Bowden Family Cookbook: Croissants

CROISSANTS

From Bread Ahead in London

Bruce had been begging me to teach him to bake croissants for months. While planning our Europe trip next summer, I came across this cute little bakery in London, Bread Ahead, that teaches croissant classes so we got to work learning together. The first time results couldn’t have been better. The repeats are the the cherry on top.

Ingredients:

(For 12 croissants)

Day 1 Dough:

500g bread flour

12g fine sea salt

55g sugar

40g softened unsalted butter

30g Fresh yeast (or use 15g active dry yeast)

140g full fat milk

140g water

250g unsalted butter, softened to roll out

Day 2:

1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Day 1 method:

Dissolve the yeast into the milk and water.

Mix flour, salt and sugar together then rub the butter into the flour. 1-2 minutes. Add yeast mixture. Mix together with one hand, just enough to bring together. Less than 1 minute, do not overmix.

Push dough flat into bowl. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for minimum 8 hours to max 12 hours overnight.

Place the 250g softened butter between two pieces of parchment paper and gently roll out/pound until its 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick and about 18cm (7 inches) square. Move to baking sheet for easy transfer. Cover with cling wrap and place in fridge.

Day 2:

Take dough out of fridge, place on lightly flowered work surface. Roll dough to 18cm (7 inch) square. Then, from 6 cm (2.5 inches), roll each side to about 10cm (4 inches) from the middle so you have a cross with a slightly raised center piece. Brush off any excess flour.

Take the butter square out of the fridge and place it in the center of the dough, the pull each flap over to encase it. Give the dough a few taps with the rolling pin, just to seal and flatten it. Now roll into a rectangle about 65cm (25 inches) long. Brush off any excess flour, then fold it into three by bringing the top flap down by a third and folding the bottom flap over the top flap, brushing off excess flour each time. This is the half fold. Cover and put back in fridge to rest 1 hour.

Take dough out of fridge and place on lightly floured surface. Roll it out into 65 cm (25 inches) long rectangle again, give it another half fold, then cover again and place in the fridge another hour.

Repeat this half fold step one more time so the croissant dough has had three half folds, then place on a lightly floured tray, cover with cling film, and place in the fridge another hour or two. This is to help hold the layers we created (the lamination) and makes the dough easier to work with in the final stage.

Take dough out of fridge to shape croissants. Place on lightly floured surface. Roll out again into a good rectangle shape, about 60cm (25 inches) x 26cm (10 inches) and 1/2cm (1/4 inch) thick.

With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 equal triangles. At the bottom of each triangle make a cut about 1 cm (1/2 inch) long. Gently stretch out each triangle by hand, to increase the length by about 5 cm (2 inches).

`Pull the corners either side of the cut outwards slightly and roll up the croissants, making sure the tapered “tail” at the other end is on the bottom of the rolled-up croissant. Place them on two parchment lined baking trays.

Brush egg wash all over each croissant. Proof croissants 45 minutes -1 hour until double in size with a nice wobble and you can see the layers.

Preheat oven to 200C (392F) or convection 180C (356F).

Place croissants in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and flakey.

PAINS AU CHOCOLAT

CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS

Ingredients:

1 batch croissant dough from above

Flour for dusting

70% chocolate sticks or bars

1 egg beaten for egg wash

Take dough from fridge (this is after resting overnight and getting the three half folds the next morning). Place on lightly floured work surface and roll out into a good rectangle shape, about 50cm (20 inches) x 38cm (15 inches) and 1/2cm (1/4 inch) thick.

With the longest edge of the dough closest to you, fold it into thirds first from the bottom, then from the top. Cut the dough into 3 equal-sized pieces along the fold or creases—you should end up with 3 strips about 13cm (5 inches) wide— then cut each of these pieces into 6 equal rectangles about 8cm (3 inches) wide.

Lay a chocolate stick at the top of each rectangle and roll over the dough from the top, covering the chocolate. Lay another chocolate stick next to the dough covered the first stick with, then carry on rolling until you reach the end of the dough.

Place on two baking trays lined with parchment, seam side down. Spread egg wash all over croissants. Proof for one hour until doubled and puffy.

Preheat oven to 200C (392F) or convection 180C (356F).

Place croissants in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and flakey.