The Lamination Lab: The Science of Croissants with Lauren Haas

Schedule:

• Day 1: April 3rd, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Day 2: April 4th, 7:30 am to 5:00 pm

If you’ve ever wondered why one croissant yields a beautiful open honeycomb while another croissant’s honeycomb is tight, uneven, or collapsed, then this course is for you!

The focus of this course is developing a deep understanding of lamination. Over two days, we will use the croissant as our medium to develop experiential knowledge regarding which steps and ingredients give you the best flavor, honeycomb, and production efficiency.

This is a small, intensive class, and every student will laminate and shape their own dough.

Day One: Theory, then your dough

We start with the theory behind ingredient selection, hydration, and fermentation approaches. Then we will move into the bakeshop, where you will make butter blocks, mix doughs, laminate, and produce fillings.

Day Two: Laminate again, bake, and, compare

Day Two gives you more lamination practice, plus shaping, proofing, baking, finishing, and evaluating. We will cut open each croissant and compare recipes and methods side by side, so you can understand how factors such as the number of folds, pre-ferments, hydration, and butter selection affect laminated doughs.

We will also make variations on the classic croissant and pain au chocolat with new flavors such as yuzu verbena croissants, flavored pain as chocolat, and pistachio almond croissants.

Variables we’ll explore:

• Pre-ferments: Poolish, sponge/biga, or straight dough. What are the benefits or potential drawbacks of each of these pre-ferments?
• Flour: Lower or higher protein, and what each does to structure and texture.
• Hydration: The ideal range, and what happens at the low and high extremes.
• Proofing: Underproofed, overproofed, and just right. How do you recognize a properly proofed croissant?
• Butter: Lamination butter vs. standard butter, and the difference in taste, texture, and workability.
• Fold sequences: Two singles, two doubles, three singles, or a combination. Which builds the best honeycomb and structure?
• Flavored doughs: Building your own flavored dough variations, such as miso brown butter, without losing structure.

You’ll leave with solid formulas, better hands-on skills, and the know-how to troubleshoot and craft your ideal croissant.

Please note: This masterclass welcomes both professional bakers and experienced home bakers. We will use a professional sheeter for lamination. We will also discuss hand lamination and how to adapt what you learn to a home kitchen, but we won’t practice hand lamination in this course.

Have a question about the class or whether it’s the right fit? Please reach out at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help.

A light breakfast and lunch will be served each day.

Looking for more pastries and flavors? The Lamination & Viennoiserie Masterclass in February covers the fundamentals and then a range of shapes, fillings, and finishing techniques.

Instructor Bio

Lauren Haas is a pastry innovator and educator driven by a purpose: to inspire, empower, and elevate chefs within the pastry industry.

Her experience includes The White House, faculty and department chair positions at Johnson & Wales University, and service as Lead Chef for the Chocolate Academy Centers in North America.

She has been recognized by Dessert Professional as one of the Top Pastry Chefs in America, and by Bake Magazine as a leading educator in the U.S.

Lauren holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems and, in 2023, received the La Liste Game Changer Award, an international recognition honoring individuals shaping the future of gastronomy.

Currently, Lauren is a Professor at the Culinary Institute of America, where she seeks to inspire the next generation of industry leaders.

Learn more at www.lauren-haas.com and @laurenvhaas.

Please stay home if you’re experiencing any symptoms of illness. Email us at [email protected] if this occurs to speak with a class coordinator.

Categories: Baking Class, Bread, Demonstration, Intermediate