Not sure if they are the best thing on the face of the planet but they come quite close. I must say I always love a good croissant and Costco has a really good soft, decadent joy of a croissant that I fill our counter and freezer with. To be honest, I am a carbohydrate LOVER. Bagels, bread, English muffins, cookies, chips, pastries, muffins, and yes the classis croissant; all of which I eat a lot of if they are lying around. I have never watched my carb intake and although I should, I don’t, I can’t get away from them. They make my palate happy.
Although I took on the task of making my own croissants, I will not make them on a regular basis as they are fun to make they are a two day process and my household quickly devours them. All that hard work put into these astonishing delights do give a new name for homemade croissants. They are worth making a couple times a year to simply experience the flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth pastry.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
- 1 tbsp. instant yeast
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1¼ tsp. salt
- 1¼ cups whole milk, cold
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
For the butter square:
- 24 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces and kept cold
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Directions: To make the dough, combine 2¾ cups of the flour together with the yeast, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together and set aside. Add the milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the dry ingredients and knead on low speed until a ball of dough forms, about 5 minutes. Cut the butter into small pieces and add them to the dough. Continue to knead until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth. The dough should form a ball and begin to clear the sides of the bowl, about 5-6 minutes more. The dough should be sticky but if the dough sticks more to the bowl than itself, add the remaining ¼ cup of flour a small bit at a time as needed. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the butter square, toss together the butter pieces and flour on a clean work surface. Smear the butter back and forth using a bench scraper against the work surface until they have combined into a smooth mixture. OR in a Kitchen Aid Mixture combine cold butter and flour and mix well. Shape into a ball and wrap the butter mixture in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.
After butter mixture is chilled place butter between wax paper and roll into a 8″ square.
Dust a work surface with flour. Roll dough to approximately 1/4 inch thick.
Fold the corners of the dough towards the center of the butter square. Pinch edges to seal the dough and keep the butter hidden.
If your dough is pretty thin and large, repeat the folding process.
Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge over night or for at least 30 minutes.
Using a rolling pin, gently tap the dough starting from the center of the dough and working outward, until the square becomes larger and the butter begins to soften. Fold dough back up placing the corners in the middle of the dough and repeat the rolling process three times to get the butter mixed well into the dough. Make a 14″ square while keeping the surface well floured.
Slice the dough in half and begin cutting triangles.
Slice the middle of the triangle to help fold the croissant to the correct shape.
Place on cookie sheet or leave on the counter to rise for another 45 minutes. Cover with tea towel.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake croissants for 18-22 minutes depending on your oven.
Enjoy!!!!!
**They freeze well if you decide to make a double batch and get all the work out at once. This would be my best advice; double batch!
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