Croissants

Ease of preparation: Complex

Yield: 14-15 croissants

Ingredients:

½ cup (120 ml) water, lukewarm

¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk, lukewarm

2 ½ teaspoons (12.5 ml) yeast

3 ¾ cups (900 ml) flour

¼ cup (60 ml) sugar

1 ½ teaspoons (7.5) salt

2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cup (320 ml) butter, cold

1 egg, for egg wash

1 tablespoon (15 ml) water, for egg wash

Method:

Let’s get baking!

Pour water and milk into a bowl. Add yeast and stir together. Set aside to proof for 10 minutes (let it sit until it has dissolved).

Place flour, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer bowl, and whisk by hand to aerate. Attach bowl to stand mixer and fit with a dough hook. Pour the yeast mixture over the dry ingredients. Add room temperature butter. Mix on low for 2-3 minutes.

Remove dough and pat into a ball. Place dough on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to sit overnight.

Cut cold butter into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) slabs and arrange in a square on a piece of parchment paper. Cover butter with a second piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, pound and roll the butter into an 8-inch x 8-inch (20 cm x 20 cm) square.

Remove top piece of parchment paper and trim the edges of the butter to form a proper square. Place butter scraps on top of the square. Replace parchment paper over top and gently roll the scraps back into the butter. Gently wrap the sides of the parchment over the butter square and place flat in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Roll chilled dough out on a lightly-floured surface into a 12-inch x 12-inch (30 cm x 30 cm) square. Place the chilled butter on top of the dough with the corners aligned with each side of the dough square. Fold each corner of the dough over the butter to meet in the middle and to create a square.

Gently press the dough seams together to seal the butter inside. Dust the top of the dough with flour and lightly roll into a 12-inch x 20-inch (30 cm x 50 cm) rectangle, stopping every once in a while to lightly tap the edges into straight lines.

Fold the top third of the dough down to meet the centre of the rectangle. Fold the bottom third up and over the folded dough (just as you would fold a piece of paper). Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Remove the chilled dough and repeat steps for rolling and folding two more times, wrapping and chilling in between, then wrap the dough and chill overnight.

Place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12-inch x 40-inch (30 cm 100 cm) rectangle. Trim the edges into a straight, proper rectangle. Slice into 14 or 15 triangles by starting a few inches down from the top of one of the long edges, then slice on an angle up toward the other long edge to make a pointed tip so that you have a triangle with two long equal sides, and one short side. Slice back toward the other edge to create another triangle, and repeat until the entire length of dough has been cut into triangles.

Make a ½-inch (1.25 cm) notch in the centre of the short side of each triangle. With the short, notched side facing you, place your hands at the tip of each notched corner. Roll up and towards the opposite point. Gently curve the ends toward each other to create a crescent shape.

Arrange croissants on two parchment-covered baking sheets. Cover each pan loosely with plastic wrap and let dough rise for 1 or 2 hours at room temperature or until dough has doubled in size.

Whisk together egg with water to make the egg wash, then brush each croissant with the mixture. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 400 F (205 C) or until toasted brown, puffed and crisp.

Let cool on baking sheets or wire racks. Serve fresh.