Croissants for Bastille Day

Croissants

Bastille Day and I don’t have a wonderful track record. Last year, I had my first attempt of making macarons the authentic way using sugar syrup. The were delicious but very very far from beautiful or perfect.

The theme seems to have repeated itself this year.

I have had ‘make croissants from scratch’ on my to do list for almost two years now and as July 14th loomed closer I thought it the perfect time to give them a go.

Like the macarons, my croissants were neither perfect nor pretty but for a first attempt they were tasty and they took me so long I had to share them. I hope my step-by-step notes might help someone make the perfect croissant.

Croissants

The recipe is from Mastering the Art of French Cooking – what better recipe book to start with?

From start to finish it was 24 hours. The actual hands-on work was probably only 1 hour but there is a lot of resting that needs to happen. I wouldn’t recommend undertaking the task on a wet or hot day. Heat is not butter’s friend.

Although mine were far from perfect, you might have better luck. Please let me know if you do!

Warning: very long post

The ingredients

I have heard that it’s best to use the best butter you can find when making croissants. This is the best I could find in the supermarket so that’s what I used. Yes it was salted and I was meant to use un-salted but I just left out a little of the added salt.

The first step (of many many steps) is to mix the yeast with 3 tablespoons of warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Set it aside until the yeast froths.

While that’s happening, heat the milk in the microwave until tepid (which I took to mean just warm) and dissolve the rest of the sugar and salt into it.

Making the dough

Pour the flour into a medium sized bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

Use a spatula to bring it all together. I treated it a little like scones – very gently with just enough force to form a very rough dough.

Rough dough

Flour the bench or a work space. If you have one, I’d suggest using a silicone baking sheet. There are so many steps, so far apart, you don’t want to have to keep cleaning up the bench.

Tip the dough out and then wash and dry the bowl.

‘Knead’ the dough gently. I say ‘knead’ because it’s more like a little stretch and fold. I treated it like a square of dough and lifted one side then folded it over the rest. Repeat for all sides twice then put the dough back in the bowl.

Cover it with plastic wrap and a towel and set it aside for 3-4 hours until it has tripled in size.

After rising

Rolling time

Carefully scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface.

Rolled

Flour your hands and then gently press the dough out into a rectangle measuring 8 x 12 inches.

The dough envelope

Fold the bottom third of the dough up over the middle and then fold the top third down ‘like a business letter’ as Julia says. I think it looks more like a cute little clutch purse. Mmm dough purse…

Return the dough to the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and a towel and leave it to rest for another 1.5 – 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

Resting again

Fridge time

When the dough has risen put it on a lightly floured plate and cover it in plastic wrap so it is air tight. Put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Butter bashing

Now it’s time to get to work on the butter. This was my first fail. You’re meant to bash it a little with the rolling pin to soften it but mine shattered.

Butter spread

A little bit of work with the palms of my hands got it to an even spreadable consistency.

You have to make sure that the butter doesn’t start to melt.

First butter spread

Take the dough out of the fridge and use your hands to press it out to a rectangle measuring 14 x 8 inches.

Working quickly and gently, evenly spread the butter over the top 2 thirds of the dough leaving a 1/4 of an inch butterless border.

Fold one

Now it’s time for the folding and rolling to begin. Fold the bottom third up over the butter.

Buttered envelope

Fold the top third down so you have three layers.

Roll again

Turn the dough 90 degrees so that the short edge is closest to you and then roll it out to 14 x 6 inches and then do the envelope folding again.

Wrapped for chilling

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then in a plastic bag and refrigerate it for 1.5 hours.

Relaxing

After the chilling, lay the dough on a floured surface and gently tap the top of it with the rolling pin to expel any air then cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.

After turn four

Roll the dough out to 14 x 6 inches, repeat the envelope folding and then roll it out again and fold it up again.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap again and then into a plastic bag. It needs to rest for 2 hours again.

I left mine overnight. I placed a board and 2.5kg weight on top.

Resting again

The next morning… lay the dough out on a floured surface and cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Roll and halve

Roll the dough out to 20 x 5 inches and cut it in half.

Place half of it back in the fridge.

Roll and cut in thirds

Roll the remaining half to 15 x 5 inches and cut it into 3.

Place two pieces back in the fridge and roll the remaining piece into a square 5.5 inches wide.

Cut it across from corner to corner to make two triangles.

Apologies for the blurry pics. It’s a tricky to work fast and take photos at the same time.

Rolling the triangles

Turn one so that the longest side is facing you and use the rolling pin to roll the point away from you until it is 7 inches long.

Stretch the bottom corners

Ready for the final rest

Pull the remaining corners out to stretch them a little and then roll the croissant up from the long side finishing with the point on top.

Curl the points in towards the middle and lay the pastry on a lined baking tray.

Repeat with the remaining dough and then cover the tray with plastic wrap and set it aside until the croissants have tripled in size.

Sadly mine didn’t rise like they were meant to. It was seriously humid yesterday and I think that had something to do with it. I baked them anyway.

Pre-heat the oven to 205C fan-forced.

