What could be a better treat than a warm,soft, buttery croissant ?

These Classic croissants definitely will not disappoint. The croissant has many buttery flaky layers that seemingly melt in your mouth.

They would be great as a breakfast treat adding a bit of jam. The croissants would take chicken salad to another level , and they definitely would be a great replacement for dinner roll at super time.

Learn how to make these Classic Croissants with step-by-step instructions.

Disclaimer- making croissants is time intensive, but if you prepare in advance it is doable in a day. I would recommend though breaking it up into 2 days.

Classic Croissants

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Ingredients

Dough Block – Detrempe
1/2 cup warm milk 110 -115 °F
1 tsp sugar for blooming yeast
1 Tbsp instant yeast or 4 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp sugar for dough
4 Cups flour
1 Tbsp salt
1 cup cold milk
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Butter Block Beurrage

3 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter 14 ounces
2 Tbsp flour

Before starting to make the dough block, take the butter for the butter block out of the refrigerator so it can start to come up to room temperature.

Instructions

How to make the dough block:
Pour the warm milk into a small bowl and add 1 tsp of sugar and the yeast. Stir and set aside for about 10 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom. The temperature of the milk is very important. Use a kitchen thermometer is ensure the milk is not to hot.
In a food processer add flour,2 tablespoons sugar,salt and cold butter pieces. Pulse on food processer until ingredients are blended. The mixture will look like breadcrumbs.
Add the yeast and milk to the flour and butter mixture in the food processor. Pulse the processor. The liquid will absorb into the dough and the dough will start to form into a pliable smooth mass. Do not pulse the processor for long. The goal is just to get the dough to come together
Remove dough for food processor and wrap the dough loosely in plastic wrap. The dough will expand and will need room Refrigerate the dough for 30 – 60 minutes.
How to make and Prepare the Butter Block:
There are many ways to prepare the butter block. The goal is to have a solid pliable sheet of butter that is about 9 1/2 inches by 11 inches. A gallon Ziploc bag is about the size you are looking for.
One way is get the butter block is to add the butter and flour to a Ziploc bag and roll the butter and flour.
Alternatively, the butter can be cut into small pieces and sandwiched between two pieces of parchment paper. The butter is then rolled into the needed size. This is my preferred way.
Encasing the butter with a letter fold. This is the first turn:
Fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough up to the center. This is the point of meeting the bottom edge of the butter
Then fold the top 1/3 of the dough down to the center . Using a rolling pin, ensure that rolling over the dough 3 to 4 times closes all seams
If the butter has become soft, refrigerator the dough for 30 minutes to an hour. The butter needs to remain cold. If you have worked fast and the butter is still cold you can continue to the next step
Book Fold- Second turn:
On a flour-dusted surface, roll dough out into a 20-inch by 12-inch rectangle.
Fold the two short edges into the center of the dough leaving an 1/4 inch space between the edges
Now, fold one side over onto the other, as though you were closing a book.
4. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the dough about 3 to 4 times to seal the seams. This completes the second turn. Wrap the dough in plastic warp and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Letter fold – Third turn:
On a flour dusted surface roll out again the dough into a 20 inch by 12-inch rectangle.
Fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough up to the center and then the top 1/3 of the dough over to the center. Roll your rolling pin across to seal the seams. This completes the third turn and the croissant dough is finished.
. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours before cutting, shaping, and baking.
Forming the Croissants
Line the baking sheets
Divide the doughblock in half- two equal size pieces
Roll out one of the halves of dough into a 10 inch round circle
Cut the dough much like cutting a pizza. You should get 8 pieces of dough in a triangle shape.
With the second half of the dough, roll it out into a 10 inch round circle and cut it into 8 triangles
Egg Wash:
Beat the egg with the milk and evenly brush onto each croissant.
Rising of the Dough:
Allow the croissants to rise until they double in size. This can be about 1 to 2 hours. The croissants are ready when they feel marshmallow-like. If your kitchen is cold you will want to seek a warmer spot. I have found using the dryer as a great place for pastries, rolls, and breads to rise. I turn the dryer on for about 30 seconds and then balance the baking sheet in the dryer for the needed rising time.
Baking the Croissants:
Preheat the oven to 400. After the croissants have risen, place the baking sheet back into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This is to ensure that the butter is nice and cold. You want the butter cold so the croissants will be flakey.
Brush the croissants again with egg wash. If almond paste was used, placed a couple almond slices on the top of the croissants. Bake one baking sheet at a time if you have two baking sheets.
Bake for 17 to 22 minutes – until golden brown
Transfer the croissants to a cooling rack
Enjoy!!

Notes

Tip with working your dough:

make sure not to over work the dough when first mixing the ingredients.
Keep the butter cold at all times. If needed, return the dough to the refrigerator
The butter should never ooze out
when the croissants are sitting to rise, go by the look and feel of the dough rather than the time.
If you like the dough can be wrapped and freezes to use at a later time. The dough freezes well up to one month

Author: Beverly

Classic Croissants