Rant: People who don't rest their dough before baking

I've been working the morning pastry shift at a place in Portland for about 6 months now. Every single day I see the same mistake from the new guys. They mix up a batch of croissant dough, shape it, and throw it straight into the oven. Then they wonder why the layers are all mashed together and the butter leaks out. I had to stop a kid last Tuesday who was about to ruin a whole tray. I told him, just let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes. That lets the gluten relax and keeps the butter cold. He did it and his batch came out perfect, flaky and tall. I don't get why this is so hard to remember. Has anyone else dealt with this at their spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

lunashah24d ago

Twenty minutes is nothing for dough that actually needs to rest.

jamie_price23d ago

Tell me about it, I once tried to rush a pizza dough and ended up with what I can only describe as a very sad, cracker-like frisbee. Has that ever backfired on you too?