Classic Croissant Recipe

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Servings: croissants

Prep Time 1 15

Cook Time 4 25

Total Time 5 40

Heat 1 cup water for the sponge to 110 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix the water, yeast and 1 cup of flour.
Mix well so there are no lumps of flour and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes or until the mixture has doubled.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the next 3 cups flour with the sugar and salt.
Pour the pre ferment mixture, which has already doubled in size, into the flour and mix gently with a wooden spoon.
Add the milk and stir until the ingredients are combined.
Add the cubed butter and knead the dough until just smoothing out and slightly elastic. Knead for no more than 6-7 minutes. Do not knead the dough too much.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. Watch the dough and not the clock for this step.
On a large piece of parchment paper, cut the butter into half inch thick slices and shingle them, overlapping them as needed to make a 3 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch rectangle.
Cover with another piece of parchment paper and, using a rolling pin, roll out the butter into a rectangle no larger than 5x6 inches.
Leave it wrapped in parchment and refrigerate.

Lightly flour your worktop with a few tablespoons of flour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it into a rectangle about 7x15 inches.
Place the cooled butter on one end of the dough. The butter should be cold but flexible. If it's so cold that it crumbles, let it sit on the counter a few minutes until more flexible. Close with the other end of the dough by folding it up and over the butter.

Lightly flour your rolling pin and carefully begin to roll dough into a 7x20-inch rectangle.
After you have rolled out the dough to the required size, fold the top third down to the center, the bottom third up to the center and then fold the top portion over the bottom. Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a floured kitchen counter.

Roll again from the short side to a 7x20 inch rectangle.
Fold the dough again as instructed in step 1 and place in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
Repeat step 1 turning again, folding again.
Leave for another 30 minutes in the refrigerator. You should have rolled the dough three times at this point.

Flour the kitchen counter well.
Roll out the dough one final time, but this time double the size of the length of the dough to about 35 inches. The width isn't quite as important, but about 10 inches wide.
Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut triangles width about 5 inches at the widest end.
Cut a small 1/2-inch line in the middle of each triangle.
Working from the wide end, use your other hand to slightly stretch the narrow end of the dough, making the triangle longer and skinner. Roll the croissants from the wide end without applying pressure so that you have six or seven ridges of dough across each one.

Place the finished croissants with their narrow tip pointed down onto a tray lined with baking paper. Leave enough space between the croissants so that they can rise without touching.
Leave at room temperature for 1 1/2-2 hours. The croissants will rise and double in size.
When the croissants are doubled, beat an egg in a small bowl and brush them gently on all sides.
Place in a preheated 370 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Keep an eye on the bottoms to make sure they don't burn.
Allow to cool before serving.

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine French

Keyword french croissant recipe, how to make croissants

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