My first time making these was a challenge to say the least. They are a tad complicated. It's very important to follow all the steps and read through the directions properly. I learned this as I did not read through them very well. Needless to say we had croissants the next day.
I learned that you need to take your time with these. I also learned I used too much flour to prevent sticking. Quite possibly a bit of over-rolling as well. I will make these again as I like to perfect things. Generally I don't give up until it's just right. If I can tweak them just right I will add anything helpful I learned in a future post.
However these are yummy even when not perfect. They are a bit of work though. So just know going into it that these are a labor of love. Hope you enjoy!
Croissants: (bread maker)
1 cup (8 ounces) of water, 80 degrees
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons dry milk
3 tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons of active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons of bread machine yeast
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) cold butter slices thin
1 egg white, slightly beaten
Directions:
Add water and 3 tablespoon butter to pan.
Add bread flour, dry milk, sugar and salt to pan. Tap to settle then level.
Make a well in middle and add yeast.
Place pan in bread maker and set for dough. (mine takes about 2 hours)
Remove dough once done and place in a greased bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 15 x 12 inch rectangle. Cover â…” of dough with thinly sliced butter. Fold unbuttered third of dough over the center buttered third, then fold again, over the remaining buttered third. (kind of like folding a tee if you worked in a clothing store,lol) Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
Place dough again on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 15 x 12 rectangle. Fold in thirds again. Place back onto cookie sheet, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. The longer it is done the flakier the croissants.
Place dough on lightly floured surface again. Roll into a 15 x 12 rectangle. Cut rectangle into thirds, both crosswise and lengthwise. Then cut each piece diagonally so they are triangles. Roll each triangle up starting at wide end to form a crescent shape. Place on a cookie sheet ( I line mine with parchment). You can leave straight or curve the ends so they almost touch. Brush or spray with water. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place for 30 to 50 minutes. They should double in size.
Brush croissants with slightly beaten egg white. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Not too bad but not the best they could have been. I was not paying enough attention to the recipe. So lesson learned. If you are making pastries or delicate items you need to follow the directions carefully.
This recipe came along in a booklet from one of my bread makers. They have great recipes in there.
Photos are missing due to a G+ incident. They will be restored soon!
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