Hola!
Today's post is on something that I've been meaning to try again for a long time. I've made croissants once before but I think the French would have murdered me if they knew how they turned out. So, lets just put that little mishap aside and focus on these cute little ones that I've somehow managed to produce!
Croissants are a labour of love as they do take time to do. It took one day to laminate and proof the dough before I could bake it the following day. I love baking breads and pastries like these because I find so much excitement in watching yeasted dough's double in size and how the dough changes in it's texture as the gluten strands do their thang'.
Despite not being all equal in shape and size and slightly less flaky than I had hoped, I'm still pleased at how they've turned out, soft and chewy on the inside with a good crunch as you sink your teeth into them. They also left the apartment smelling SO good!
Today's post is on something that I've been meaning to try again for a long time. I've made croissants once before but I think the French would have murdered me if they knew how they turned out. So, lets just put that little mishap aside and focus on these cute little ones that I've somehow managed to produce!
Croissants are a labour of love as they do take time to do. It took one day to laminate and proof the dough before I could bake it the following day. I love baking breads and pastries like these because I find so much excitement in watching yeasted dough's double in size and how the dough changes in it's texture as the gluten strands do their thang'.
Despite not being all equal in shape and size and slightly less flaky than I had hoped, I'm still pleased at how they've turned out, soft and chewy on the inside with a good crunch as you sink your teeth into them. They also left the apartment smelling SO good!
Croissants
What you'll need:
Milk - 1 cup (I used rice milk)
Dry active yeast - 7g
All purpose flour - 500g
Butter - 250g
Water - 1/2 Cup (boiling)
25g sugar
1. Prepare your butter sheet the night before you begin the dough process. I created mine by putting the butter block in the middle of a plastic bag similar to ones that you'd find at the supermarket fruit/veg isle and knocking it out to create a 8 x5 rectangle. Place back in the fridge, allowing it to solidify completely again.
2. To create the dough, mix the boiled water, milk, yeast and sugar in a bowl and let it rest for 7 minutes or until it becomes frothy and bubbly. Next, incorporate the flour into the wet mixture and using your hands, bring the ingredients until it just comes together. Flour out your counter top, dumping the dough and kneading for 2 minutes until all the flour has has been completely incorporated.
3. Grease a clean bowl, place the dough inside and allow to rest for an hour in the fridge.
4. Once your dough has doubled in size, tip the dough out onto the counter and roll out a rectangle larger than the butter block. Place the butter in the middle of your dough, pulling either side of the dough over the butter, encasing it fully.
5. Without too much force, use a rolling pin to disperse the butter, creating another rectangular shape and then folding the dough in half, then half again to create four layers. Roll the dough out into a rectangle again and folding it in the same manner as before. Wrap it tightly in clingwrap and let it rest in the fridge for another hour. You need to complete step 5 a total of four times.
6. After letting the dough proof again after the fourth turn, cut it into 1/3, wrap each in clingfilm and let it rest overnight.
7. Take 1/3 of the dough, rolling it into a rectangle and cut out long triangles. Taking the base end of a triangle, make a small cut in the middle and carefully pull the ends outwards and start rolling the dough towards the tip of the triangle. If I've made this step slightly too confusing, there are many good YouTube videos out there that show how to roll croissant dough.
8. Allow your shaped dough to rest for 2 hours in a cool area.
9. When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius and when you put the croissants in, turn the heat down to 200 degrees immediately and bake for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes has passed, turn the temperature down again to 180 degrees and continue to bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
Milk - 1 cup (I used rice milk)
Dry active yeast - 7g
All purpose flour - 500g
Butter - 250g
Water - 1/2 Cup (boiling)
25g sugar
1. Prepare your butter sheet the night before you begin the dough process. I created mine by putting the butter block in the middle of a plastic bag similar to ones that you'd find at the supermarket fruit/veg isle and knocking it out to create a 8 x5 rectangle. Place back in the fridge, allowing it to solidify completely again.
2. To create the dough, mix the boiled water, milk, yeast and sugar in a bowl and let it rest for 7 minutes or until it becomes frothy and bubbly. Next, incorporate the flour into the wet mixture and using your hands, bring the ingredients until it just comes together. Flour out your counter top, dumping the dough and kneading for 2 minutes until all the flour has has been completely incorporated.
3. Grease a clean bowl, place the dough inside and allow to rest for an hour in the fridge.
4. Once your dough has doubled in size, tip the dough out onto the counter and roll out a rectangle larger than the butter block. Place the butter in the middle of your dough, pulling either side of the dough over the butter, encasing it fully.
5. Without too much force, use a rolling pin to disperse the butter, creating another rectangular shape and then folding the dough in half, then half again to create four layers. Roll the dough out into a rectangle again and folding it in the same manner as before. Wrap it tightly in clingwrap and let it rest in the fridge for another hour. You need to complete step 5 a total of four times.
6. After letting the dough proof again after the fourth turn, cut it into 1/3, wrap each in clingfilm and let it rest overnight.
7. Take 1/3 of the dough, rolling it into a rectangle and cut out long triangles. Taking the base end of a triangle, make a small cut in the middle and carefully pull the ends outwards and start rolling the dough towards the tip of the triangle. If I've made this step slightly too confusing, there are many good YouTube videos out there that show how to roll croissant dough.
8. Allow your shaped dough to rest for 2 hours in a cool area.
9. When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius and when you put the croissants in, turn the heat down to 200 degrees immediately and bake for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes has passed, turn the temperature down again to 180 degrees and continue to bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
Have a good week!