Traditional Buttery French Croissants For Lazy Bistro Breakfasts Recipes

TRADITIONAL BUTTERY FRENCH CROISSANTS FOR LAZY BISTRO BREAKFASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• BREAD MACHINE: Put the milk, water, egg, flour, salt, sugar, 1 oz butter and the yeast into your machine and select dough, normal. This will mix, knead and prove the dough and takes about an hour and a half depending on your machine.
• BY HAND: Put the egg, flour, salt, sugar, 1 oz butter and the yeast in a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, slowly mix in the warm milk and the warm water until the mixture forms into a pliable dough. Cover and put the dough in a warm place, until it has nearly doubled in size.
• BUTTER DOUGH: Place the dough (both from the bread machine and by hand) on a floured surface and knead well until it feels elastic.Return the dough to the bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Return the chilled dough to your floured work surface and roll it into a rectangular shape, around 50cm X 20cm - 20" X 8".
• Separate the remaining butter into 3 portions and then using one third of the butter, dot the butter over the upper two thirds of the rolled dough, keeping a 1cm/1/2" border around the edges. Fold the dough into three , bringing up the bottom unbuttered part of the dough, and then folding the top buttered part of the dough over.
• Give the dough a half turn so that the open edges are now top and bottom and seal the edges with your rolling pin. Then take your rolling pin and press the dough at intervals to seal the dough and create air pockets. Roll out into a rectangle again, the same size, and then continue as before, two more times until your butter is used up - please see photos as a guide. It is important to return the rolled dough to the fridge in between each rolling to ensure the butter does not melt and the dough does not become too sticky. After the last rolling when all the butter is used, return the dough to the refrigerator to chill for a further 30 minutes.
• Remove from fridge and roll carefully into a big rectangle 50cm/30cm/24inx12in cut in half lengthways, divide each half into 4 to 6 triangles. Take one triangle at a time,and brush the triangle with the egg wash of milk and egg. Then from the widest edge of the triangle, roll up loosely and place in a crescent shape on a tray. Brush with the egg wash over the top for the glaze.
• TO FREEZE: At this point the croissants can be frozen; Open freeze them on a large tray, a baking tray is fine and then pack them into a rigid container or freezer bags when they are frozen. For use, remove from freezer the number required for breakfast, put onto baking tray and leave overnight. Put into a hot oven and cook for about 20 minutes until browned and risen.
• TO BAKE: Place the shaped croissants on baking trays lined with silicone baking parchment and leave to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and puffy.

BREAD MACHINE CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Add ingredients in the order recommended for your bread machine. Use the DOUGH cycle.
• When done, remove from bread machine pan and transfer to a greased bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 15 x 12-inch rectangle.
• With the long side towards you, cover 2/3 of the dough with the thin slices of butter.
• Fold UNBUTTERED third of dough over the center buttered third, then fold again - over the remaining buttered third.
• Seal ends and long side of dough. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface with the short side towards you. Roll out into a 15 x 12-inch rectangle.
• Fold in thirds, folding from end to end. Place back onto greased cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. The longer the refrigeration time the flakier the croissants.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface, with short side towards you. Roll out into a 15 x 12-inch rectangle.
• Cut rectangle into thirds, both crosswise and lengthwise. Then cut each section in half diagonally to form 18 triangles.
• Roll each triangle up starting at wide end to form crescent shape.
• Place croissants on greased cookie sheet, curving ends so they almost touch.
• Brush or spray lightly with water. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-50 min or until double in size.
• Brush croissants with slightly beaten egg white. Bake in preheated 375° oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

BUTTERY AND FLAKY FRENCH CROISSANTS

Steps:

• With a mixer (or by hand), mix together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and milk. Don't let the yeast touch beforehand the sugar or salt.
• · Knead until the dough is well bounced and no longer sticks. If after having kneaded well you still feel the dough is wet or sticky, add a little flour (lightly). You must knead well because this is what will give softness to your croissants.
• · Make a beautiful ball of the dough and leave it on a corner of your work surface while you prep the margarine. Later, when you marry the margarine and the dough, both should be at the same temperature.
• · Take a piece of parchment paper. Place your 300g (1.1 lb) of firm margarine in the center and beat/loosen it with your roller. Next, fold tightly the parchment paper into a squared envelope (leave space between the margarine and the 4 edges of the envelope because the margarine is about to be spread further). With your roller, spread the margarine within the parchment envelope. Shape it into a square of homogenous thickness.
• · Make a (large) cross incision with a sharp knife on top of the ball of dough and open up the ball from its center outward. As you open up the ball, try to reform it into a square of dough and leave greater thickness in the center of the dough.
• · Lay the margarine square onto the dough square (the dough square should be larger) and close back up the dough square over the margarine square into an envelope with 4 flaps overlapping one another tightly.
• · With your roller, roll out the dough square lengthwise into a rectangle. Fold said rectangle tightly in 3 folds so as to reform a square of dough. Keep the top opening to the right.
• · Repeat previous step (i.e., roll out the dough square lengthwise into a rectangle, etc).
• · Wrap the square of dough into kitchen wrapping paper (to keep moisture) and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• · Take square of dough and unfold its 3 flaps into a 60cm*40cm (24 inches*16 inches) rectangle. Use roller to even out the shape if need be.
• · With a long knife, cut this rectangle into a series of 40cm*12cm (16 inches*5 inches) triangles. This should give you about 12 croissants.
• · Taking the 12cm (5 inch) side as your base, make a 1-inch incision in the middle of said base before rolling up the triangle dough from the base upward to its top. Do not crush the dough as you roll it up.
• · Arrange raw croissants onto a baking sheet before brushing them with the golding mixture (i.e., 3 table spoons of vegetable milk + 1 table spoon of agave syrup).
• · Let the croissants "push up" (i.e., grow) for an hour. The best is to let them sit in the closed oven at about 30 degrees Celsius (90° Fahrenheit).
• · After about an hour, brush again the croissants with the golding mixture while you preheat your oven at 180° Celsius (350° Fahrenheit).
• · When ready, bake your croissants at 180° Celsius (350° Fahrenheit) for 15-20 minutes, depending on the color.

