Butter Croissants

 

Ingredients :

1. All purpose flour – 4 cups plus more for rolling
2. Cold water/icewater – ½ cup (plus 2 tbsp if required)
3. Cold milk – ½ cup (plus 2 tbsp if required)
4. Softened Butter - 3 tbsp
5. Sugar – ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp
6. Yeast – 1 tbsp + ½ tsp
7. Salt – 2 tsp 
8. Cold unsalted Butter – 1 ¼ cup
9. Egg - 1

To make the dough

Combine the all purpose flour , sugar, yeast , softened butter and salt  in the bowl .

add the milk and water and mix well to form a dough add the 2 tbsp water and milk only if needed. 

Transfer it to a lightly floured pan and wrap well with plastic , lightly flour the plastic wrap too so that not does not stick . Refrigerate overnight or at least for 6 hours.

To Make the butter layer

Cut the cold butter lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slabs. Arrange the pieces on a piece of parchment or waxed paper to form a 5- to 6-inch square, cutting the butter crosswise as necessary to fit. Cover with another piece of parchment or waxed paper. 

 

Gently form it into a smooth square ,using the warmth of your palms to soften in slightly and  pounding gently with the rolling pin with light, even strokes. 

 

Form to a roughly 7 inch square and refrigerate until it has hardened.

 

Laminating the dough

Unwrap and lay the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 10 inch square. Brush excess flour off the dough.

 

Remove the butter from the refrigerator—it should be pliable but cold. Unwrap and place the butter on the dough so that the points of the butter square are centered along the sides of the dough. 

Do an envelope fold -  Fold one flap of dough over the butter toward you, stretching it slightly so that the point just reaches the center of the butter.

 

Repeat with the other flaps . Then press the edges together to completely seal the butter inside the dough. Make sure that it is completely sealed , else the butter will escape while rolling the dough.

 

Lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough. With the rolling pin, firmly press the dough to elongate it slightly and then begin rolling instead of pressing.

  

Focus on lengthening rather than widening the dough and keeping the edges straight.

Roll the dough until it’s about 3 times in length ,approximately 24 inches in length. You can gently reshape the rectangle using your hands to get a perfect edge .

Pick up one short end of the dough and fold it back over the dough, leaving one-third of the other end of dough exposed.

Fold the left over one third over to form a blanket fold.

  

Cover and freeze for 20 minutes.

Repeat the rolling and folding - rolling in the direction of the two open ends until the dough is about 24 inches in length again Fold the dough in thirds again . Freeze for 20 minutes .

Repeat the rolling and folding for a minimum of 3 times ( or up to 6 times) and  Refrigerate overnight after the last rolling and folding.

When you are ready to make the Croissants roll the dough out -  you don’t want to widen the dough but simply begin to lengthen it. Roll the dough into a long and narrow strip, 8 inches by about 44 inches.

If the dough sticks as you roll, sprinkle with flour. Work quickly and make sure the dough does not warm up or it will start sticking . If this happens put it back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. then unfold the dough and finish rolling.

 Cut into triangles .

Make a small cut on the base of the triangle and slightly move the sides away from each other to form a Y shape.

With a gently touch roll the dough starting from the cut and stretched base side .Work quickly , the warmth of your palm will met the butter in the dough and make it stick .

Apply slight pressure so that the edge sticks to the formed dough . Lay the formed dough with the narrow  tip tucked under .

Bring the tips/edges together and pinch slightly to form a crescent shape

Shape the remaining croissants in the same manner, arranging them on a large parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet .( you might need several sheets to keep all the croissants) Keep as much space as possible between them, as they will rise during the final proofing and again when baked.

 
Make the egg wash by whisking the egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl until very smooth. Lightly brush it on each croissant.

They will take 1-1/2 to 2 hours to fully proof. You’ll know they’re ready if you can see the layers of dough when the croissants are viewed from the side, and if you shake the sheets, the croissants will wiggle. 

The croissants will be distinctly larger (though not doubled) than they were when first shaped.

Bake the croissants

Shortly before the croissants are fully proofed, position racks in the top and lower thirds of the oven and heat it to 400°F . Brush the croissants with egg wash a second time. Put the sheets in the oven. After 10 minutes, rotate the sheets and swap their positions. 

 

Continue baking until the bottoms are an even brown, the tops richly browned, and the edges show signs of coloring, another 8 to 10 minutes. If they appear to be darkening too quickly during baking, lower the oven temperature by 10°F. Let cool on baking sheets on racks. 

Croissants   can be stored at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated and reheated in a microwave as needed.