This croissant recipe is adapted from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I love love love this book and rank it on par with Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Everytime I attempt something by Rose Levy Beranbaum, I am almost certain that the outcome will be at least pleasant. Her clear step-by-step directions and explanations are commendable. This book is definitely a baker's holy grail (well, at least, mine).
I have digressed again. On with the croissants.
This is my first attempt with the croissant. Overall, I’m satisfied with the result and very happy that I've attempted them. I’ve tasted croissants far worse than mine, for instance, the store-bought ones as I have mentioned above. But really, mine's not that bad. Ugly but great tasting - That's acceptable in my books. To a certain extent. But I'm determined to keep trying. So, keep on reading and one day, I'll surprise you with a great looking croissant. In conclusion, perhaps I should rephrase my opener. Life is too short to eat bad tasting croissants. Ugly's an exception, for now.
You will need:
Dough
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, set aside 1 tbsp
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk, scaled and cooled to room temperature
170 g unsalted butter*
Egg glaze
1 large egg
1 tbsp water
* The recipe had called for higher-fat European styled butter. I'm not too sure if we can get them here, so I've used regular unsalted butter instead. Higher-fat European styled butter is said to be soft and pliant, making it ideal for rolling into the dough without breaking through the layers. Maybe that's why I couldn't roll my dough very well. Hence, the deformed croissant.
Preparation:
In the mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast and sugar. Then whisk in the salt (this keeps the yeast from coming in contact with the salt, which would kill it). With the dough hook, add the milk and mix, starting on low speed, until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and knead for 4 minutes. The dough will be silky-smooth and have pulled away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still cling to your fingers slightly.
Place the dough in a large bowl, lightly greased with cooking spray or oil. Press down the dough and lightly spray or oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
Using an oiled spatula, gently fold the dough by lifting it from the sides and pressing it into the middle to deflate slightly. Cover and refridgerate for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to overnight.
To make the butter square, place the 1 tbsp flour on a sheet of plastic wrap and put the butter on top of it. Wrap the plastic wrap loosely around it. Pound the butter lightly with a rolling pin to flatten and soften it, then knead it together with the flour, using the plastic wrap and your knuckles to avoid touching the butter directly. Work quickly, and as soon as the flour is incorporated, shape it into a 4 1/2 square (no thicker than 3/4 inch). At this point, the butter should still be cool but workable. Use it at once, or keep it cool. The butter must not be colder than 15 deg Celsius when rolled into the pastry, or it will break through the dough and not distribute evenly. Alternatively, refridgerate it, but then allow it to soften slightly before using it. The butter should be cool but malleable.
Roll out the dough on a well floured surface to an 8-inch square. Place the butter square diagonally in the center of the dough square and, with the back of the knife, lightly mark the dough along the edges of the butter. Remove the butter and roll each marked corner of the dough into a flap. (The dough will be slightly elastic.) Moisten these flaps lightly with water and replace butter on the dough. Wrap it securely by stretching the flaps just so they overlap slightly. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refridgerate for no longer than 30 minutes.
Place the dough seam side up on a well floured surface. Keeping it lightly floured, gently roll the dough package into a long rectangle 7 by 16 inches. Brush off all the flour from the surface of the dough and give it a business letter turn. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refridgerate it for 40 minutes before the next turn.
For each turn, clean the work surface and reflour it. Position the dough so that the closed side is on your left, and press down on the edges of the dough with the rolling pin to help keep them straight. Roll and fold the dough a second time exactly the same way, but this time, turn it over occasionally to keep the seams and edges even. Be sure to roll into all four corners of the dough, and use a pastry scraper to even the edges. Do a total of 4 turns, resting the dough for 40 minutes in between. Don't worry if the butter breaks through. Just cover the exposed butter layer with flour and keep going. This dough contains so much more butter than a pie dough that a little extra flour won't make much difference to the texture.
After the last turn, refridgerate the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it.
