how long is overnight for my croissants?

Its made out of yeast,
The recipe said i have to eait overnight but i probably cant because i made the dough at 2 pm. If i have to wait for 8 hours i need some sleep.
can i wait a little longer? Like the next morning? Thanks.

audreyyooo
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11 Comments

Melody
Melody January 7, 2022
Just FYI, this original quesion was about ‘croissant’ dough. You do not want to punch down croissant dough or you will destroy the laminated layers. I just finished up my final fold on my croissant dough and putting it in the fridge until morning. That will make almost 20 hours in the fridge. I’ve done 24 and it works fine.
 
Anne
Anne November 12, 2020
Hi. I forgot to proof out my croissant dough, instead, I placed it directly in the fridge. Can I still continue with the whole process? Thanks
 
Melody
Melody January 7, 2022
At what point did you ‘forget’. I pat my dough (before laminating) out into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for 6-12 hours (works fine at 6, but wouldn’t leave it more than 12). Then I do my folds and put in fridge for 30 minutes after each complete fold. After I do my final fold, I put in the fridge for at least 6 hours and have gone up to 24 hours. I have shaped them and put them in the fridge overnight and then finished raising and proofing the next morning but have had less than stellar results. Coming out of the fridge, they take longer to warm up before they actually start rising so it has become a problem with the butter getting too warm and leaking out. So now, after rolling and cutting, I immediately put them to proof where the temp is about 75 deg (no higher than 80). Perfect croissants.
 
PieceOfLayerCake
PieceOfLayerCake October 13, 2015
We make croissants daily at my bakery and often the "books" are left in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. I wouldn't go much longer than that, though.
 
PieceOfLayerCake
PieceOfLayerCake October 13, 2015
We also don't do anything to it. If you punch it down, you redistribute the yeast and it proofs faster. As long as its tightly wrapped, just let it be and punch it down when you're going to roll.

Longer is usually better for bread, but there comes a point when the flavor becomes decidedly "boozy".
 
PieceOfLayerCake
PieceOfLayerCake October 13, 2015
We also don't do anything to it. If you punch it down, you redistribute the yeast and it proofs faster. As long as its tightly wrapped, just let it be and punch it down when you're going to roll.

Longer is usually better for bread, but there comes a point when the flavor becomes decidedly "boozy".
 
caninechef
caninechef October 13, 2015
Not directly related to your problem, but I really hate the instruction to do something "overnight". It makes me feel like I am supposed to be cooking something at 8 AM. It makes sense for some things ( that breakfast strata) but not maybe for the meat I want to grill for dinner. I wish recipes would specify soaking/resting/marinating etc times along the lines of "up to 8 hrs" i.e. do the prep for dinner in the morning versus "12-24 hrs" which would mean prep tomorrow's dinner tonight. I realize for many things it does not matter but sometimes 24 hrs soaking in something is way too much.
 
ChefJune
ChefJune October 13, 2015
Yes, I would wait until the next morning. There's no reason you have to bake them in the middle of the night. But you wouldn't want to rest them shorter than the 8 hours.
 
Amanda
Amanda October 13, 2015
I agree with Nancy and Amy, the longer the better! Especially when you rest it in between turns and allow a long rest after the final turn. It will have a well developed robust flavor as opposed to a young and light flavor.
 
Amy
Amy October 12, 2015
Yup...longer isn't an issue. It's just a way of saying "don't rush". If you sleep, it's at least an 8 hour "rest" for the dough and for the yeast to get lively. And it helps the taste. I wouldn't leave it for days and days, but even 24 hours isn't really going to hurt. I have a mock croissant dough that I use and the recipe says it can chill for up to 4 days, and in my experience with my recipe, the more it sits, the better the dough. Experiment and see :)
 
Nancy
Nancy October 12, 2015
Yes you can wait longer.
Nothing bad happens to dough when it's going through a cold, slow rise in the refrigerator.
In fact, the opposite - such a rise often helps with development of yeast and fine bubbles, which provide good texture in the final product.
Only problem you may have is if you leave it very long, and the dough starts to rise or expand, punch it down, cover and come back when you have time to finish the recipe.
 
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