How to Make Croissants

Ingredients

• 17 ½ oz flour
• ½ oz active dry yeast
• 3 1⁄8 oz sugar
• ½ oz salt
• 10 ¹⁄8 fl oz warm milk
• 12 oz butter, room temperature
• 1 egg, beaten with 2 Tbsp water
• some extra flour

Food Information

• Servings
  • 10 croissants
• Preparation Time
  • ~16 hours
• Cook Time
  • 15 minutes
• Doubling this recipe may result in negative effects.
• Low-fat tips
  • Use 10 oz low-fat or no-fat butter.

Steps

1. Put the flour into the mixer. Add the salt, sugar, milk and yeast.
2. Mix it on low for 8–10 minutes until it has a smooth elastic consistency.
3. Dust dough
   Dust the dough and a large bowl with flour.
4. Remove the dough from the mixer and transfer it into a bowl. Cover it with the towel and let it rise until it doubles in size. This should take 1½ to 2 hours.
5. While dough is rising, put a sheet of plastic wrap onto your work surface. Place the butter on top and cover it with a second sheet of cling film.
6. Flatten it with your hands.
7. Roll it into a rectangle about 8 X 10 in (20 X 25 cm) with your rolling pin and place it into the fridge to chill.
8. After the dough has doubled in size, sprinkle it with a little bit of flour.
9. Punch out the air with your knuckles and place it onto a floured work surface.
10. Dust the dough with flour and roll it out into a large rectangle that is big enough to hold the sheet of chilled butter. Move the dough around in the flour. You may have to dust the table again.
11. Unwrap the chilled butter and place it onto the upper part of dough.
12. Fold the dough around the butter to enclose it completely. Lift the dough and sprinkle the table with flour.
13. Turn the dough around (so the seam is vertical) and roll it into another long rectangle.
14. Fold the dough into thirds, brushing off the excess flour as you go. This completes the first turn. Now wrap it in plastic wrap and place it into the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.
15. At the end of the 30 minutes sprinkle your working surface with flour.
16. Unwrap the dough and place it onto the work surface. Make sure that the dough has the seam vertically placed.
17. Dust it with a sprinkling of flour and roll it out into another rectangle.
18. Fold, brush and wrap, exactly as before. This now completes the second turn.
19. Place it back into the fridge for another 30 minutes.
20. Once removed, roll and fold for the third and final turn. Make sure that the dough is well wrapped before placing into the fridge once more to chill overnight.
21. Once chilled, cut the unwrapped dough in half on a floured surface.
22. Dust the dough with some flour and roll one half of the dough into a rectangle.
23. Reflour the surface when necessary and continue to roll until the dough is roughly less than a ¹⁄5 inch thick.
24. Turn the rectangle around. Flour the surface and trim the edges of the dough neatly.
25. Cut it into triangle shapes.
26. Take the bottom of the triangle at its widest part and, using your hands, tightly roll it up into a croissant shape. You can freeze the other half of the dough for use another time, or repeat the process and make more croissants.
27. Place the croissants onto a prelined baking tray.
28. Cover them with a clean plastic bag and leave to double in size.
29. Set the oven to 375ºC (190ºF/gas mark 5).
30. Once the croissants have risen, remove the plastic bag.
31. Very gently brush them all over with the egg wash.
32. Place them into the center of the oven. Bake them for about 15 minutes.
33. When they are a deep golden brown remove them from the oven.
34. Your croissants are now ready to serve!

Tips

• They go well with anything, from plain butter, jam and marmalade to ham and cheese.

Warnings

• Children should not operate the oven or use knives without adult supervision.

Things You'll Need

• rolling pin
• plastic wrap
• knife
• baking tray lined with parchment paper
• electric mixer with hook attachment
• bowl
• tea towel (clean dish towel)
• plastic bag
• brush