French croissants made from puff pastry

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 1 day

1. STEP 1

   

   Requirements for ingredients: *flour must be strong - with a high protein content, from 13% per 100 g and above. Sifted! *butter 82.5% fat, high-quality, proven!!! *yeast can be either dry or fresh. You will need 13 g of them. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the dry ingredients. I stir for literally 30 seconds and add water and milk (room temperature).

2. STEP 2

   

   When the dough begins to come together into a lump, I begin to add butter (50 g) in parts (3-4) and knead for another 3-5 minutes. It is advisable to knead the dough at low speed, not for long, just until smooth. If you knead with your hands, use cold milk and water.

3. STEP 3

   

   This is how the dough should turn out. Soft, homogeneous.

4. STEP 4

   

   I roll it out into a rectangular layer 15*30, for convenience, transfer it to a board dusted with flour, cover with cling film and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.

5. STEP 5

   

   In the meantime, I will prepare the oil for the layer. I use parchment to make an envelope measuring 15*15.

6. STEP 6

   

   Place room temperature butter in the center

7. STEP 7

   

   And I distribute it in an even layer around the entire perimeter of the square.

8. STEP 8

   

   This is how it should turn out.

9. STEP 9

   

   Almost a perfect square :) And I put it in the refrigerator. We will need it along with the test.

10. STEP 10

    

    30 minutes passed, the dough increased slightly in size. I wrap it well in cling film and put it in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours, or better yet, overnight. It can be for a day.

11. STEP 11

    

    My dough spent 12 hours in the refrigerator. It grew and expanded slightly.

12. STEP 12

    

    I roll it out to about 2 times larger than the sheet of butter. I spread the butter on one half of the dough.

13. STEP 13

    

    I cover with the other half. Pay attention to this fold. It should always be on one side. I will have it on the left.

14. STEP 14

    

    I seal the edges, butter and roll out the dough. It is correct to do this with movements away from yourself and towards yourself. Try to press the dough with even force. The room temperature is preferably about 20-22 degrees. Rolling out the dough should not exceed 3-4 minutes, again, so that it does not heat up. Otherwise, the oil will leak, the layers will stick together and you will end up with just bagels.

15. STEP 15

    

    It is better to trim off uneven edges. There is no oil in them, they are just compactions of dough.

16. STEP 16

    

    Also, do not roll out the dough too thin, this can also disrupt the structure of the layers - 5-6 mm. will be sufficient.

17. STEP 17

    

    I fold the dough into a letter (in thirds)

18. STEP 18

    

    I wrap it in parchment and put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Then I take it out of the refrigerator and place it with the fold to the left!!! and roll it out to a thickness of 5-6 mm, with movements away from you and towards you. I trim the uneven edges. I fold it into a letter, wrap it in parchment and put it in the refrigerator again for an hour.

19. STEP 19

    

    It is better not to reduce the time for rest. The first proofing is 30 minutes at room temperature, then 5-6 hours in the refrigerator, or preferably overnight. Or maybe even a day. Then 2 times for an hour. The dough must rest and cool. And the final rolling. Fold to the left again and roll out. This time to a thickness of 4-5 mm.

20. STEP 20

    

    I trim off the uneven edges. Don't skimp on trimming the dough. These are just seals without oil, which can disrupt the structure of the layers. The final rectangle I got was 17*39.

21. STEP 21

    

    And I cut triangles 9*17. It is better to do this with either a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. You cannot make sliding movements; you need to clearly cut the dough.

22. STEP 22

    

    And I put the preparations in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. The dough should rest and cool.

23. STEP 23

    

    Final proofing at a temperature of 26-27 degrees, preferably moistened, 2 hours. I will defrost the croissants in the oven with a cup of hot water. Yeast dough loves moisture very much

24. STEP 24

    

    I slightly stretch out the triangles, or you can lightly use a rolling pin, make a cut in the center and roll them up.

25. STEP 25

    

    You can leave it like this, or you can bend it slightly to give it a crescent shape.

26. STEP 26

    

    Before proofing, I brush the croissants with a mixture of eggs and milk in a one to one ratio. You don’t have to do this and just cover it with cling film so that the dough doesn’t dry out. But this will give the finished product a golden, golden brown crust. I put it in the oven for 2 hours.

27. STEP 27

    

    Time has passed, the croissants have grown and grown. I grease them a second time with milk and egg and bake at a temperature of 185 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower them to 165 and bake for another 5-6 minutes, with convection. The temperature in the oven should be high enough. If the temperature is low, the oil will leak out; if it is very high, the crust will set and the croissants will have no room to grow. Focus on your oven.

28. STEP 28

    

    These are such handsome guys.

29. STEP 29

    

    Ruddy, layered, simply weightless.

30. STEP 30

    

    And this is exactly that rare case when the product does not need to be allowed to cool, but you need to invite everyone to the table and enjoy freshly baked homemade croissants.

31. STEP 31

    

    The smells in the kitchen... you can go crazy.

32. STEP 32

    

    I hope you like the recipe and find it useful!!! Have a great mood everyone!!!