French croissants

Share

Certainly! Here’s a classic French croissant recipe for you:

Ingredients:

• 500g (4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10g (2 tsp) salt
• 80g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
• 10g (2 tsp) instant yeast
• 300ml (1 1/4 cups) cold milk
• 250g (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions:

Preparing the Dough:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Mix well.
2. Gradually add the cold milk to the dry ingredients, mixing until a rough dough forms.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5-7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
4. Shape the dough into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preparing the Butter Block:

1. While the dough is chilling, place the cold unsalted butter between two sheets of parchment paper.
2. Using a rolling pin, pound and roll the butter into a flat rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Make sure the butter is cold but pliable.
3. Place the butter block in the refrigerator until firm.

Rolling and Folding:

1. Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface.
2. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Place the chilled butter block in the center of the dough rectangle.
4. Fold the dough over the butter, sealing the edges tightly to encase the butter completely.
5. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll it out into a long rectangle again.
6. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Repeat the rolling and folding process (known as “turns”) two more times, chilling the dough for 30 minutes between each turn. This creates the flaky layers in the croissants.

Shaping the Croissants:

1. After the final turn, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to trim the edges and cut the dough into triangles.
3. Starting from the wide end of each triangle, roll up the dough tightly to form the croissant shape.
4. Place the shaped croissants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between each croissant.
5. Cover the croissants loosely with plastic wrap and let them proof at room temperature for about 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Baking:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Once the croissants have proofed, brush them lightly with the beaten egg to give them a shiny finish.
3. Bake the croissants in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and flaky.
4. Remove the croissants from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack before serving.