Hello Everybody! This is my making of croissants!! There aren't THAT many ingredients, but it can be a LONG process. . . thank you, www.sprinkledwithjules.com for the recipe!
Ingredients:
DRY:
3 1/2 cups AP Flour (plus more for rolling dough)
1/2 cup sugar
2 t salt
2 1/4 t instant yeast (1 packet)
WET:
1 1/4 cup warm milk (more than room temp. . . )
1T cold water
FROM THE FRIDGE:
1 Egg (separated)
2 1/2 sticks butter
Instructions:
Start some way to warm up the milk. I use a "double boiler" type method. It doesn't need to scald, but needs to be c. 110deg.
Measure out 3 1/2 cups AP Flour out of this pull 1 cup
Mix cup of flour and yeast package together and then add in warm milk allowing yeast to "bloom" for 20 minutes.
While "blooming" prep the rest of your dry ingredients in bowl with flour and a plate for the dough to rest.
Add in yeast mixture, combine and knead until the dough comes together and is elastic. This doesn't' take more than 3 minutes. You want the dough to still be pretty pliable at this point.
Form into a disk and put on Floured plate and cover with plastic wrap. Into the fridge, she goes for at least 2hours to overnight. . .
Before "waking the dough" prep your butter slab to fold in.
between two sheets of parchment or wax paper, place cold butter to achieve a slab that is c. 7inX7in.
Place back into the fridge while you "wake" and prep the dough.
Remove plastic wrap and roll out your dough to about a 10inX10in. square.
Remove wax paper and place the butter layer onto the dough placing it in the orientation that leaves "flaps" on the dough.
Fold the dough and close like an envelope around the butter squeezing the dough along the seams.
THEN start to elongate the dough to a 10inX24in long sheet.
Fold in 3rds, dusting off excess flour and then turn and repeat.
After 2nd application, place back on floured plate and put in FREEZER for 20 minutes.
Repeat 2 more times.
During the Last 20 minutes in the freezer, prep 2 baking sheets with Parchment paper (Wax paper can't be used here).
After the 3rd 20 minute rest. Remove the Dough and cut in half long ways. Wrap 1 half and put back on your floured plate and place in fridge while working with other half.
make sure that the layers have been laminated to a solid layer and roll out the 1/2 of the dough to about 10in or 12inX15in.
Using a measuring tape or your dough scraper make slits in the dough every 5 in., turn dough all the way around and starting 2in in from edge, make slits every 5 in. (the point here is to have slits in "V" shapes. "it's a pizza" ;)
Once your slit templates are made, continue the cuts making "pizza" shapes.
Flip over, dust off excess flour and on the wide end, make a slit in the middle then "tuck and roll".
Place croissants on pans lined with parchment paper.
REPEAT same process with other half of the dough.
THEN put your croissants in the fridge over night to "proof". They will NOT double in size, but the flavors definitely develop.
The next day, pull pans from the fridge and let "wake up" for 2 hours. Also, pull your egg out so that it will be easy to separate.
Preheat oven to 400degF
Separate egg and discard the yolk (or keep for a delicious Lemon curd ;))
Mix 1 T of cold water with Egg white and brush on the croissants.
BAKE 1 pan at a time for 30 minutes (ovens vary, mine only takes 25 minutes)
I also change position of pan after 15 minutes. or turn. . .
AND it's that easy ;)
Again, if you don't have time to make this, store bought is fine :D.