Croissants

Prep Time: 1hr Preheat Oven: 200°C (392°F) Bake Time: 15-20min

The Dough:

250g (about 2 1/6 cups) Bread Flour (Preferably 00 Flour)

5g (1 tsp) Salt

35g (about 1/8 cup) White Granulated Sugar

10g (about 3 1/2 tsp) Fresh Yeast or 5g Instant Yeast

120g (1/2 cup) Warm Water

25g (1 Tbsp) Melted Butter

The Butter:

125g (about 1/2 cup) Unsalted Butter

The Garnish:

1 Egg (For the Eggwash)

Chocolate Sticks

Chocolate Chips

Pearl Sugar

Raisins, Cinnamon ...

The Sugar Syrup:

100g (2/5 cups) Water

50g (about 1/4 cup) White Granulated Sugar

The Pastry Cream Filling:

250g (about 1 cup) Whole-Fat Milk

1 Vanilla Bean

1 Egg

60g (about 1/4 cup) White Granulated Sugar

20g (about 1/6 cup) Cornstarch

30g (1/3 cup) Butter, Diced

Cooking Instructions:

The Détrempe or Dough:

Begin by pouring the flour onto a flat workspace along with the salt and sugar into a pile. Lightly mix these dry ingredients with your fingers while still keeping the pile as tight as possible. Then, with all your fingertips together, start at the center of the flour mix and circulate out until you have pushed all the dry ingredients into a ring surrounding a small opening to the tabletop. In the center, place the warm water and fresh yeast. Stir with your fingers until the yeast is dissolved. Then add the melted butter to the center as well so that you have something that looks like a "fountain" (liquid in the center, dry ingredients around the edge).

Slowly start to incorporate the dry ingredients into the center while still keeping up a wall to prevent the liquids from pouring out. Eventually you will have a sticky thicker mixture that will not run. Once you have achieved this texture, you can begin to use a pastry scraper to gather up all the remaining dry ingredients on the countertop and incorporate them with you hands.

Knead the dough until it becomes elastic. Push the dough gently with the palm of your hand and pull up and fold the dough back on itself. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat. Once the dough reaches an elastic consistency (you push the dough with a finger the dough springs back), gather the dough into a ball shape, wrap in plastic film, and refrigerate. The dough should sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then refrigerated for at least 6 hours before starting the lamination stage.

The Butter:

Using a rolling pin and parchment paper, pound the butter into a thin rectangle. Refrigerate until cold and firm.

The Lamination Stage (Folding the butter into the dough):

Roll out the croissant dough into a long rectangle, about the length of the rolling pin. Place the butter block on the bottom two-thirds and fold the top third over the butter, leaving half of the butter exposed. Then take the side with the butter exposed and fold the dough along with the butter on top of the dough you just folded. You should now have something that is one third the size of the original rectangle with five layers (dough, butter, dough, butter, dough).

Roll out what you have again to about the same size of the original rectangle. Then make a "Double fold," which consists of folding the top fourth and the bottom fourth of the rectangle over to the halfway point so they meet at the center. Then, fold the dough over at the center so you have no creases. By this point, you should have about 17 layers of alternating layers of butter and dough. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Take the dough out of the fridge, then roll out again into a rectangle and do a "Simple fold", which consists of folding the top third over and then folding the bottom third over the first fold. At this final stage, you should have about 49 layers of alternating layers of butter and dough. Wrap in plastic film and leave to rest for another 30 minutes. At this point, dough can be refrigerated for a maximum of 48 hours or frozen for up to 2 months (defrost in the refrigerator).

The Pastry Cream Filling:

In a sauce pan, bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla (bean and seeds).

In a separate bowl beat the egg, sugar, and cornstarch.

Pour some of the milk into the egg, sugar, and cornstarch mixture, stir, then pour everything from the bowl into the sauce pan. Heat gently, and stir continuously until the mixture thickens and looks smooth. Once homogenous, bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and leave to cool down for a few minutes. Add the diced butter and mix until butter is fully incorporated. Pour pastry cream into a large bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and leave to cool down in the fridge.

The Shaping Stage:

Roll out the dough into a rectangle (try to make the length and width at least the length of the rolling pin). Trim and straighten the edges. Then cut the dough based on what type of croissants you are making. For a basic butter croissant, cut tall skinny triangles with a height equal to the width of the rectangle. For chocolate croissants, cut the dough into smaller rectangles. For pinwheels or baskets, divide the dough into squares.

For Croissants:

Take the long skinny triangles and first lengthen between your index and middle fingers. Then starting with the base of the triangle, roll the dough torwards the point, trying to get at least three to four layers. When you lay them on a baking sheet, place the side with the point faced down.

For Chocolate Croissants:

Take the rectangles and starting with the width side, roll the dough. There are two ways to roll a chocolate croissant. One way is to place a chocolate stick on either side of the rectangle and roll the dough inwards from both ends. Place the side with the crease faced down on the baking sheet. The other way is to place one chocolate stick on one side of the rectangle and roll the dough around the stick. Then place another chocolate stick on the other side of the roll and continue rolling. Place the side with the end of the dough faced down on the baking sheet.

For Pinwheels:

Take the squares and cut slits into the center from each corner. Gently fold each left side of the corner into the center. Each fold, press the corners together into the center. Once finished, sprinkle pearl sugar in the center.

For Baskets:

Take the squares and fold them twice so you have small squares. On the two sides without folds cut half a centimeter in from the edge, but do not cut through the folded edge of the square. When you unfold the small square, you should end up with slits on two of the corners. With the two half centimeter slits, fold them across on top of each other, leaving a little opening in the middle for your choice of jam.

For Croissants with Pastry Cream Filling:

Cut the dough into long skinny rectangles. On one side spread with the pastry cream filling and chocolate chips, and then fold half of the rectangle over or tightly roll into a bun.

The Rising Stage:

Once all croissants are on the baking tray, crack an egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Brush the croissants with egg wash, making sure to get all around the edges. Use the leftovers of the croissant dough to roll cinnamon buns. At home, shaped croissants can be frozen for up to 2 months to be baked later (defrost in the refrigerator). Leave the shaped croissants on the baking trays at room temperature for 2 - 3 hours until croissants look and feel puffy and have doubled in size. You can also use the oven as a proof-box (maximum 25°C or 77°F).

The Garnish & Baking Stage:

Prepare sugar syrup by boiling water and sugar together. Create steam by spraying water in the oven. Bake the croissants for about 15-20 minutes until golden in color, including the creases. As soon as the trays come out of the oven, glaze with sugar syrup.