Euro style butter...

[tan319]

Spurred on by the thread on lemon curd, I aqquired a case of Plugra euro style butter.

I just started getting into it but I was wondering how many of the pastry chefs in here ( others too) use this style butter and, if so, do you find yourselves adjusting your liquids?

I ask because the 1st thing I did to experiment was make brioche.

I found it came out a bit dry and I haven't really had that problem before.

Maybe the flour here is a bit drier right now or I just had a bad dough day.

My curiousity is piqued, would love to hear about your experiences.

Talk to me!

Thanks in advance

[tchorst]

Did it have the actual % listed? I've used Plugra frequently in the past and had no dryness issues, although I didn't think it was *that* dry, so it could've been a different % than you're using. Then again, in NJ humididty it's hard to keep anything dry .

[artisanbaker]

keeping in mind that brioche usually has 40 to 60% butter by relation to the qty. of flour. the fact that plugra has a significantly lower % of water in it is more obvious in a dough like this where the butter content is so high. i can tell a big difference between a brioche dough made with plugra and one made with lol.

that being said, i wouldn't decribe the plugra dough as being "dry." it does have different rheological properties; slightly shiny and higher viscosity.

[kitwilliams]

I use Plugra in anything in which the flavor of butter is prominent and I make no adjustments whatsoever. The only difference seems to be great flavor, particularly in pate sucree and brisee. And shortbread. Pound cake.

And it is a dream to work with in laminated doughs.

Plugra. Dreamy.

[tan319]

I meant the baked brioche was dry.

[tan319]

More on the experiments.

I made my Marquise today with the butter, chocolate used was Valrhona Pur Caribe 66%.

My initial thought was "wow!!! this is really buttery!!!

I hit the mix with a little Fluer de sel and that brought the chocolate up.

By the time I was piping the mix into my molds, I thought it was all settling in.

There was a noticeble difference in the mix, I think a good one.

More volume and fluffiness.

I'll taste one tomorrow.

I'm starting to think of a new dessert with a macadamia nut shortbread, coconut lime sorbet with scotch bonnet peppers that I call 'Fire and Ice' that I've been offering solo (it was inspired by Douglas Rodriguez' cerviche of the same name, I used to work for him at Chicama, in NYC) and something else is going to be needed, something really creamy and smooth, looser.

I'll keep you posted.

[yellowmnm81]

hello.. i have another question about using euro style butter instead of regular butter.. well i have plugra and would this be good to use in say.. a chocolate chip cookie recipe?? i am making the chewy type so would the high amounts of butterfat make it spread too much and be crispy? or would refrigerating the dough before baking solve the problem anyway??

[tan319]

chocolate chip cookies made with plugra are going to be awesome!

One of my fave things

[chefpeon]

Actually, I guess I gotta put my two cents in here and say that I prefer to save my Plugra for

stuff it really makes a difference in, like puff doughs, danish, croissant, and the like. Plugra is

pricey, and I don't believe the cost really justifies using it in a cookie, where the taste and texture, really, are barely discernable. I've done side by side taste tests with co-workers and

family, and no one could tell the difference between a Plugra cookie and a regular butter cookie.

Not even me.

Because of the higher butterfat/lower moisture content of Plugra, it's perfectly suited for making

superior laminated doughs (and pie crusts!). I can see and taste the difference, so then I believe the cost is justified.

Just my two Plugra cents worth......

[tan319]

You didn't pick up any difference in the crumb, etc.?

It's definitely a guilty pleasure for me.

[chefzadi]

When I moved to the States I had to adjust the opposite way. I didn't know at first that regular American butter had a higher water content. I cursed it so. I prefer plugra for everything, especialy pastries when it's cost effective. But I agree that in some applications the difference is nominal, perhaps not even discernable.

[chefpeon]

You didn't pick up any difference in the crumb, etc.?

I think I'll clarify a bit......I would use Plugra in a shortbread, for sure. Since it's a butter-heavy

cookie and the high butterfat would contribute to the shortness and tenderness of it....heck yeah, Plugra all the way.

But in something like a Chocolate Chip Cookie, or a Snickerdoodle for instance......nah.

[vengroff]

I did a bunch of laminated doughs with Plugra for Easter. I bumped up the percentage of butter in the recipes I had so that there would still be enough moisture to generate good steam and thus seperation of the layers. Results were generally quite good.

Here's are a couple of examples:

I posted a bunch of pictures and descriptions over on an Easter thread in the Seattle forum.

Full details here.

[melmck]

close up photos are simply pornographic!! I am filled with lust...

I am using 82%fat butter, which is the same as Plugra, I believe. I use it for everything except buttercream, as it is a touch too yellow, I get cheaper/higher moisture butter for that.

[nightscotsman]

We use Plugra for everything from buttercream to croissants to coating cheesecake pans. We go through quite a few 40 lb blocks a day.

[chefpeon]

coating cheesecake pans.

Why do you coat cheesecake pans?