Good morning! I’ve always loved Sunday. A day for worship, a day for prayer, a day for relaxing with friends and family. For me, Sunday is like the reset button that gets me ready for a new week. One of my favorite ways to spend the morning is chatting with friends over coffee and brunch. There is a time for elaborate brunch spreads, full of treats like cinnamon rolls, quiche, bacon, and eggs. But for me, Sunday mornings are typically a time for something simple. Something that I can prepare the night before, and not have to worry about as I’m holding on to those last few minutes of sleep. Also, I need something that I can pop in the oven without making a mess of my entire kitchen. These croissants fit the bill, and are usually a favorite with guests.
For years, I was intimidated by the thought of making croissants. Something about the phrase “laminated dough” made me shudder. Now, having made them several times I can assure you there is nothing to fear. Even a bad homemade croissants are delicious! Also, you can easily freeze these, and then pop them in the oven whenever you want, which is handy since croissants are best enjoyed straight from the oven.
A few tips–1) Just make these already! Really, don’t overthink it. 2)The perfect croissant is flakey and full of pockets. This texture is achieved by creating very thin layers of dough and butter through a process called laminating. It is important that the dough remain very cold through this process, because if the dough is warm it will absorb the butter rather than creating these highly sought after layers. 3) Don’t be intimidated by the time commitment, most of the time is spent waiting while the dough is in the refrigerator. There is very little actual work involved. 4) A note about the butter-I find it helpful to work with a block of butter rather than sticks, because it is much easier to create the butter package. (This time I chose Kerrygold.)
You thought I might go without mentioning it, but I am a woman on a mission (to use up my marmalade!) and I have to say that these croissants were amazing with a schmear of homemade orange marmalade!
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup whole milk (cold)
- 2 1/2 cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (8 oz./250 g.) butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
- Proof yeast by placing it in a small bowl with a pinch of sugar and three tablespoons of warm water. Let stand about five minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, melted butter, yeast mixture, and milk.
- Add flour and stir until just combined. Dough should be very sticky.
- Scrape dough onto a very well floured surface. Sprinkle flour generously on top of the dough, and pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Transfer to a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, on a well floured surface, use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten the butter in to a square that is approximately half the size of the dough rectangle you put in the refrigerator. The butter should be firm but pliable. If it starts to melt or get too soft, put it in the fridge for a few minutes. (Remember, you do not want the butter to soak into the dough, but to roll out nice and thin.)
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. (I usually roll it out on the plastic wrap I used to cover the dough while it was in the fridge.)
- Place the butter package on one end of the dough and fold the other end over the top. Pinch the dough around the sides, so you have a square with dough on all sides and butter in the middle.
- Gently roll the dough, taking care to keep the butter in one piece, until it is twice it’s original length. I usually roll the dough primarily in one direction so that I am left with a long rectangle.
- With the rectangle horizontal in front of you, fold the dough in thirds, bringing one end slightly past the center and then the other end over the top. Now, you should have a smaller, vertical rectangle that is three layers thick.
- Place the dough back in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
- Remove dough and place on a lightly floured surface (again, I use the plastic wrap) horizontally in front of you. Roll the dough out until it has doubled in size, and resembles the first time you rolled out the dough after inserting the butter package.
- Fold the dough in thirds and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Repeat this process three more times.
- After the final turn, return the dough to the refrigerator for four hours or up to overnight.
- Cover two half sheet pans with parchment. Lightly butter parchment and set aside.
- Roll the dough out to a 9×18 inch rectangle.
- At this point, you have a decision to make–do you want large traditional sized croissants, or smaller croissants? If you opt for the large croissants, you should cut the dough in half lengthwise and crosswise, creating four squares. Then, cut each square on the diagonal. (You should have 8 croissants.)
- If you opt for the smaller croissants, cut the dough in half lengthwise. Then cut each half in half again (you should have four long rectangles). Then, cut the dough (across all four sections) crosswise into thirds. Cut each of these squares across the diagonal, creating 24 croissants.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, stretch (i sometimes use the rolling pin to get this started) the triangles out to twice their length and stretch the wide end.
- Cut a small (about an inch long) slit in the wide end of the triangle. Beginning with the wide end, roll the croissant. Place on buttered parchment, about three inches apart.
- {If you would like to freeze some croissants for later, place the rolled croissants on a baking sheet an freeze for 3-4 hours. Once frozen through, transfer to a ziplock bag and return to freezer. To bake, allow to thaw for three hours and follow instructions below.}
- Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise until doubled in size (about an hour and thirty minutes).
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
- Whisk together one egg and one tablespoon milk. Brush over croissants. Bake for 15-18 minutes until deep golden brown.
- These can be stored in an airtight container, but are best enjoyed straight from the oven.
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