France - Breakfast - Croissants

When I went to France for the first time, I had croissants every morning for breakfast! They, along with crêpes, coffee and macarons, are available virtually on every street corner in Paris. Even though nothing can compare to an authentic Parisian croissant, homemade ones are a perfect substitute and a lot cheaper than a plane ticket to Paris. I've always wanted to try and make croissants myself, but the meticulous preparation French food requires always scared me off; however, this recipe I am following breaks down the process very well, and even though it still takes a long time (give the whole process a full day and the next morning), the end product is so worth it. Bon chance et bon appetit!



Ingredients:

1 cup cold, whole milk
1/2 cup boiling water (you can do this in the microwave)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (usually one packet)
1/4 cup sugar
3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter, frozen then left at room temp for 20-30 minutes

Directions:

1. Combine the milk and boiling water in a large mixing bowl.

2. Stir in the yeast and sugar until combined. Leave for 5 minutes until a foam forms.

3. Add in the flour and salt and combine with your hands until and tacky ball is formed.

4. Roll out on to floured surface and knead until all the flour is incorporated, about 2 minutes.

5. Form a ball and place in a well oiled, covered bowl. Place in the fridge for 1 hour. The dough should rise, and almost double in size.

6. When your dough has about 30 minutes left, remove your butter from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.

7. Using a cheese grater, grate butter on to a large piece of plastic wrap. Pack firmly together, forming a rectangle that measures about 8"x5".

8. Wrap your butter rectangle in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

9. Once the butter has chilled, roll out your chilled dough on to a floured surface and form a 16"x9" rectangle.

10. Unwrap the butter and place in the center of the dough.

11. Fold the dough in to thirds, like a business letter.

12. Turn the dough 90 degrees (short end facing you) and roll out into a 15"x10" rectangle.

13. Fold dough into thirds AGAIN (removing any excess flour from dough), and securely wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

–Steps 12 & 13 are considered a "turn."–

14. After one hour, remove dough and unwrap, repeating steps 12 & 13 for a total of 4 turns. This helps creates the layers of the croissant (picture below!) and spread out the butter evenly.

15. Cut the dough into thirds. Wrap the thirds tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Dough can also freeze for up to 3 months.

Shaping the Dough:

1. Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator and roll out in to a 16"x6" rectangle. Your dough should be about 1/4" thin. 

2. Cut in to thirds to form 3 small squares.

3. Cut each square diagonally to form 6 total triangles (2 from each square).

4. Roll your triangles up (short base to top) to form your croissants!

Bake the Dough:

1. Once you shaped all of your croissants, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees F.

3. Generously brush each croissant with an egg wash and place in the oven.

4. Immediately reduce the heat to 400 degrees F and bake for 5 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Let cool on a wire wrack and enjoy! (I had three... oops)