How does the vegan butter alternative impact the croissant structure?

Solid vegan butter is essentially margarine because it is a plant oil-based solid fat. Using the stick form vs the spreadable form is important to prevent excessive melting during the lamination process.

What is different about these vegan croissants vs dairy butter croissants?

Mainly flavor - dairy butter will have a creamy, rich flavor whereas vegan butter will have a more oily, light, and fruity flavor. Both of these flavor profiles vary highly depending on the quality and type of ingredients. I highly recommend Irish Style Kerrygold butter for dairy butter baking purposes and European Style Mykonos butter for vegan butter as it is olive oil based and adds a nice complexity where the taste comes through.

Vegan Croissants

Name: Vegan Croissants
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 10 g yeast; 240 g Water; 410 g bread flour; 38 g sugar; 9 g salt; 56 g vegan butter, soft; 340 g vegan butter, cold; 30 g almond milk; 20 g maple syrup

Creating the Dough

Combine the yeast and water, set aside for 5 minutes to let the yeast activate. It will be frothy from the CO2 production once ready to use.
Add the bread flour, sugar, salt, and vegan butter to the yeast mixture and combine by hand until a dough begins to form. Knead for 5-7 minutes until the dough springs back when poked.
Cover and rest until doubled (approx. 1-2 hours)
Punch out air and transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a rectangle then cover and rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours, up to overnight.

Laminating the Dough

Create the lamination butter slab by placing the cold butter between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to flatten into a 5x5 square. Chill.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle slightly longer than the butter square and twice the height (about 1/4 in thick). Place the butter square in the lower half with at least 1/2 in border. Fold down the top to encase the butter in the dough and pinch all the sides together.
Roll out again into a 1/4 thick rectangle. Fold both ends towards the center until they meet, then fold both ends up until they meet. Chill at least 15 min.
Repeat the above rolling out and folding process again. Chill 1 hour covered in plastic wrap.
Roll out one more time to a 1/4 in thick rectangle. Cut triangles out, then cut a small slit in the base of each triangle and tightly roll into a croissant shape.
Place pastries on a parchment covered baking sheet and add a small bowl of hot water. Cover with a wrap and rest until doubled in size (1-3 hours). Preheat oven to 400F.
Brush with vegan egg wash mixture then bake for 10 min. Reduce heat to 350F and continue baking 10-15 min until golden brown. Let cool and enjoy!

Vegan Croissants