Baking is probably my number one hobby these days. For Thanksgiving yesterday, I made an apple pie, a pumpkin pie and a birthday cake for my aunt Ceil. I don’t have photos of those creations, but I did want to take this lazy post-Thanksgiving day to share a recipe for homemade butter croissants, which are one of my favorite things. Enjoy!
Taken from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
.25 cup sugar
1 tablespoon rapid-rise yeast
1.5 teaspoons salt
1.25 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees)
Butter square:
3 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
I large egg, lightly beaten, for brushing
1. For the dough: Combine 2.75 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the milk and mix until the dough comes together, about two minutes.
2. Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead the dough until it forms a sticky ball and becomes elastic, about 8 minutes. If after 5 minutes the dough appears overly sticky and doesn’t come together, add the remaining .25 cup of flour, one tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about one hour.
3. For the butter square: Lay three sticks of butter side by side on a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cover with a second sheet of parchment paper. Gently pound the butter with a rolling pin until the butter is softened and the flour is completely incoporated, then roll it into an eight-inch square. Wrap the butter square in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about one hour.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and roll into an 11-inch square. Place the chilled butter square diagonally in the center of the dough. Fold the corners of the dough up over the butter square so that the corners meet in the middle and pinch the dough seams to seal.
5. Using a rolling pin, gently tap the dough, starting from the center and working outward, until the square becomes larger and the butter begins to soften. Gently roll the dough into a 14-inch square, dusting with extra flour as needed. Fold the dough into thirds to form a rectangle, and then fold the rectangle in thirds to create a square. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
6. Repeat step 5 and let dough rest in the refrigerator for another two hours.
7. For the croissants: Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the chilled dough into a 20-inch square on a lightly-floured surface. Cut the dough in half down the middle.
8. Cut each piece of dough into three small rectangles and cut each small rectangle on the diagonal into two triangles (you’ll have 12 triangles).Gently stretch each triangle of dough to lengthen and even out the sides.
9. Gently roll up the dough, from the wide end to the top, gently stretching as you go. Lay the croissants on the prepared baking sheets, the pointed end facing down, and bend the ends of each croissant inward to form a crescent shape. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise slowly in the refrigerator, 10 to 16 hours.
10. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle racks and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the croissants with egg and bake until golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking. Transfer the croissants to a wire rack and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
