how to make croissants

There are few things better than having a freshly made croissant for breakfast with a cup of coffee. When we say breakfast, we mean lunch or dinner, because for me it is one of those dishes that I like at any time of the day. I would never say no to a croissant. Only if it is poorly made... So if you are like me, you cannot miss how to make traditional croissants at home .

I'm not going to lie to you and say that it's a very easy process, because it's not. But it's not an impossible process to carry out, and even less so if we follow each and every step to the letter. When making croissants, there is something very important to respect at all times and that is the temperature . Not only of the dough and the butter, which is very important, but of almost the entire process in general.

The croissant is a delicate product , requiring patience and a lot of care in every step of the process. It is a preparation that cannot be forced at any part of the process, but even less so during fermentation. The main component of this recipe is butter and, if we exceed the temperature at any part of the process, we will exceed the melting point of the butter. The result will not be a croissant, but a "brioche" type bun, because the butter will be integrated into the dough and will not form layers as we expect it to happen.

Origin of the croissant

The origin of the croissant, or cruasán as the Royal Spanish Academy determines that is the way it is written, is a preparation of the viennoiseries dough. In this case, laminated. Contrary to popular belief, its origin is not French, but Austrian.

The word croissant means "crescent" in French, due to its crescent moon shape. Its appearance is directly related to the war that led to its creation.

It was during the year 1683, a time when the Ottoman Empire was advancing across Europe, conquering territories in its fight against the Holy Roman Empire. After razing Constantinople, the Balkans and part of Hungary, the Ottoman army set its next target on Vienna.

The city was surrounded by a wall, so the strategy of the 20,000 soldiers was to dig tunnels under it to reach the center of the city and surprise their enemies in the middle of the night.

The Viennese bakers, like everyone else in the guild, were working past midnight to have the bread ready for the first hour of the day. They began to hear noises and, worried, raised the alarm. Thanks to this warning, the attack was prevented and the city was defended. To celebrate this victory , the bakers created a bun in the shape of a crescent moon, the same one that appeared on the Ottoman flag.

The croissant symbolised the way to 'eat a Turk', a sweet revenge carried out thanks to the collaboration of Viennese bakers.

Bag for treats and pastries Claudia&Julia

Ingredients (makes 14-15 croissants)

• 500 g of strong flour, in my case I used W=290
• 130 g water, cold
• 100 g milk, cold
• 50 g of sugar
• 20 g of honey
• 8 g dry yeast or 24 g fresh yeast
• 35 g of softened butter
• 10 g of salt

TO LAMINATE:

• 255 g of dry, cold, moldable butter, for slicing

TO BRUSH:

• beaten egg + 2 tablespoons of milk

FOR THE SYRUP (optional):

• 85 g of water
• 85 g of sugar

Elaboration

FIRST DAY

We prepare the détrempe (dough).

1. In the KitchenAid bowl, add all the ingredients except the butter for slicing.
2. We knead at speed 1 for 10 minutes . We increase the speed to 2 and knead for 5 more minutes . In this step it is very important to check the temperature of the dough from time to time, we will use a digital thermometer. It is important that the final temperature does not exceed 24º-25ºC. If we notice that the temperature rises, we refrigerate the dough for a few minutes before proceeding with the kneading.
3. Once we have a soft and developed dough, we remove it from the bowl.
4. We fold the dough to give it a rectangular shape, stretch it slightly with the help of a rolling pin, wrap it very well in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the next day, about 12 hours.

We prepare the butter for slicing.

1. Place the butter on one of the sheets between two Teflon sheets. Cover with the other sheet and begin to beat it with a rolling pin to flatten it.
2. We flatten it into a square shape, 20 cm on each side. By folding the Teflon itself, giving 20 cm on each side, we can spread the butter to cover the entire surface and keep it inside it (as if it were a mold or container).
3. We refrigerate the butter until the next day, about 12 hours.

SECOND DAY

We stretch the dough and make the first double fold.

