Croissants

Ingredients:

DOUGH

• 605g Flour

• 66g Sugar

• 12g Yeast

• 12g Salt

• 215g Water

• 120g Milk

• 55g Bugger

BUTTER SQUARE

• 340g Butter (3 sticks)

Method:

We’re really proud of this one. I made about 12 batches of croissants before making this video with Nick, and I think I’ve got my method nailed down well.

I start the night before with the dough. Bring it all together in a stand mixer, knead it for 10 minutes, then let it rest overnight.

If you don’t have a mixer, just bring it together by hand. That’s how I did it for the last few months, that mixer in the video is brand new to me! So, since I’m lazy, my usual method before owning that machine was to just bring the dough together by hand. Knead it just until it’s barely formed into a dough. Knead it for 30 seconds. Then wrap it in a bowl and let it sit in the fridge for a day. Let time knead the dough. After 1 night in the fridge, it’ll be rested and gleutenized.

Press 3 sticks of butter into a 10 inch by 10 inch square. Watch the video… you’ll see.

After the dough rests, roll the dough out into a square and envelope the butter square with the dough. Pinch all the sides closed.

Again… watch the video… you’ll see.

Roll out the dough by rolling, pressing, pulling and shaping. Fold it… well… I can’t describe the first fold with words. Watch the video.

Wrap it all up in plastic wrap and chill it for 1.5 hours.

Roll it out and fold it again.

Wrap it all up and chill it for 1.5 hours again.

Roll it out… cut it into 4 rectangles… then cut those diagonally into triangles. Then roll those up into croissants!

Freeze them or Proove them for 2 hours.

Bake them for 35 minutes total at 375°F. Rotate them halfway through baking.

TIPS:

• I like fresh croissants. After rolling the dough up into croissants, I freeze most of them. Then, whenever I want a fresh croissant, I just let them thaw and prove in my cold oven overnight. It takes about 8 hours. I bake them in the morning, and they’re great! Fresh is best.

• Butter might leak out. Who cares.

• I’m loving the “boiling water pan in a cold oven” to help prove these. I find it works best. In a cold oven, put your croissants in. Boil some water and place the hot boiling water in a pan under the croissants. Let the steam help prove your breads.

• Don’t worry.

• Did you notice on the final roll-out and cut… I cut the ends off first to make the dough sheet a perfect square. Don’t throw them away. Roll them up and bake them. They’re like little roses.