Croissants
- 2 cups cold milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 pounds (about 4 1/2 cups) bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 4 ounces (1 scant cup) unbleached pastry flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 ounces fresh yeast, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Make the dough package: Pour the milk and honey into a 1-quart liquid measuring cup, and stir to combine; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together 1 pound 6 ounces (about 4 1/4 cups) bread flour, the pastry flour, sugar, yeast, and salt; stir to combine.
- Add milk mixture, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; gently knead to form a smooth ball, about 45 seconds.
- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Make the butter package: Lay the butter sticks side by side on a piece of plastic wrap, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) flour.
- Pound with a rolling pin until flour is incorporated, and roll into an 8-inch square.
- Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Remove dough package from the refrigerator; place on a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll out to a 16-by-10-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick, with a short side facing you.
- Remove butter package from the refrigerator; place on the bottom half of the dough; fold the top half of the dough over the butter, and pinch the edges to seal.
- Roll out the dough to a 20-by-10-inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick, with a short side facing you; keep the corners as square as possible.
- Remove any excess flour with a dry pastry brush.
- Starting at the far end, fold the rectangle in thirds, as you would a business letter.
- This completes the first of three turns.
- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Repeat rolling and folding as above two more times, starting with the flap opening on the right, as if it were a book, and refrigerate at least 1 hour between turns.
- To help you remember how many turns have been completed, mark the dough after each: Make one mark for the first turn, two for the second, and three for the third.
- After the third, wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
- Turn out chilled dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll out the dough to a 30-by-16-inch rectangle.
- (If the dough becomes too elastic, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.)
- Using a pizza wheel or pastry cutter, cut the dough in half lengthwise to form two 30-by-8-inch rectangles.
- Stack one piece of dough on top of the other, lining up edges.
- Using the pizza wheel, cut dough into triangles, each with a 4-inch base (you will have scraps at both ends).
- Cut a 1-inch slit in the center of the base of each triangle.
- Place triangles in a single layer on a clean work surface.
- To shape croissants, stretch the two lower points of each triangle to enlarge the slit slightly.
- Fold the inner corners formed by the slit toward the outer sides of the triangle, and press down to seal.
- Using your fingertips, roll the base of the triangle up and away from you, stretching the dough slightly outward as you roll; the tip should be tucked under the croissant.
- Pull the two ends toward you to form a crescent.
- Transfer the crescents to two parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart (12 on each sheet).
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until very spongy and doubled in bulk, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F, with the racks in the upper and lower thirds.
- Lightly brush crescents with the beaten egg.
- Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the croissants are puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Follow instructions for Croissants, reducing the amount of bread flour to 1 pound 2 ounces (about 3 3/4 cups) and omitting the pastry flour.
- Reduce the butter to 1 pound (4 sticks) and the salt to 2 teaspoons.
- Add 10 ounces (about 2 cups) whole-wheat flour with bread flour and other ingredients.
- After the dough is rolled out, the butter package is placed over the bottom half.
- The uncovered half is folded over the butter package, and the open edges are pinched together to seal.
- The dough and butter package is rolled out, then folded into thirds.
- The folded dough is marked with a knuckle to keep track of the number of completed turns.
- The dough is trimmed and divided into triangles, which are then notched at the base.
- Each triangle is then rolled and shaped into a crescent (see here).
cold milk, honey, bread flour, flour, sugar, fresh yeast, salt, butter, egg
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/croissants-390244 (may not work)