Croissants
Makes 12 Croissants (serves 4-5)
For 2 Dough Balls:
260 grams water, room temperature
12 grams dry yeast
500 grams flour (for best results, use flour with 9-11% protein content)
60 grams sugar
10 grams salt
50 grams unsalted butter, softened
2 egg yolks
1-2 eggs (for egg wash)
For 2 Butter Blocks (Beurrage):
280 grams unsalted butter
To start the dough, pour the yeast into the water and give it 1-2 stirs. Ideally, the water should be around 100°F (38° C). Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, until it gets foamy on the top.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt together well.
Slowly add the yeast mixture, egg yolks, and softened butter. Mix and lightly knead until the dough starts to come together. The dough shouldn’t be sticky, so if it is, slowly incorporate a bit more flour until the dough comes together.
Once it comes together, pick up the dough and slap it against the countertop surface. As you slap the dough down, fold one side over the other so the dough folds into itself. Repeat this step for 30 seconds - 1 minute. It’ll be done once the dough starts to have a smooth surface.
Form the dough into a ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
With the dough still in the bowl, start from the edge and slowly peel back a portion of the dough and fold it inward towards the center of the dough. Complete this process all the way around the dough, so that the entire edge of the dough has folded inwards.
Let the dough rest in the refrigerator, covered, for another 10 minutes.
Repeat Step #6 again by slowly peeling back all of the edges of the dough from the bowl and folding it over itself.
Let the dough rest in the refrigerator, covered, for a final 25 minutes.
After this final rest, take the dough out cut it into two equally sized dough balls.
This step is dependent on your countertop space and how much dough you want to work with. If you don’t have a lot of countertop space, it’s better to make two doughs, rather than one large one, because later in the process, when you fully roll out the dough, you will need a lot more counter space if you keep your dough in one ball.
Place each dough ball on a large piece of plastic wrap and slightly roll out each dough. Once the dough has been slightly elongated, measure out and fold the edges of the plastic wrap over the dough so that it creates a square space for the dough that is 7 inches by 7 inches. Flip the plastic wrap over so that the folds are face down and slowly roll the dough out into the 7” x 7” space, making sure to fill all of the corners.
It’s important you use plastic wrap for this step as it helps lock in moisture. If you use wax or parchment paper, you risk drying out the dough in the fridge. Dry dough will cause cracks to form on the surface when rolling the dough out.
Let both 7” x 7” dough squares sit in the refrigerator overnight.
The following day, divide the butter into to two equal parts, as each dough will need its own beurrage (butter block). Place 2 pieces of wax paper down and measure and fold each sheet of wax paper into a 4 inch by 4 inch square. This is a similar process to one with the plastic wrap for the dough balls.
Using wax or parchment paper or plastic wrap for the butter block are all fine.
Cut up the butter and arrange the pieces in the 4” x 4” square (it’s ok if the butter doesn’t go exactly to the 4 inch mark). Fold the wax paper over the butter and turn the wax paper over so that the folds are face down. Slowly roll the butter out into the space, making sure to fill all of the corners. The butter will soften the longer it is out and the more you work it, but be sure you don’t let it get too warm. And make sure not to roll too hard as you don’t want the wax paper to rip or tear. Repeat this step for both butter blocks.
Once you have two 4” x 4” butter blocks, put both in the refrigerator for 15-25 minutes.
Take one dough and one butter block out of the refrigerator.
Lightly flour the work surface and take the dough out of the plastic wrap. Lightly tap the dough with a rolling pin before gently rolling out the dough in order to flatten and elongate the dough somewhat. Place the butter block in the center of the dough, diagonally from the corners, so that each flat side of butter faces one corner of the dough.
Fold the dough over the butter and pinch the dough together, making sure no butter is showing. It’s important to completely seal the butter inside. Let the dough sit for 1 minute. Repeat this step for the other dough and butter block.
Lightly flour a rolling pin and the dough. Gently press down on the dough with the rolling pin, multiple times across dough. This is to flatten out the dough to make it a uniform thickness.
With the rolling pin, very gently roll out the dough into a long rectangle, about 18 inches in length and ½-¼ inch thick. The dough might get wider, but the goal here is to keep the width about the same as before, with the focus being on getting the dough longer.
Your aim is to spread the butter throughout the dough and create a thin butter layer. If you roll too hard, you risk breaking the butter into chunks or rolling the butter into the dough
Make sure you roll in one direction, per roll, and you keep even pressure the entire time you roll!
Make sure not to tear the dough as you roll! If you do, try to pinch the hole shut
Carefully ease the dough from the counter top and fold the bottom half of the dough up and the top half of the dough down so that the ends meet in the middle. The edges of the dough might be rounded so try to pull the dough to form a straight line. The dough shouldn’t overlap, but the tips of the two ends should be touching. Fold this in half so you’re left with both folded halves stacked on top of each other, almost book-like.
Very lightly tap the dough down to even it out and combine all the layers. Be sure not to press down too hard.
Wrap in plastic wrap and it let rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Repeat Steps #15-23 for the other dough.
After 1 hour, take one dough block out and tightly tap the entire surface of the dough with a rolling pin, to even it out and combine all the layers. Be sure not to press down too hard.
Repeat Step #20, where you roll out the dough into a rectangular shape with a length of 18 inches and ½-¼ inch thick. Make sure you roll in one direction, per roll, and you keep even pressure the entire time you roll.
Once it’s the correct length, fold the top ⅓ of the dough down. Fold the bottom end of the dough up and over the other fold, so that it overlaps and goes all the way to top edge of the dough.
Very lightly tap the dough down to even it out and combine all the layers. Be sure not to press down too hard.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for either 1 hour or overnight, depending on when you want to eat.
Repeat Steps #25-30 for the other dough.
Take a dough square out and roll it into a wide rectangle. The crucial part here is that the dough is ¼-inch thick throughout, meaning the width and length may vary. For me, the dough usually ends up being around 10-12 inches wide.
Make small cut marks, with a knife, on the bottom edge of the dough at 3.0 - 4.5 inch intervals. This is how wide your pre-baked croissants will be, so the wider you make them, the wider your finished croissants will be. Be aware, that during the proofing and baking process, the croissants will further expand.
On the opposite edge of the dough with the cut marks, make another set of small cut marks in between the marks on the opposite edge.
Connect each cut mark with the one diagonally from it. When you’re done, your dough will be filled with triangles.
Separate each of the triangles and, using your hands, slightly elongate each triangle about 1 inch.
Now for the fun part! Making sure the dough stays taut, very tightly roll the dough starting from the widest part of the triangle. Make as many roundabouts as possible, but before sure you don’t apply too much pressure to the dough or the layers will squish together. Give the tail, or tip of the triangle, a slight pinch securing it to the body of the dough.
On a baking sheet, place the dough with the tail down so the weight of the dough keeps it from unraveling.
Brush each croissant with egg wash from 1 egg.
Repeat Steps #30-37 with the other dough.
Proof both sets of croissant in oven at 80°F (37° C) for 2 hours. This means the oven will be off, but keep the door to the oven shut. You don’t want a draft blowing over your croissants as they proof. You know they are done when they look puffy and have doubled in size. The croissants should also jiggle a bit when you lightly tap the pan.
Brush the croissants with another egg wash.
If you’re using a convection oven, bake the croissants at 390°F (200° C) for 6 minutes. Then bake them for another 330°F (165° C)for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on the croissants making sure they don’t get too golden too quickly. If they do, rotate the racks.
If you’re using a typical oven, bake the croissants at 400°F (205° C) for 15-20 minutes.
You’ll know they are done when the croissants are golden brown and puffy.
Enjoy!