Croissant

There is quite literally nothing as satisfying as making homemade croissants. They’re crispy and golden brown around the edges while being light and airy in the center. They’re so beautiful with all the layers when you slice them open and can be served alone or in so many different ways. 

Equipment

• 1 stand mixer optional
• 2 cookie sheets
• 1 Rolling Pin

Ingredients  

• 480 grams (4 cups, spooned and leveled) bread flour plus extra for dusting
• 50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 7 grams (2 1 /4 tsp) instant yeast 1 package
• 10 grams (2 tsp) fine sea salt
• 300 mL (1 1/4 cup) cool water
• 284 grams (1 1/4 cup) salted butter slightly chilled or room temperature*
• 1 large egg for egg wash room temperature

Instructions 

Dough

• Place the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of the Cuisinart Precision Master 5.5-Quart Stand Mixer. Whisk them together480 grams (4 cups, spooned and leveled) bread flour,50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar,7 grams (2 1 /4 tsp) instant yeast,10 grams (2 tsp) fine sea salt
• Using the hook attachment, with the mixer at low speed, stream in the water.300 mL (1 1/4 cup) cool water
• Allow the mixer to combine the dough for 2 minutes at low speed and then increase the speed to medium for 5 minutes, until the dough completely peels itself away from the edge of the bowl.
• Slightly dust a silpat mat or a parchment paper with flour and stretch the dough out into a rectangular shape. Move it to a baking sheet and cover it completely with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.

Shaping The Butter

• *Use a large sheet or two small sheets of parchment paper and fold it into an 8×10″ rectangle. Slice the butter in half, lengthwise so it’s thinner and place it into the folded parchment paper. Use the rolling pin to roll the butter out into the shape of the parchment paper. See photos and video for reference.284 grams (1 1/4 cup) salted butter
• Refrigerate the butter for 5-10 minutes (while you roll out the dough in the next step). You want the butter to be at a temperature where it’s still malleable (bends without breaking) but not greasy.

Laminating

• Remove the dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out to 16×10″.
• Remove the butter from the fridge & place it on top of the dough, right in the center so that the 10″ length of the butter aligns with the 10″ length of the dough.
• Fold the top and bottom 1/3 of the dough over the butter so they meet in the middle and seal the edges together.
• On a lightly floured surface, turn the dough 90 degrees now and gently roll the dough back out to 16×10″.
• Fold the dough into thirds again, this time like a paper going into an envelope – so the top 1/3 comes down over the middle and the bottom 1/3 overlaps with the top.
• Cover the dough completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 10 minutes. Repeat this second folding process 2 more times and after the last fold, cover the dough and refrigerate it again for at least 2 hours (preferably 4 or more).

Shaping

• Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes, so it’s not too firm to roll. Gently roll the dough out to about 24×12″ and use a knife or a pizza cutter to trim the edges into a perfect rectangle.**
• Slice the dough into long skinny triangles from long edge to long edge. You should get at least 12 croissants or 16 smaller ones.
• Flatten the tip of each triangle and then roll them up starting at the wide end and ending with the croissant sitting on top of that flat tip so it’s sealed.

Proofing

• Place 4-6 croissants on a lined baking sheet and cover them completely with plastic wrap (not tightly – leave room for proofing). Allow them to proof at room temperature (not super warm, around 70F) for about 2 hours.
• The croissants are done proofing when you press on it gently and your finger leaves a slight indent in the dough. They should be slightly larger but don’t have to be quite doubled in size. If you gently shake the pan, the croissants should wobble a little.

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Baking

• Preheat the oven to 400F (204C) convection (375F/181C conventional). Beat the egg with a fork or a whisk and use a pastry brush to gently egg wash the croissants. I like to go over them twice to give it a generous coating.1 large egg for egg wash
• Bake the croissants for 15-18 minutes until they’re golden brown (I like them just slightly darker). If you pick them up, the croissants should not feel heavy, they should feel light and airy. Allow them to cool on the pan for 10-15 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Croissants are best served at room temperature on the day they were baked. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.

Notes

*You could also use softened butter and just spread it out into that size on a parchment paper and then chill it again but make sure to give it more time to chill in the fridge then and bring it to the right consistency before laminating (malleable but not too soft or greasy). 

**Instead of discarding the trimmed edges, I cut them into bits and rolled them in cinnamon sugar. I allowed them to proof with the croissants and then baked them for 18 minutes at 400F (204C).

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 253kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 4gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 362mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 459IUVitamin C: 0.001mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 0.3mg