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Author:
Franco Salzillo
Croissants are the most versatile French pastry. You can enjoy a croissant on its own, dip it in your coffee, tear it apart and spread it with butter, or make yourself a ham and cheese sandwich. Sweet and savory flavors go well with the flaky pastry, making croissants indispensable to your baking repertoire.
Let’s learn how to make traditional croissants at home. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be making these more often than you think.
The dough for this French staple is more straightforward than you think. Flour, butter, eggs, yeast, milk, sugar and a pinch of salt are all you need, and an egg white to give them their final glossy look.
What’s a bit more complicated is shaping the little horns. Once you spread the dough and roll it thin, you must spread it with butter and a few crumbs. Then, you must cut the dough into rectangles, which will become long dough triangles. Once you’re in this step, the rolling is intuitive, as the triangles basically roll themselves into the croissant shape we all know and love.
Work fast with these since you’re working with butter, and if it softens too much, things will get messy. You should have your croissants ready for the oven in under 40 minutes.
With practice, you’ll have a fresh batch in an hour! And I promise they’ll look prettier every time. Practice makes perfect, and that goes with French baking treats as well.
Hydrate the yeast in warm water.
In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks with the sugar, salt and hydrated yeast. Slowly incorporate half the flour while mixing using a hand mixer.
In the food processor, add the butter and remaining flour. Pulse to create crumbs. Set aside in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Flour a clean surface and roll the dough one-half-inch thick. Divide in three and spread the flour and butter crumbs over the rolled dough. Cut each rectangle diagonally to get 12 triangles. Roll each rectangle leaving the point in the center to create the traditional croissant shape.
Place the croissants on a baking tray and brush them with the whisked egg white.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Cool in a rack and serve still warm.
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