When the croissants have risen, brush each one with egg wash (egg beaten with 1 tsp of water) and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Baked

I also forgot to coat mine in the eggwash so they’re not glossy like they should be.

Cooling

When the croissants are baked, transfer them to a wire rack to cool a little.

Croissants

This was the best-looking croissant from my lot.

Flaky pastry

Despite their lack of rising, my dense croissants still had a few layers of flaky pastry and tasted quite delicious spread with strawberry jam. Enjoy (if you succeed!).

What about you? Have you ever tried your hand at making croissants?

Croissants

Croissants

recipe from Mastering the art of French cooking

makes 12

• 1 1/4 tsp dry yeast
• 1 tbsp warm water
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1 3/4 cups bakers flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup milk, warmed to tepid (I think it’s the same as blood temp)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 125g best quality chilled unsalted butter
• 1 egg

Make the dough (20-30 minutes)

In a small bowl, mix the warm water with 1 teaspoon of the sugar and all the yeast. Stir to combine and then set it aside for the yeast to froth (about 10 minutes).

Place the flour in a medium sized bowl.

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the milk and add it to the  flour along with the yeast mixture.

Use a spatula to bring it all together into a dough then turn it out onto a floured surface and scrape the extra bits out of the bowl so it is clean.

Leave the dough to rest for a couple of minutes and meanwhile wash and dry the bowl.

Very gently knead the dough. Use a big spatula and lift one side, stretch it and fold it over the dough. Repeat on all sides (pretend it’s a square) twice until it all just comes together smoothly. Don’t over-knead it.

Rest the dough (3-4 hours)

Now it needs to rest and rise to 3 times its size. Julia says to measure 7 cups of water into the bowl and mark where it comes to. That’s how much you want the dough to rise.

Make sure the bowl is dry and then place the dough inside. Cover it with plastic and then a towel and set it aside for 3-4 hours or until it reaches this mark.

Shaping and second rest (1.5-2 hours)

Once the dough has risen, gently deflate it while scraping it away from the sides of the bowl and then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Flour your hands and then use your palms to press it out into a rectangle measuring 8 x 12 inches.

Put it back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a towel again and leave it to rise to double its size which takes 1.5 – 2 hours.

Refrigerate (20 minutes)

When the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured plate. Cover it airtight with plastic wrap and put it back in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Butter time and turns 1 & 2 (20-30 minutes plus 1.5 hours in the fridge)

Put the butter on a bench top or board and bash it with a rolling pin to soften it.

Then use the palms of your hands to gently press it out  to a spreading consistency. If it gets soft or oily, put it back in the fridge. It needs to remain firm.

Take the dough out of the fridge and place it on a lightly-floured surface then use your hands again (floured) to press it into a rectangle measuring 14 x 8 inches.

Use a spatula to spread the butter on the top two thirds of the dough leaving a 1/4 inch border.

Fold the bottom third up over the butter then fold the top third down. Julia describes it like folding a business letter.

Turn the dough 90 degrees to the right so that the short side is nearest to you.

Flour the top of the dough and then roll it out again to 14 x 6 inches.

Folding it as before, fold the bottom third up and then the top third over to form another little package.

Lightly flour the dough then wrap it in plastic wrap and then in a plastic bag and then refrigerate it for 1.5 hours.

Turns 3 and 4 (20 minutes and another 1.5 hours in the fridge)

Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface.

Tap it a few times with the rolling pin to expel any air and then cover it with plastic wrap and leave it to sit for 8-10 minutes.

Uncover the dough, sprinkle it lightly with flour and then roll it out to 14 x 6 inches again.

Folding it as before, fold the bottom third up and then the top third over to form another little package.

Then roll it out again to 14 x 6 and fold it up again as before.

Now the dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 1.5 hours.

I left mine overnight. If you’re going to leave it longer than 1.5 hours, wrap it in plastic wrap, then a plastic bag and place it on a flat surface with a board and at least 2.5kg of weight on top of it.

Shaping the croissants (30 minutes plus 1.5-3 hours rising time)

Take the dough out of the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface.

Tap it with the rolling pin to expel any air and then cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Now it’s time to work quickly.

Roll the dough out to 20 x 5 inches and cut it in half.

Place half of it back in the fridge.

Roll the remaining half to 15 x 5 inches and cut it into 3.

Place two pieces back in the fridge and roll the remaining piece into a square 5.5 inches wide.

Cut it across from corner to corner to make two triangles.

Turn one so that the longest side is facing you and use the rolling pin to roll the point away from you until it is 7 inches long.

Pull the remaining corners out to stretch them a little and then roll the croissant up from the long side finishing with the point on top.

Curl the points in towards the middle and lay the pastry on a lined baking tray.

Repeat with the remaining dough and then cover the tray with plastic wrap and set it aside until the croissants have tripled in size.

Pre-heat the oven to 205C fan-forced.

When the croissants have risen, brush each one with egg wash (egg beaten with 1 tsp of water) and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Transfer the croissants to a wire rack to cool a little and then serve with jam.

Note: croissants can be frozen. Wrap cooled croissants well with plastic wrap and freeze individually. To defrost them and serve, place them on a lined baking tray and bake at 180C fan-forced for 5 minutes.

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