The process was really enjoyable. Enjoyable enough that I'm willing to try it again (at least until I am successful, just to have the bragging rights
). There are a couple of things that I think may have been the issue, or a combination of all of them, perhaps. First, I used bread flour. I'm not sure if that's the right kind of flour for croissants, but it's all I have. The recipe called for all purpose, and I'm using the KA Sir Lancelot flour, which is even higher in protein than their regular bread flour. It's recommended for bagels, which is why I have it, since sourdough bagels are what I bake the most of (it works beautifully for that, actually). The dough got an excellent rise during the initial ferment. It had really nice texture. But, when I did the laminating, the butter softened a bit and was oozing out of the sides a little. I don't know if it's supposed to do that or not. Finally, I got impatient this morning and didn't wait long enough for the final rise. They did rise while baking, and the outer layer was flaky and soft; but the inside had definitely not risen well enough. I might try just shaping them and letting them finish rising on the counter, and skip the fridge next time. I always have better luck without the fridge rise when it comes to sourdough, for some reason.
