That fact about butter and water content blew my mind last Tuesday

I was reading a King Arthur baking blog and found out that European style butter has way less water than standard American butter. Like around 82% butterfat vs the typical 80% we get here. I always wondered why my croissants came out different when I switched butters last month. Has anyone else noticed a big difference in their laminated doughs depending on the butter brand?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_johnson7d ago

Oh man, I feel you on this one. I had the exact same experience a couple years ago when I tried making puff pastry for the first time. I grabbed whatever butter was on sale and ended up with a sad, greasy mess that just didn't puff right. It wasn't until I talked to a friend who bakes professionally that I learned about the water content difference. He told me European butters like Plugra or Kerrygold are way better for laminating because less water means less steam escaping and more layers holding together. I started using Kerrygold for my croissants and the difference was night and day, they actually got those nice flaky layers. It's one of those small things that really matters if you're trying to do anything fancy with dough.

joel_young7d ago

That makes total sense, @elliot_johnson, and it's wild how one small ingredient swap can totally change the game. It kind of reminds me of how people think about oil when they're cooking, like grabbing cheap vegetable oil for searing a steak versus using something with a higher smoke point like avocado oil. You don't realize how much water or impurities matter until you see the results side by side, and it's the same with butter. Once you start paying attention to stuff like that, you see it everywhere, from coffee beans to pasta brands. It's like the little details are what separate a decent effort from something that really shines, but you only learn that by messing up first, lol.