Croissants are a classic French pastry that are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a special occasion like Mother’s Day. They may seem daunting to make at home, but with a little patience and practice, you can achieve the same flaky, buttery goodness as your favorite bakery. Here’s a recipe for making croissants from scratch.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons of instant yeast
- 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup of cold milk
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon of water
Preparation:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
- Add the cold butter to the bowl and use a pastry cutter or your hands to cut it into the flour mixture. You want to create small pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the flour mixture. This will create the flakiness of the croissants. Once the butter is evenly distributed, make a well in the center of the bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Pour the mixture into the well in the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to combine. The dough should come together in a shaggy mass.
- Knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes until it becomes smoother. Then transfer it to a lightly floured work surface and knead for another minute or two.
- Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a rectangle that’s about 1/4-inch thick. Make sure to keep the edges straight and even.
- Fold the rectangle in thirds like a letter, starting with one short end and folding it over the center third. Then fold the other short end over the top, like an envelope. This is the first “turn.”
- Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again into a rectangle. Fold it in thirds again, like before. This is the second “turn.”
- Repeat this process two more times for a total of four turns. This will create the layers of butter and dough that make croissants flaky.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a rectangle that’s about 1/4-inch thick. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to trim the edges and cut the dough into triangles that are about 4-5 inches wide at the base.
- Use your fingers to stretch the base of each triangle slightly wider. Starting at the wide end, roll each triangle tightly towards the tip, tucking the point underneath.
- Place the croissants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, with the tip facing down. Leave some space between each croissant.
- Cover the croissants with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise at room temperature for about 1-2 hours, until they are puffy and doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and egg for the egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the croissants.
- Bake the croissants for 15-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and flaky. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before serving.
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