FRENCH CROISSANT

Steps:

• (3/4 pound) of butter and margarine, equally divided and softened at room temperature.
• Sprinkle 3 Tbsp flour over butter and blend together on the work surface. On a length of foil, fashion a 6" square of soft butter; fold over the sides of the foil to enclose. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 to 3 hours.
• While the butter is chilling, prepare the dough. To mix by hand, in a large mixing or mixer bowl, blend 2 cups of the flour with salt and sugar. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add it and the warmed milk and half-and-half to the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or the flat blade of an electric mixer to thoroughly blend the batterlike dough, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to make a soft but not sticky dough (it will stiffen when chilled.) Knead by hand or under a dough hook for 5 minutes to form a solid mass.
• If using a food processor, attach the steel blade. Place 2 cups flour in the work bowl and add the dry ingredients. Pulse to mix. Pour the 1/4 cup water, milk, and half-and-half through the feed tube. Pulse once or twice to be certain that all dry ingredients are moistened. Add the balance of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, turning the machine on briefly after each addition. When the mixture forms a mass and begins to clean the sides of the bowl, knead for 30 seconds. Don't overknead!
• This begins the process of cooling the dough and at the same time allowing it to rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Determine that both butter and dough are about the same temperature - 65°F (23°C) is ideal. The block of butter should bend but not break (too cold) nor be oily (too warm) when bent slightly. This may mean taking the butter out of the refrigerator an hour or so early to reach workable temperature. Likewise for the dough. Place the dough on a floured work surface and with the hands press it into a 10" square. Unwrap the block of butter and lay the block diagonally on the dough. Bring each point of dough into the center, overlapping the edges at least 1". Press the dough into a neat package. With a heavy rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, approximately 8" x 18". This dimension is not critical.
• Caution: If the butter seems to be breaking into small pieces under the dough rather than remaining solid, allow the dough/butter to warm a few minutes. But if the butter softens, becomes sticky, and oozes while making the turns, put the dough back into the refrigerator for several minutes.
• Fold the length of dough into thirds, as for a letter. Turn so that the open ends are at twelve and six o'clock. Roll again into a rectangle. This time, fold both ends into the middle and then close, as one would a book. The dough will now be in 4 layers. Wrap the package of dough in a cloth (an old tea towel is good) that has been soaked in cold water and wrung dry. Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator to relax and chill for 1 or 2 hours.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on the floured work surface. Unwrap, roll out, and fold in thirds, as for a letter. This is the final turn before it is rolled out and cut into croissants. Dampen cloth again and wrap loosely around the dough. Place the package in a plastic bag so moisture will be retained (not pulled out of the cloth). Leave in the refrigerator 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
• Mix together the egg and 1 Tbsp of water. Have ready the egg wash, a knife or pastry cutter, and a wooden yardstick if you wish the pieces to be cut precisely otherwise, plan to cut them freehand. You may have or can borrow a French croissant cutter that cuts the dough into triangles.
• Sprinkle work surface with flour. Roll the dough until it is a generous 10"-x-38" rectangle, and, most importantly, about 1/4" thick. This is a crucial dimension, since it determines the size and texture of the croissants. Trim irregularities to make the strip uniform in width. Cut the strip lengthwise to make two 5" pieces. Mark the strip into triangles, 5" wide on the bottom. Using a yardstick as a guide, cut through the dough with a pastry or pizza cutter or knife. Separate the triangles, place them on a baking sheet, and chill for 15 to 20 minutes. Roll the dough into the traditional croissant shape, by rolling the triangle from the bottom to the point.
• Place the croissants on a baking sheet and allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours, in which they will double in volume.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Bake the croissants for 22 to 25 minutes. Allow them to cool on a rack before serving.
• Yield: 24 to 30 croissants.

BUTTERY CROISSANTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat butter and flour until combined; spread into a 12x6-in. rectangle on a piece of waxed paper. Cover with another piece of waxed paper; refrigerate for at least 1 hour., In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, egg, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. , Roll dough into a 14-in. square. Remove top sheet of waxed paper from butter; invert onto half of dough. Remove waxed paper. Fold dough over butter; seal edges. , Roll into a 20x12-in. rectangle. Fold into thirds. Repeat rolling and folding twice. (If butter softens, chill after folding.) Wrap in plastic; refrigerate overnight., Unwrap dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 25x20-in. rectangle. Cut into 5-in. squares. Cut each square diagonally in half, forming two triangles. , Roll up triangles from the wide end; place 2 in. apart with point down on ungreased baking sheets. Curve ends down to form crescent shape. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Serve warm.