les croissants, les croissants!!

  Yesterday I attempted the previously unachievable croissant-from-scratch.  They really are a royal pain to make, BUT WORTH EVERY BIT OF TROUBLE!!!  I got the book "Tartine" by Chad Robertson, for Christmas and was impressed by the author's approach to teaching the method for his own country loaf.  The book has really changed my understanding of the process and given me a greater appreciation for a great loaf of bread.  I've gotten close to his model a few times but I'm still a step aside.
   Regardless, the latter part of the book describes his croissant method and it really works beautifully.  This is as much a book review as a show-and-tell for my breakfast.  Check it out if you love super crunchy crusts with a springy interior... the author's method is grounded in very old fashioned methods of leavening by basing his breads on wild yeasts in a young, low-acid leaven and sometimes bolstering the rise with a "poolish" of lab grown yeast ripened for hours before innoculating them into the early dough.  The book was written for bread fanatics but is easy to follow for the novice (like me.) 

Here's my croissants from the AM.