1. We stretch the dough trying to give it measurements of 40 x 20 cm .
2. We place the butter plate in the center of the dough, so that the width of the butter and the dough are the same.
3. Fold the ends of the dough over the butter, bringing each edge to the center. Seal the seams of both folds well, both in the center and on the sides. The dough should be completely sealed on each side.
4. We make a cut on both sides of the dough where we have not sealed the joint.
5. We stretch it with the help of a rolling pin until it measures 65 x 20 cm .
6. We make a double fold . We bring one end of the dough until it covers 1/3 of it. We bring the other end until it joins the last one that we just placed. Once here, we fold the dough over itself in the same way as if we were closing a book.
7. We make cuts on the sides, press gently with a rolling pin, cover with film and refrigerate for 45 minutes .

We make a simple fold.

1. Lightly sprinkle the work surface with flour and proceed to roll out the dough. Roll the dough out in one go, from the centre to the edges, avoiding the same spot.
2. We stretch it until it reaches approximately 65 x 20 cm .
3. We bring one of the ends to the centre and repeat the same process with the other end, placing it on top of the previous one. In the same way as if we were closing a triptych.
4. We gently roll the surface to join the folds, make the cuts on the sides, cover with film and refrigerate for 45 minutes .
5. If we do not want to form the croissants on this day , we can freeze the dough for 3 hours and then put it in the refrigerator until the next day.

We form the croissants.

1. Lightly sprinkle the work surface with flour and proceed to stretch the dough.
2. We will give a length of approximately 75 x 25 cm , the dough should have a thickness of about 3.5 mm .
3. We cut triangles with a base of 9 cm. In the middle of each base, we will make a cut of approximately 1 cm. This will help us to form the croissant more easily because it will allow us to roll the base without pressing the layers of butter.
4. We stretch the dough gently , fold the corners of the cut we made in the centre of the base inwards and roll it up to form a croissant. We should not roll the croissant by putting any tension on it.
5. We place the croissants on a perforated tray lined with baking paper or using a silicone mat .

We carry out the fermentation process.

1. We brush only the surface of the croissants, not the laminated part, with beaten egg and milk.
2. We cover it with film and let it rise for about 2 and 1/2 hours at 27ºC .
3. If we cannot control the temperature and have to do it at room temperature, we leave it for approximately 4 and 1/2 or 5 hours at 21ºC . We should keep an eye on how things go during the fermentation process, as this may vary.

De Buyer perforated tray and T&G pastry brush

We prepare the syrup.

1. Add all the ingredients to a saucepan. Place over medium heat and allow to boil. The sugar should have completely dissolved.
2. Once it starts to boil, turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
3. We booked.

We bake.

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC with air .
2. We brush again with beaten egg and milk, very carefully, remembering that we should only brush the top part, not the laminated part.
3. We put it in the oven and cook for 16-17 minutes .
4. We take it out and let it cool completely on a rack.
5. If you want to brush the croissants with syrup, do so as soon as you take them out of the oven and place them on a rack. The syrup should be at 30ºC when you apply it to the croissants if you want to do so.

Grades

• To make croissants we should use a strong flour around W=270-320.
• Not all butters give good results when making croissants. We need a dry butter with 84% fat. In case we cannot access it, we must use a butter with a higher melting point than the butters in many supermarkets (this is due to the amount of water they contain). I have tried the KerryGold and Pascual brands, which give good results. I am sure there are other brands that work well (from supermarkets), but we must keep in mind that a dry butter is the one that will guarantee us good results .
• To make your croissants successful, always work with cold ingredients and respect the resting times.
• We must always handle the dough cold and try not to take too long during the stretching process.
• Ideally, use a metal rolling pin to roll out the dough.
• When we are ready to roll out the butter, it should be cold, but it should be malleable . That is, we can bend it without it breaking. The temperature of the butter should be around 12º-16ºC. If it is too cold, it will crack inside the dough and we will not get good results.
• The friction of the mixer causes the temperature of the dough to rise . If we refrigerate the bowl, it will help us maintain a more suitable temperature for longer.
• We should not press or manipulate the dough too much once we have rolled it out.
• Leave space between the croissants when they are going to ferment , they grow a lot during the leavening and after cooking.
• Preheat the oven well to ensure proper cooking.
• Cooking time may vary from one oven to another , it is important to know it well and work accordingly.
• Croissants should preferably be consumed on the day they are baked . They can be stored in an airtight container or zip-lock bag.

It is true that the process of making croissants at home is somewhat laborious, especially because of the rolling. But, of course, it is not impossible to do it if we have patience and a bit of muscle for our arms (we will need it!).

Looking forward to seeing yours!