Croissant

Ingredients

Dough (le detrempe)

  • 255 grams all purpose flour
  • 25 grams sugar (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 1.25 teaspoons salt
  • 1.25 teaspoons yeast
  • 28 grams (about 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • 59 grams milk
  • 89 grams water

Butter (le buerrage)

  • 113 grams (1 stick usually) unsalted butter

Egg wash

  • 1 egg (because 1 egg is un oeuf)
  • 15 grams water
  • An eighth teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Mix dough, knead, and rest in sealed food bag for at least 5 hours in the fridge.
  2. Shape le beurrage into a 5.5 x 5.5 inch sheet. I usually beat it with a rolling pin.
  3. Roll dough to 6 x 12 inches.
  4. Fold dough around butter like a book.
  5. With folded edge (“binding”) on the left, roll the dough sheet perpendicular to the binding until the sheet is 6 x 16 inches.
  6. Fold in thirds, then place back in the food back, and then back into the fridge.
  7. Wait for 1 hour, then repeat the rolling and folding.
  8. Wait for another hour, and repeat the rolling and folding again.
  9. Wait for 5 hours, then roll sheet out to 8 x 16 inches. Cut and shape into croissants. Proof covered until fluffy like a marshmallow.
  10. Egg wash then bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 17 minutes until nicely browned.

Shaping

Shaping is a big part of making croissants.

The first shaping involves rolling out the dough and the butter, and then encasing the butter in the dough.

Always make sure to roll perpendicular to the seam of the dough.

The next series of steps involves rolling the dough-butter sheet out, folding it, and chilling it in the fridge in a plastic bag.

Repeat the roll, fold, and chill two more times. This helps to build up the layers of the croissant.

Make sure the work environment never gets warm enough for the butter to melt.

To finish the shaping, roll the dough out to a 8 by 16 inch sheet.

To form plan croissants, partition the sheet into 4 even rectangles, and cut the rectangles diagonally to form triangle shapes.

The dough can be cut with a sharp knife, though I personally prefer cutting with a pizza cutter.

Give the triangles a small slit to help flare out the width of the croissant, then roll the croissant from the wide end towards the triangle tip.

For any other form of stuffed croissants, form approximately square shapes, layer the stuffing, then roll in from opposing ends of the croissant squares.

Pointers

  • Make sure the work environment isn’t too warm, otherwise the butter might melt. We don’t want that to happen. We want the butter to remain solid and somewhat firm.