Croissants
Home-made buttery croissants, freshly baked, are a real triumph. Feel proud when you spread on the jam!
Ingredients
Method
- Place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, slowly mix in a little water until the mixture forms into pliable dough.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and knead until it feels elastic.
- Return the dough to the bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Return the chilled dough to your floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle, around 60x30cm/24x12in.
- Roll out the chilled butter into a rectangle about 1cm/½in thick, around 20x30cm/8x12in.
- Place the butter rectangle in the centre of the dough rectangle, so it covers the middle third of the dough.
- Fold each side of the dough over the butter, so there is one layer of dough on the bottom, a layer of butter, then two layers of dough.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for another hour.
- Lightly flour the worktop and roll out the dough to a rectangle, around 60x30cm/24x12in. Repeat the folding process, folding the long sides into the middle, then return the dough to the fridge for a further hour
- Repeat this process of folding and chilling two more times, then wrap the dough in cling film and set it aside to rest overnight.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the rested dough to 3mm/1/8in thick.
- Either use a croissant cutter to cut triangles or cut the rolled out dough into squares, each 20cm/8in square.
- Cut each square diagonally, making two triangles.
- Place the dough triangles on a lightly floured surface with the right angle away from you.
- Roll the croissant towards the right angle point and curl the dough roll around into a traditional crescent shape. If using chocolate, add the chocolate across the widest part of the triangle, before rolling it up.
- Place the shaped croissants on baking trays lined with baking parchment and leave to rise for 1½ hrs.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/425F/Gas 6.
- Lightly egg-wash the croissants and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown
Notes
