Croissants Recipe

Directions:

1. Note:
2. Make sure the dough is thoroughly chilled before it is rolled out. If the butter becomes too warm, it will melt, making the dough difficult to roll and shape. If the dough becomes too warm and sticky at any time during the rolling and folding process, wrap the dough in plastic and chill until the dough becomes workable. This dough is best made in a cool kitchen; if your kitchen is warm, place a large tray of ice on your work surface to chill it down before rolling the dough.
3. 1. For the dough: Whisk 2 3/4 cups of flour together with yeast, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Place milk in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Add flour mixture and knead at low speed until ball of dough forms, about 5 minutes. Add butter pieces to dough. Continue to knead until butter becomes fully incorporated and dough becomes smooth, begins to form ball, and clears sides of bowl, an additional 5 to 6 minutes. (Dough should be sticky, but if more dough is sticking to sides of bowl than to itself, add remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as necessary.) Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. 2. For the butter square: Following illustrations below, shape butter and flour mixture into even 7-inch square. Refrigerate butter square until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.
5. 3. Lightly dust work surface with flour. Following illustrations 1 through 5 for making turns (see below), roll dough into 11-inch square. Place chilled butter square diagonally onto dough. Fold corners of dough up over butter square so that they meet in middle and pinch ends of dough together to seal them.
6. 4. Using rolling pin, gently tap dough, starting from center of dough and going outward, until square becomes larger and butter begins to soften. At this point, start gently rolling dough into 14-inch square, checking often to make sure dough is not sticking and dusting with additional flour as necessary. Fold square into thirds to form long rectangle. (This method of folding is called a “turn” and resembles folding a business letter.) Starting from narrow ends, fold rectangle into thirds again to form square. You have now given dough 2 turns. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
7. 5. Repeat step 4, giving dough 2 additional turns (for total of 4 turns) and chilling again for at least 2 hours.
8. 6. To shape croissants: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place chilled dough on floured surface and gently roll dough into 20-inch square. Following illustrations 1 through 6 for shaping dough (see below), cut dough into 2 rectangles, then cut each rectangle into thirds. Cut each rectangle on diagonal to yield a total of 12 triangles. Lift one triangle off work surface, holding base (triangle’s short side) in one hand and tip in other and gently stretch. With base closest to you, cut 1-inch slit into center of base. (The small slit will allow croissant to roll evenly.) Fold two sides of slit outward and with both hands, roll triangle, gently stretching dough as you roll, leaving last 1/4 inch of tip unrolled. Gently transfer croissant to prepared baking sheet (unrolled tip facing downward). Bring ends of croissant toward each other to form crescent shape. Repeat with remaining triangles.
9. 7. Cover croissants loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until puffy (they will not double in size), 45 to 60 minutes.
10. 8. To brush with egg wash and bake: Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees. Using pastry brush, brush croissants with beaten egg. Bake until croissants are golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool croissants on wire rack until warm, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Although they are best eaten fresh out of oven, baked croissants will keep at room temperature for 2 days or well wrapped, in plastic, in freezer for up to 2 weeks. To reheat frozen croissants, place them in 300-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes.)
11. Notes: Shaping Croissants
12. 1. After rolling dough into 20-inch square, use pizza cutter and ruler to cut dough into 2 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle into thirds widthwise and then into triangles, to yield a total of 12 triangles.
13. 2. Working one at a time, lift triangle off work surface, holding base (triangle's short side) in one hand and tip in other hand. Gently stretch into long, narrow triangle with two sides equal in length.
14. 3. With base close to you, cut 1-inch slit into center of base (short side) of each triangle.
15. 4. Fold 2 sides of slit outward.
16. 5. With both hands, roll triangle from base, gently stretching dough as you roll, leaving last 1/4 inch of tip unrolled.
17. 6. Transfer croissant to parchment-lined baking sheet, unrolled tip facing downward. Bring ends of croissant toward each other to form crescent shape.
18. Note: Forming the Butter Square
19. 1. Using bench scraper, toss together butter pieces and flour on clean work surface. Smear butter and flour back and forth against work surface until they have combined into smooth, homogenous mixture.
20. 2. Wrap butter mixture in plastic wrap and use edges of plastic wrap to form even 7-inch square. Refrigerate until firm.
21. 1. Place chilled dough on floured surface and roll into 11-inch square. Remove plastic wrap from butter square and place diagonally on top of dough.
22. 2. Fold corners of dough over butter so they meet in middle of butter square. Pinch ends of the dough together to seal.
23. 3. Using rolling pin, tap dough from center outward until butter becomes malleable. Gently roll dough into 14-inch square, dusting work surface as necessary with flour.
24. 4. Fold one outside edge of dough in toward the center and bring opposite edge in over the top (like a business letter). Brush off excess flour.
25. 5. Repeat process, folding over each end to make square. This is 2 turns. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours before making final 2 turns in same fashion as before.
26. Note: Making Turns