Butter Croissants
Ana Ferreira Demo- Makes
- 30 croissants · about 2.4 kg
- Active
- 2 h 3 min
- Total
- 39 h
You’ll Need Stand mixer with a dough hook, Rolling pin, Tape measure or long ruler, Pizza wheel, Waxed or baking paper, Baking sheets, Pastry brush
Method
Day One: Dough
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Put , , , , , and in the mixer bowl and knead for on low to medium speed, just until the dough comes together.
smooth enough to hold together but still slightly roughonly low to moderate gluten: an over-kneaded dough fights back when you laminate[object Object]
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Shape the dough into a flat disc rather than a ball, so it is easy to roll into a square tomorrow. Put it on a plate, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
4 °CSafe to pause here[object Object]
Day Two: Butter Slab and Lamination
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Cut lengthwise into slabs about 1.3 cm (½ in) thick and arrange them on waxed paper in a square of roughly 15 cm (6 in). Cover with a second sheet and pound with a rolling pin until about 19 cm (7 ½ in) square. Trim the edges straight, lay the trimmings on top and pound gently into a neat 17 cm (6 ⅔ in) square. Wrap and refrigerate until needed.
the butter is cold but pliable, bending without cracking[object Object]
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Lightly flour the worktop and roll the cold dough disc into a 26 cm (10 ¼ in) square of even thickness.
the corners as square as you can make them -
Lay the butter slab on the dough turned diagonally, so a corner of the butter points towards you. Fold each corner of the dough over the butter so the points meet in the middle, with the edges just overlapping, and press the seams together with the palm of your hand.
the butter is completely sealed in, with no gaps -
With a lightly floured pin, roll the package from the centre outwards into a rectangle of 20 cm (7 ¾ in) by 60 cm (23 ⅔ in), aiming to make it longer rather than wider. Fold it in thirds like a letter, cover and refrigerate for .
the edges straight and the thickness eveneach roll-out takes only a few minutes[object Object]
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Give the dough a quarter turn so an open end faces you, roll it out again to 20 cm (7 ¾ in) by 60 cm (23 ⅔ in), fold in thirds, cover and refrigerate for .
[object Object]
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Turn, roll and fold one last time in the same way, then wrap the dough and refrigerate it overnight.
4 °Cthree folds in all: twenty-seven layers of butterSafe to pause here[object Object]
Day Three: Shaping, Proofing and Baking
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On a lightly floured worktop, roll the dough very gently into a long strip 20 cm (7 ¾ in) wide and 110 cm (43 ⅓ in) long. If it resists, fold it up, refrigerate for and try again. Lift the strip a few centimetres off the worktop so it can shrink back, then trim the ends straight, leaving about 100 cm (39 ⅓ in).
the strip no longer springs back when lifted[object Object]
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Mark the top edge every 12.5 cm (5 in) with the pizza wheel. Mark the bottom edge first at 6.3 cm (2 ½ in), then every 12.5 cm (5 in) from there, so the marks are staggered. Cut diagonals from each top mark down to the bottom marks, first in one direction and then the other, to give 30 triangles.
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Cut a 1.5 cm (⅝ in) notch in the middle of the short side of each triangle and gently stretch each one to about 25 cm (9 ¾ in) long, by hand or with barely any pressure from the rolling pin. Roll up from the notched end, pulling the two wings outwards from the centre, tightly at first so the layers stick, and finish with the point underneath.
six or seven visible steps on each croissantthe tip tucked under so it does not unroll[object Object]
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Set the croissants on trays lined with paper, with plenty of space between them. Beat with until smooth and brush on a first thin coat; no need to cover them.
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Proof in a draught-free spot at 24 °C to 26 °C for about . Any warmer and the butter will start to leak out.
25 °C ± 1.5 °Cthey wobble slightly when you shake the sheetthe layers are clearly visible from the sideroughly doubled and airy[object Object]
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Towards the end of the proof, heat the oven to 220 °C (220 °C fan).
220 °C -
Brush with a second thin coat of egg wash and bake at 200 °C for , turning the oven down a notch if they colour too fast.
200 °Cdeep golden brown all over, darker at the seamsthey feel very light when lifted[object Object]
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Leave on the sheet for a few minutes, then move to a rack. Eat while still warm.
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From Ana Ferreira
This schedule spreads the work over a weekend so the dough is always cold and relaxed when you roll it: mix on Friday evening, laminate on Saturday morning, shape and bake on Sunday. Three single folds give 27 layers of butter, enough for a honeycomb crumb and a shattering crust without the dough fighting back.
Notes
- Pick a cool day. Below about 20 °C in the kitchen you have more time and the butter is less likely to melt into the dough.
- Keep the butter solid. If at any point the dough resists, shrinks back or the butter softens, fold it, cover it and give it 10 to 20 minutes in the fridge before carrying on. Never force it.
- Flour: French type 55 is ideal; unbleached plain (all-purpose) flour works. Use as little dusting flour as you can.
- Fresh yeast: use about three times the weight of instant yeast, about 33 g.
- Rolling: roll from the centre outwards rather than end to end, and turn the dough around now and then; you tend to press harder rolling away from you.
- Baking: every oven differs. A fan oven heated to 200 °C, turned down to 175 °C as the croissants go in for 10 minutes and then to 150 °C for 6 more, also works well.
- Trimmings make good, if oddly shaped, pains au chocolat with a stick of dark chocolate rolled inside.
Storage
Best the day they are baked. Freeze any you will not eat within a day and reheat from frozen in a 180 °C oven for 8 minutes.
Make Ahead
The laminated dough waits happily in the fridge overnight; that is part of the schedule.
When to Start
Plan backwards from a time
Filed under Breakfast · Brunch · Western Europe › France · Pastry · Baking · Weekend Project · Croissant. Tags: #laminated dough, #three day project, #viennoiserie.
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