Homemade Croissants

A few weeks ago, Spud requested that I make homemade croissants.  I said of course, but we were out of town at the time and it slipped my mind.

Then came Spud’s day to cook…ok back up…

Once my kids hit their teens one of their summer jobs is to plan and cook (with assistance as needed) a meal every other week.  They can’t choose the same thing every week and if it’s something I would make from scratch, they do too.  My ultimate goal is to make them comfortable with cooking, so that when they’re on their own they’ll be confident enough to prepare their own meals and have the skills to do so.

Spud has pretty consistently picked super ambitious recipes because he wants what he wants.  Instead of starting simple with pasta, his first 2 recipes were homemade pizza and steak tacos (including the homemade tortillas and queso, because that’s what he likes).  Then last year, he asked if he could make a complex dessert instead of a meal, because he really wanted a Brownie Strawberry Cheesecake.  I figured it was three skills in one (brownies, cheesecake, and strawberry sauce), and the ultimate goal is comfort in the kitchen, so why not?

So back to that original point…this year, he got impatient waiting for those croissants and asked if he could make them…that day.  Ya know what? We had everything we need for bread, let's do it!

I don't like sharing personal pics, but since I love seeing my son baking, here's his hands making croissants.

We started by looking at the recipe I had used in the past, but wanted one that wasn’t written in grams, so we landed on another that had a great photo tutorial along the way.

Then I did what one should never do: I committed to a complex recipe after a cursory glance.  We made the dough and immediately got to a step (freezing the dough) that made me skeptical.  I’m sure it all would’ve worked out in the end, but I ended up adapting our source recipe with my bread baking experience and prior croissant making knowledge.

And you guys - I was actually happy about that mistake.  The recipe we picked had a clever double folding method that makes laminating faster and gave me a tip (don’t go higher than 80 degrees when proofing) that gave Spud the best croissant results I’ve ever had!

His croissants were perfect.  No butter leakage at all, and they were airy and crisp.  And I just love that I may be nurturing a future bread baker!

Homemade Croissants

Adapted from The Flavor Blender

Dough

⅓ cup warm milk (about 110 degrees F)

¼ cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon honey

1 ½ tablespoon melted and cooled slightly

1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

Butter

10 tablespoons (140 grams) butter, I prefer homemade

Egg Wash

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

DAY 1

Place the milk, water, yeast, and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to mix.  Set aside 5-10 minutes or until foamy.

Add the butter, sugar, salt, and flour.  Mix with the dough hook until smooth and tacky, about 5 minutes.  If the dough does not come together, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Likewise, if the  dough is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel or cling wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area to rise until doubled in size.

Turn dough out and roll into a 7x10 inch rectangle.  Wrap tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.

DAY 2

I like to start by making homemade butter according to recipe instructions.   I like the flavor and pliability of making the butter block of fresh butter, but you can totally use butter from the store.  If not using fresh butter, soften slightly to make the butter block.

Wrap the softened butter in cling wrap.  Slowly roll into a 5x6 inch rectangle, adjusting the cling wrap as necessary.  Wrap and place in the refrigerator until firm, about 20 minutes.

Once the butter is firm, remove the dough and the butter from the refrigerator.  Place the butter block onto the dough, fold the dough over the butter, pinching the edges to enclose completely.  Wrap and refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator.  Place on a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, around 15-18-inches long.  Using a double fold (click here for a photo tutorial), fold the dough to create layers.  Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Remove the dough and repeat the rolling to 15-18 inches and ending in another double fold.  Wrap the dough tightly and return to the refrigerator for another 30-60 minutes.

Next, the dough will be rolled for cutting.  This will be done in 2 stages to allow the gluten to rest between rolling.  Roll the dough into a long rectangle, about ½ inch thick.  Wrap the dough and refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Unwrap the dough and continue rolling.  In the end, the dough should be a little less than ¼-inch thick (closer to ½ cm) and should be about 8 inches wide and about 15 inches long. 

Next, mark the dough each 3 ½ inches on one side and offset 3 ½ inch markings on the other side to help guide cutting the triangles (check that link above again for a photo guide).

Cut a small notch on the side opposite the tip and carefully roll into a croissant shape.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.  Repeat with the remaining croissants.

At this point, the tray can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated overnight.

Either way, to proof before baking, place the loosely wrapped tray in a warm (75-80 degrees) area for 2-4 hours or until the croissants are very airy and jiggly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together the egg and water and brush lightly onto the proofed croissants.

Bake the croissants for 20-25 minutes or until deeply browned.

Cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Makes about 8 croissants