A few weeks ago I was home alone and as it should be, I spent the time to bake. Or I have no life, it depends on how one looks at it. I baked croissants, a project that took some time, but since it is such things one does when one has time to spare (or?) it seemed like a good idea. It took a little research and I used Sebastien Boudets guide how to fold and roll the dough, it was also his recipe I used. He is, after all, Frenchman so he ought to know a thing or two about croissants.
Croissants
600 g wheat flour
60 g sugar
12 g fleur de sel
½ egg for the dough + ½ egg for the brushing
10 g fresh yeast
350 g milk
50 g unsalted butter for the dough
300 g unsalted butter for the rolling of the dough
Day 1, evening:
Mix flour, sugar and salt on a pastry board and make a hollow in the middle, or simply in a bowl.
Add eggs and yeast. Add the milk a little at a time and work into a smooth dough. Let the dough rest for 45 minutes. Add the 50g butter to the dough and knead for a few minutes. Wrap the dough and let it rest at least 8 hours or overnight.
Mix flour, sugar and salt on a pastry board and make a hollow in the middle, or simply in a bowl.
Add eggs and yeast. Add the milk a little at a time and work into a smooth dough. Let the dough rest for 45 minutes. Add the 50g butter to the dough and knead for a few minutes. Wrap the dough and let it rest at least 8 hours or overnight.
Day 2, morning:
Roll out the dough into a 1 cm thick rectangle. Put the 300 grams of butter between two parchment paper and bang it out until you have a plate that is half the size of the dough and 1 cm thick. Put the butter in the middle of the dough and fold over the dough so that the butter is completely covered. Roll out the dough gently into an elongated rectangular shape. Fold over a quarter of the dough toward the center, and then do the same with the other end so that the pieces meet in the middle. Fold the dough doubles and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours. Repeat this procedure once more. After the second folding, roll out the dough into a rectangle again and cut out nice triangles and roll them up from the wide side down towards the narrow side.
Place the croissants on a baking sheet and brush with egg mixed with a little water and salt. Prove them in a turned-off oven with a pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven (or you can freeze them and prove them another day when you need them) until they have doubled in size, it takes between 2-4 hours. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C and brush the croissants again with egg mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they have a nice golden color.
