Butter Croissants
Ingredients
- 500g French Type 55 flour or all-purpose flour
- 140g water
- 140g whole milk
- 55g sugar
- 40g soft unsalted butter
- 11g instant yeast
- 12g salt
Other ingredients
- 280g cold unsalted butter for laminating
- 1 egg + 1 tsp water for the egg wash
Yields ~10 croissants
Instructions
Start in the morning/afternoon.
Make the dough –
1. Combine ingredients for dough, and set aside 10 minutes Add butter pieces and mix dough, for 8-10 minutes Form the dough into a ball, and cut a “+” in the dough so that it can later be rolled into a square shape easier. Place in a mixing bowl and cover. Let rise at room temp until about 1.5x bigger, 45mins-1hour
Chill the dough and prepare butter block –
2. Transfer the bowl to fridge and chill for at least 4 hours, up to 12 hours. Prepare the butter block by rolling it out into a flat 8” square, about ½-inch-thick.
Roll out dough –
3. After 4-12 hours, the dough should have doubled in size. Deflate the dough and stretch into a square no more than 8” on each side. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and roll out into a 8” square. Freeze for 20 mins.
1st Lamination –
4. Remove the butter block from the fridge and the dough from the freezer. Set aside the butter. Unwrap the dough (save the plastic, as you’ll use it again) and place on a lightly floured surface.
5. Roll out the dough until 16” long and 8” wide. Fold the butter in, there should be a block of butter with overhanging dough on two opposite sides and a thin border of dough along the other two.
6. Grasp the overhanging dough on one side and bring it over the butter toward the center, then repeat with the other side of the dough, enclosing the butter. Pinch the dough together along all seams so that there’s no gap.
7. Rotate the enclosed block so the seam is oriented vertically. Lightly beat the dough along to lengthen and flatten, and roll out into a 24” long, 1/4” thick narrow slab.
8. Square off the edges as much as possible (trim any excess).
9. Double Turn: Grab the short side of the rectangle and fold it toward midline of the slab, repeat with other side, leaving a 1/8” gap in between.
10. Fold the entire slab in half into a book. Wrap the book in plastic, and make sure it’s no thicker than 1.5”. Freeze for 15mins, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
2nd Lamination –
11. Let the dough sit in room temp for ~5mins, unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Beat the dough and roll out (same as before) into a long narrow 3/8” thick slab.
12. Simple Turn: Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, tripling the layers. Press gently so the layers adhere. Wrap and freeze for 15mins, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
13. After an hour, let the dough sit in room temp for ~5mins, unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface.
14. Beat the dough and roll out into 15x17” slab. Slide onto a baking sheet and freeze for 20mins, then refrigerate overnight for shaping and baking the next day.
(Next morning)
Divide and shape –
15. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Let the dough sit in room temp for ~5mins. Re-roll the dough out to 15x17 if necessary.
16. Trim any irregular edges, and cut into five 3.4x15” rectangles. For traditional croissants, slice the rectangles into triangles diagonally, making 10 triangles (fig.1), or divide the rectangles into 7.5x3.5” slabs (fig.2) for pain au chocolat or ham & cheese croissants. Alternatively, cut rectangles into triangles and slabs as desired (fig.3).
17. Roll the slabs into crescents or rolls, and let proof until double in size, 2-2.5 hrs.
Baking –
18. Chill the croissants for 20mins while the oven is pre-heated to 375 degrees.
19. Apply egg wash to the croissants and bake for 20mins Rotate the sheets or switch racks, and continue to bake for another 10-15mins until deep brown.