To shape the croissants, remove dough from the refridgerator and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. Roll the dough on a floured counter to a rectangle about 14 by 24 inches. Brush off all the flour. Fold the dough over lengthwise so that it is about 6 by 22 inches. Using a pizza wheel, trim one short side on an angle (reserve the scraps), cutting through the two layers, then make another diagonal cut to make a triangular piece of dough with a 5-inch base. Continue making diagonal cuts to form triangles down the entire length of the dough. Make a 1/2 inch notch in the centre of the base of each triangle. Open up the two layers of each triangle and cut in half to form two triangles.
Shape the croissants one at a time, keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap.
Use the scraps to make 12 -14 balls (depending on the number of triangles), the size of grapes each. Scissors work best to cut the dough for the balls. Keep these covered with plastic wrap too.
To shape the croissants, gently stretch each triangle to about 9 inches long : first pull the base sideways- gently but firmly- then, holding the base in your left hand, use your thumb and two fingers of your right hand to work down the length of the dough, elongating it. Place the triangle on the counter with the narrow point towards you. Share one of the little balls of dough a 1 1/4 inch long oval, and place it at the base of the triangle. Roll the base over the ball to encase it by about 1/2 inch. Continue rolling with the fingers of your left hand, keeping the triangle stretched with your right hand. Place the croissant on a lined baking sheet, with the point underneath. Curve in the sides so that they turn in on the side of the croissant opposite the point. Keep the croissant covered with plastic wrap while you shape the others. Set 6 - 7 croissants evenly spaced each pan, so there will be room for them to expand to the baked size of 5 inches by 2 1/2 inches.
To glaze the croissants, lightly beat together the egg and water. Brush the croissants with the glaze. Cover and refridgerate the remaining glaze. Cover the croissants lightly with a very well-oiled plastic. Let rise until the croissants double in size and are very light in texture, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven at 230 deg Celsius an hour before baking. Gently brush the croissants again with the egg glaze, being careful to use a light touch so as not to deflate them. Place the croissants in the oven and turn the oven down to 200 deg Celsius. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. The texture will be slightly doughy inside, but on cooling, they will continue to cook through perfectly.
Remove the croissants from the oven and transfer them to racks to cool for 20 - 30 minutes. They are best eaten warm when the outside is crisp and light, the center soft and tender, or within 3 hours from baking.
I had mine for breakfast with tuna mayo and cherry tomatoes.
I have digressed again. On with the croissants.
This is my first attempt with the croissant. Overall, I’m satisfied with the result and very happy that I've attempted them. I’ve tasted croissants far worse than mine, for instance, the store-bought ones as I have mentioned above. But really, mine's not that bad. Ugly but great tasting - That's acceptable in my books. To a certain extent. But I'm determined to keep trying. So, keep on reading and one day, I'll surprise you with a great looking croissant. In conclusion, perhaps I should rephrase my opener. Life is too short to eat bad tasting croissants. Ugly's an exception, for now.
You will need:
Dough
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, set aside 1 tbsp
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk, scaled and cooled to room temperature
170 g unsalted butter*
Egg glaze
1 large egg
1 tbsp water
* The recipe had called for higher-fat European styled butter. I'm not too sure if we can get them here, so I've used regular unsalted butter instead. Higher-fat European styled butter is said to be soft and pliant, making it ideal for rolling into the dough without breaking through the layers. Maybe that's why I couldn't roll my dough very well. Hence, the deformed croissant.
Preparation:
In the mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast and sugar. Then whisk in the salt (this keeps the yeast from coming in contact with the salt, which would kill it). With the dough hook, add the milk and mix, starting on low speed, until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and knead for 4 minutes. The dough will be silky-smooth and have pulled away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still cling to your fingers slightly.
Place the dough in a large bowl, lightly greased with cooking spray or oil. Press down the dough and lightly spray or oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
Using an oiled spatula, gently fold the dough by lifting it from the sides and pressing it into the middle to deflate slightly. Cover and refridgerate for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to overnight.
