosewood in Paris boulangeries either.


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## galit (Mar 28, 2007)

My French chefs always told us in school- make it darker, flakier, tastier....
Why not educate the American costumers?

If they all fell inlove with cupcakes...u can teach them to love darker..


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## chefrobin (Mar 24, 2009)

Up until I got laid off at the country club a few weeks ago........ If we were to serve a croissant or pastry that was more than a little golden, they were sent back. Is it a "we aren't french" attitude and don't want to be like them or what? It was hard to study in France and then come to the US and have them tell you your food is overcooked.


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## chefrobin (Mar 24, 2009)

Up until I got laid off at the country club a few weeks ago........ If we were to serve a croissant or pastry that was more than a little golden, they were sent back. Is it a "we aren't french" attitude and don't want to be like them or what? It was hard to study in France and then come to the US and have them tell you your food is overcooked.


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## meatpie (Jun 20, 2009)

Cupcakes were always in America.
It's just that they were usually relegated to kids' parties (as they should be! *s*)
Then a few bakeries got a hold of them and made them hip and the usual food fad followed.

Same thing applies to croissants etc. You can try to "educate" the American palate but culture is what it is and if a culture rejects a certain style then so be it. 

I kind o' like the fact that in America just because it's French doesn't mean it has to be that way. And to be honest, Australians don't like the 'dark' look or taste either. And when your bottom line speaks, thou shalt pay attention


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## chefrobin (Mar 24, 2009)

You are right. At home we can make what ever we want because we are serving ourselves, and if we want it darker or euro style we can. But in service to the customer, "the customer is (usually) always right. They pay my bills, so they are going to get what they want. Ah commercialism...


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## meatpie (Jun 20, 2009)

Don't you just love the smell of dollars in the morning....


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## trecilhop (Oct 15, 2009)

I accept: If they all fell inlove with cupcakes can teach them to love darker.


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## mikeb (Jun 29, 2004)

Pastries shouldn't be that dark unless they're glazed or caramelized with sugar on the outside. If you're cooking non-caramelized puff the colour of rosewood, it will taste burnt. 

And BTW, when I was in France the pastries really weren't any darker than they are over here (unless you're counting supermarket pastries), and the baguettes were probably lighter in colour over there...


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## pchefjo (Apr 5, 2009)

This is one of my pet peeves! I am originally from NY and moved to TX where they like almost everything raw!! A croissant should NOT COLLAPSE in the middle when properly baked. Baguettes should not bend over the end of a table, and choc chip cookies should not have a gooey center of raw dough!!!

Thanks - I just had to let that out lol

Jo


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## bekazu (Sep 22, 2009)

I totally agree. I argue with my crew everyday over baking croissants until they are cooked not simply warmed up enough to be puffy. 
If I want cookie dough I eat raw cookie dough and I do not appreciate finding huge hunks of raw dough in my cookies. 
I was "informed' yesterday that cookies only stay soft if they are half raw. LMAO I tested and baked and rewrote my recipe until I have perfectly soft, light golden, *completely cooked* cookies


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