Step Croissants
Simplified croissant recipe using a food processor to mix the dough, requiring only one fold before shaping and baking.
Ingredients
milk
1/2 cup
active dry yeast
4 teaspoons (1- envelopes)
unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon flour into a dry-measure cup and level off)
2 cups
sugar
2 tablespoons
salt
1/2 teaspoon
cold unsalted butter
20 tablespoons (2- sticks)
egg wash (well beaten with a pinch of salt)
1 large egg
Instructions
1
Step 1
Heat half of the milk in a small saucepan until lukewarm. Pour the milk into a small bowl, add the yeast, and set aside.
2
Step 2
Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse several times to mix. Add 4 tablespoons of butter (keep the remaining butter in the refrigerator), and pulse continuously until the butter is evenly incorporated into the dry ingredients.
3
Step 3
Cut the remaining 2 sticks of butter into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes and add them to the bowl. Pulse only 2 times.
4
Step 4
Add the cold milk to the yeast mixture, then pour it into the food processor. Pulse only 3 times — the dough will not form a ball.
5
Step 5
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and carefully remove the blade. Quickly knead the dough into a ball. Press it into a rough rectangle, dust the top and bottom of the dough with flour, and quickly roll it into a 12 x 15-inch (30 x 38 cm) rectangle.
6
Step 6
Fold the longer side down to the middle, then fold the bottom edge up to make a long, thin 3-layer packet measuring 4 x 15 inches (10 x 37.5 cm). Starting from the 4-inch (10 cm) side, roll up the dough, then press it into a rough square. Dust lightly with flour, slide the dough into a plastic bag, and let it ferment at room temperature in the bag for 1 to 1.5 hours — the dough will not fully double in size.
7
Step 7
After the dough has fermented, press it to deflate inside the bag using the palm of your hand. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
8
Step 8
Remove the dough from the bag and place it on a floured work surface. Dust with flour and gently press to deflate. Roll it into a 12 x 15-inch (30 x 38 cm) rectangle. Roll gently; if the dough springs back, let it rest for 5 minutes before rolling again. If the dough becomes too soft to handle, place a baking sheet underneath it and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.
9
Step 9
Once the dough is rolled to the correct size, trim the edges to make the corners neat. Use a sharp pizza wheel to cut the dough into two 7.5 x 12-inch (19 x 30 cm) strips. Cut each strip into 6 triangles with a base approximately 4 inches (10 cm) wide.
10
Step 10
To make croissants: face the 4-inch (10 cm) base of one triangle toward you. Gently pull the two corners closest to you outward to widen the base to about 6 inches (15 cm). Starting from the side facing you, roll up the dough, gently pulling the tip of the triangle with your other hand as you roll. Repeat for all croissants.
11
Step 11
Place one croissant on a prepared baking sheet, and bend the end forward into a crescent shape. Place 6 croissants per baking sheet, leaving enough space around them for expansion. Cover each baking sheet with buttered plastic wrap, and let the croissants ferment until they are nearly doubled in size.
12
Step 12
About 20 minutes before the croissants finish fermenting, position an oven rack in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Carefully brush the fermented croissants with egg wash, making sure the brush is drained to avoid egg wash pooling under the croissants.
13
Step 13
Bake the croissants for about 15 minutes, then swap the bottom baking sheet to the top rack and vice versa, rotating the sheets front to back at the same time. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the croissants are deep golden brown and spring back when pressed. Slide the croissants along with the parchment paper off the baking sheets and onto a wire rack to cool.
