Croissants - Buttery Deliciousness

Well, I finally did it. 

They have been on my list of things I have always wanted to make for way too long. Croissants are not something you make if you do not have the time.

They do take a lot of time and labour. But I like to call it the labour of love. Now, will I ever make these again? Probably yes, but only because I love croissants and I live in a family of bread lovers. Technically, making croissants are not hard at all....they are actually pretty straight forward. If you can make bread then you can make these, but you do need time. 

A croissant is a delicious French pastry, known by its crescent shape. (Croissant means crescent in French). Puff pastry is used to make this delicacy - the dough is layered with butter, rolled and folded a few times, then rolled into its shape. It is then glazed with butter and baked.

The original croissant was called Kipfel and originated in Austria in 1683. It was created in honor of the Austrian victory over the Turks and modeled after the crescent on the Turkish flag. August Zang, an Austrian artillery officer, is credited with bringing the croissant to France when he opened his own Viennese bakery in Paris.


The Croissant became the French national product in 1920. It started as a luxury product, but by the end of the nineteenth century, it was middle-class. Croissants have long been a staple of Austrian and French bakeries and pâtisseries.

So here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1/4 cup very warm water, but not boiling water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 teaspoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup warm milk, not boiling
1 egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted or softened
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour, plus more for rolling
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (for layering)
1 egg, beaten and or melted butter, for brushing

Method
In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Mix until combined. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes until it smells like bread and is foamy. 

Once the yeast has proofed and is foamy, add the warm milk, egg, butter, salt and flour. Knead this mixture for about five minutes. It will seem sticky at first, but keep mixing till it becomes smooth. (You may use a hand mixer with a dough attachment at this time). Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured work surface. Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Grease the bowl, that you mixed the dough in with little butter and set the dough back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove dough from fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a large rectangle that’s about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the softened butter all over dough, leaving an inch around the sides of the rectangle, being careful not to break through dough with butter.Fold one half of the rectangle towards the centre and fold the other half over as well on top of the first layer so you have three dough layers, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 10 minutes.Roll out dough again to a long rectangle (being careful of the butter—roll gently) and fold dough again into thirds like a book. Place back in freezer for 10 more minutes. Repeat this process three more times for a total of four folds (and 40 minutes in the freezer). 


Now, using a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut the dough in half lengthwise, and then cut the dough into triangles. Using both hands, roll the crescent up. Place on a baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart, cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 200°C. Before baking, brush each crescent with the beaten egg wash. Bake rolls for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. If desired brush with melted butter. 

On my first try.....this came out really well. They were slightly crispy on the outside, soft & flaky inside and so buttery rich. These were finished in minutes in my home. Even our little man...who is a fussy eater...loved it. Can't wait to make it again..... and next time, definitely with some filling....chicken or chocolate....hmmmm I'm already drooling.

Give it a try!!!!