To make the butter square, place the 1 tbsp flour on a sheet of plastic wrap and put the butter on top of it. Wrap the plastic wrap loosely around it. Pound the butter lightly with a rolling pin to flatten and soften it, then knead it together with the flour, using the plastic wrap and your knuckles to avoid touching the butter directly. Work quickly, and as soon as the flour is incorporated, shape it into a 4 1/2 square (no thicker than 3/4 inch). At this point, the butter should still be cool but workable. Use it at once, or keep it cool. The butter must not be colder than 15 deg Celsius when rolled into the pastry, or it will break through the dough and not distribute evenly. Alternatively, refridgerate it, but then allow it to soften slightly before using it. The butter should be cool but malleable.
Roll out the dough on a well floured surface to an 8-inch square. Place the butter square diagonally in the center of the dough square and, with the back of the knife, lightly mark the dough along the edges of the butter. Remove the butter and roll each marked corner of the dough into a flap. (The dough will be slightly elastic.) Moisten these flaps lightly with water and replace butter on the dough. Wrap it securely by stretching the flaps just so they overlap slightly. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refridgerate for no longer than 30 minutes.
Place the dough seam side up on a well floured surface. Keeping it lightly floured, gently roll the dough package into a long rectangle 7 by 16 inches. Brush off all the flour from the surface of the dough and give it a business letter turn. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refridgerate it for 40 minutes before the next turn.
For each turn, clean the work surface and reflour it. Position the dough so that the closed side is on your left, and press down on the edges of the dough with the rolling pin to help keep them straight. Roll and fold the dough a second time exactly the same way, but this time, turn it over occasionally to keep the seams and edges even. Be sure to roll into all four corners of the dough, and use a pastry scraper to even the edges. Do a total of 4 turns, resting the dough for 40 minutes in between. Don't worry if the butter breaks through. Just cover the exposed butter layer with flour and keep going. This dough contains so much more butter than a pie dough that a little extra flour won't make much difference to the texture.
After the last turn, refridgerate the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it.
To shape the croissants, remove dough from the refridgerator and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. Roll the dough on a floured counter to a rectangle about 14 by 24 inches. Brush off all the flour. Fold the dough over lengthwise so that it is about 6 by 22 inches. Using a pizza wheel, trim one short side on an angle (reserve the scraps), cutting through the two layers, then make another diagonal cut to make a triangular piece of dough with a 5-inch base. Continue making diagonal cuts to form triangles down the entire length of the dough. Make a 1/2 inch notch in the centre of the base of each triangle. Open up the two layers of each triangle and cut in half to form two triangles.
Shape the croissants one at a time, keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap.
Use the scraps to make 12 -14 balls (depending on the number of triangles), the size of grapes each. Scissors work best to cut the dough for the balls. Keep these covered with plastic wrap too.
To shape the croissants, gently stretch each triangle to about 9 inches long : first pull the base sideways- gently but firmly- then, holding the base in your left hand, use your thumb and two fingers of your right hand to work down the length of the dough, elongating it. Place the triangle on the counter with the narrow point towards you. Share one of the little balls of dough a 1 1/4 inch long oval, and place it at the base of the triangle. Roll the base over the ball to encase it by about 1/2 inch. Continue rolling with the fingers of your left hand, keeping the triangle stretched with your right hand. Place the croissant on a lined baking sheet, with the point underneath. Curve in the sides so that they turn in on the side of the croissant opposite the point. Keep the croissant covered with plastic wrap while you shape the others. Set 6 - 7 croissants evenly spaced each pan, so there will be room for them to expand to the baked size of 5 inches by 2 1/2 inches.
To glaze the croissants, lightly beat together the egg and water. Brush the croissants with the glaze. Cover and refridgerate the remaining glaze. Cover the croissants lightly with a very well-oiled plastic. Let rise until the croissants double in size and are very light in texture, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven at 230 deg Celsius an hour before baking. Gently brush the croissants again with the egg glaze, being careful to use a light touch so as not to deflate them. Place the croissants in the oven and turn the oven down to 200 deg Celsius. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. The texture will be slightly doughy inside, but on cooling, they will continue to cook through perfectly.
Remove the croissants from the oven and transfer them to racks to cool for 20 - 30 minutes. They are best eaten warm when the outside is crisp and light, the center soft and tender, or within 3 hours from baking.
I had mine for breakfast with tuna mayo and cherry tomatoes.
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