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Classic Croissants
Nb persons: 0
Yield: 14 croissants and 4 mini croissants
Preparation time:
Total time:
Source: Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking 2003
| You can make the croissants ahead of time, forming them and freezing them until needed. Then defrost slowly in the refrigerator before baking. When working with croissant dough, or any laminated dough for that matter, it is important to keep the temperature of the room in m,ind. As the dough warms up, it becomes harder to handle. Don't hesitate to stop working and throw the dough into the fridge for 15 minutes. It will make the whole task much easier. Although the instructions for cutting the croissants may seem daunting, they create triangles with as little waste as possible. | |
| 1 recipe | Croissant Dough |
| For the Egg Wash: | |
| 1 large | egg plus 1 large egg yolk |
1. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the croissant dough into a 20x18" rectangle, 1/4" thick. If the dough seems very elastic and springs back when you roll it, let it rest for 5 minutes, then roll again.
2. Using a ruler and a chef's knife or rolling pastry wheel, cut the rectangle in half horizontally, making two smaller rectangles, one on top of the other, each measuring 20x9".
3. Using a ruler and a paring knife, make very tiny score marks every 5? along the top and bottom edges of the large rectangle. Using the straight edge of a ruler, connect the bottom left corner of the large rectangle with the first top score mark. Cut diagonally along this line. Next, move the straight edge one mark to the right and connect the first bottom score mark to the second top score mark and cut along this line. Repeat this diagonal cut from the second bottom score mark to the third top and the third bottom to the right top corner. When complete, you will have 6 perfect parallelograms and 4 partial ones.
4. Next, reverse the diagonal cut patter from the top left corner to the first bottom score mark. Repeat the lines, moving across from left to right. This step cuts the parallelograms in half, leaving 14 isosceles triangles and 4 right triangles.
5. Line two baking sheets with parchment. To form each croissant, take a triangle of dough and make a short slit in the middle of the short side. Stretch that short side a bit, then begin to roll the triangle up toward the point. Be sure the tip is tucked under, then place the croissants 2" apart on the prepared pan. Repeat until the pan is full, the cover with pan-sprayed plastic film. Roll up the partial triangles to make mini croissants.
6. When you ready to proceed, proof the dough, following the chart below, until poofy and light to the touch.
Proofing Temperature For Fresh Dough (Room-temperature) For Refrigerated Dough
70 degrees 1 1/2-2 hours 2 1/2-3 hours
75 degrees 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours 2-2 1/2 hours
80 degrees 1-1 1/4 hours 1 1/2-2 hours
85 degrees 45 minutes-1 hour 1-1 1/2 hours
90 degrees 45 minutes 1 hour
7. Toward the end of the proofing, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
EGG WASH:
Whisk together the egg and yolk in a small bowl. Brush each croissant lightly with the egg wash.
BAKING:
Bake for 12 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees, rotate the pan from back to front, and bake for 10-12 minutes more, or until crispy and amber brown. Cool and serve. Store cooled croissants in a brown bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. They can also be frozen for a month.
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