Make Ahead Croissants

Croissants are a huge family favorite around our house.  We love them in pretty much whatever iteration we can find as long as they are fresh, crisp, and preferably warm.  I think they are perfect, plain, but my love of all things almond flavoring extends to croissants, so filled with a small amount of almond paste or marzipan?  Yes, please.  And my youngest, in keeping with her sweet tooth, well, she loves pain au chocolate.  You can mail order amazing croissants from Williams Sonoma, and you can buy pretty great ones from Trader Joes.  Both come frozen and both require you set them out the night before to proof overnight.  These make up the bulk of our croissant eating.  However, on rare occasions, I head the call to make the croissants from scratch and when I do, I am always surprised how much better they are.  The smell is intoxicating and the contrast between the flaky crisp exterior and pillowy layers inside is hard to get over.  It makes the last 24 hours I have spent tending to them worth it.  Every time.  This is definitely not an every weekend event, the time for one, the butter the other.  But when you are looking for a kitchen project that will blow some minds, make these.  The recipe makes 16 large croissants.  This means I always freeze at least half, but often 10-12 for many more joyous and laid-back weekends.

A few notes

On timing.  I start these either Friday night with the plan to eat them Sunday morning, or I start them Saturday morning.  Either one works.  I think you have a lot of options for stalling out the process and buying yourself more time here and there with this recipe–generally in the rest periods.  I have gone longer on all of them from time to time and the results have still been spectacular.  Make the timing work for you, and don’t fret.

On butter.  Listen, these are croissants.  Butter is required.  A lot.  The laminating process tends to scare people but really, its spreading butter between layers and then folding and rolling dough repeatedly so there are lots of thin layers of butter spread throughout the dough.  This is the heart of a croissant.  Don’t be afraid and don’t fight it.  They are special occasion food!

The recipe is based on this one here, but I have made some adjustments.  I found I needed an extra turn and fold on the dough to stop the dough from leaking butter while baking.  I tried lots of things, extra proofing time, etc, but finally cracked the code.  I also tweaked the recipe for salted butter (my preference by a mile), and for the timing I prefer.  Otherwise, I have been fairly faithful.

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Croissants

Croissants don't require tremendous skill or equipment, but they do require time and several specific steps.  Don't let words like preferment or laminate hold you up.  These are 150% worth the effort!

Ingredients

Preferment

  • 6 ounces milk nonfat or lowfat
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 6 1/4 ounces all purpose flour

Dough

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 14 ounces whole milk
  • 28 ounces all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 ounces sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt table salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter melted

Roll in Butter

  • 22 ounces salted butter (5 1/2 sticks of butter) cool but pliable

Egg Wash

  • 1-2 eggs
  • 1-2 ounces heavy cream or milk
  • pinches salt

Instructions

To make the Preferment:

  1. Heat the milk until it is just warmed through, about 80-90 degrees.  I tend to do this in the measuring glass in the microwave in short spurts so the milk doesn't get too hot.  Pour the milk into the bowl of your mixer and stir in the yeast until dissolved. Add the flour and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with a cloth or plastic and let the mixture rise until it has almost doubled in volume. This will take 2-3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

To make the Dough:

  1. Add the yeast for the dough to the preferment mixture and mix together on low speed with the dough hook until evenly combined.  When the mixture has come together, increase the speed to medium and mix for a couple of minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add in half of the milk a little at a time and mix until well combined.  If you add in the milk too quickly it will take a bit of time to loosen the dough up.  If you are patient you can loosen the dough with just a little milk added bit by bit.  Either way, it will come together.  Reduce the speed to low and add the remaining milk, flour, sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix until the dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes, loosely covered.

  2. Turn the mixer back on low speed and mix the dough until it is smooth and elastic, no more than 4 minutes. If the dough seems very firm, add in more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. I added a few tablespoons. Make sure to not overmix the dough as over-mixed dough will result in tough croissants--definitely not what you want at the end of this adventure. Cover the bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap and let it rise until the volume increases by half, about 1 1/2-2 hours.

  3. Lightly flour a work surface and transfer the dough to the surface. Gently press the dough into a rectangle 2'' thick. Wrap the rectangle in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 4-6 hours. It will continue to proof in the fridge so do not be surprised to return to dough that is stretching the bounds of the wrap.   

To Laminate the Dough with Butter:

  1. About 1 hour before you are ready to start rolling and laminating the dough, take the roll-in butter and place it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the butter on medium low speed until it is malleable but not warm or soft. Place the butter in the refrigerator to stay cool, but don't let it harden completely.
  2. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and place the rectangle of chilled dough on it. Roll the dough into a rectangle 28 inches by 12 inches. With the long side of the rectangle facing you, and starting from the left side, use your fingers to gently and evenly spread the butter over 2/3 of the rectangle, leaving the far right side butter-less. Fold the un-buttered third of the dough over the butter, then fold the left-hand third over the center, like a letter. Gently pinch all of the seams of the dough to hold the butter in place. Give the rectangle a quarter turn so that the end seams are to your right and left and the long edge of the dough is facing you. Again, roll the dough into a 28 inch by 12 inch rectangle, being careful to not break the seams holding the butter in. Fold the rectangle into thirds and repeat the quarter turn, roll and then folding a third time. Transfer to a lightly floured quarter sheet pan. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 1 1/2-2 hours before making the final turn.

  3. Lightly flour a work surface and place the refrigerated dough on top. Again, roll the dough to a 28 inch by 12 inch rectangle and fold it into thirds. Place the rectangle back on the quarter sheet pan and wrap tightly with plastic. Place the pan in the freezer for at least one hour.

To Shape the Croissants:

  1. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle 32 inches by 12 inches and about 3/8 inch tall. Use a ruler to mark 4 inch intervals at the bottom of the dough. Cut the dough into long triangles, 4 inches wide at their base. I find that if you cut 4 inch long rectangles, you can then easily cut the rectangle into two extended triangles. You should end up with 16 triangles. To shape the croissants, begin with the base of the triangle facing you, gently stretch the base to widen it and roll the base towards the point. To finish, grab the point, stretch it gently, and tuck it underneath the rolled dough.

To Freeze Formed Croissants:

  1. Place on a lined baking sheet and freeze solid. They can then be transferred into a freezer safe bag or container. The night before you are ready to bake, remove the desired number of croissants from the freezer and place at least 3 inches apart on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Let defrost and rise overnight before baking in the morning. Once the croissants are fully proofed, proceed as below for baking.

To Bake Now/In the Morning:

  1. Place the croissants seam side down on a lined baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Loosely cover the formed pastries and let them rise until at least doubled in size, 2-3 hours. Often I end up shaping the croissants at night, then they spend the night waiting in the fridge, and I take them out for a final two hour rise in the am before baking. When the croissants are finished rising the pastries should be puffy, but still a bit firm to the touch. When the croissants are ready to be baked, preheat your oven to 425º and prepare the egg wash by whisking all of the ingredients together. About 10 minutes before you are ready to put the croissants in the oven, gently brush them with the egg wash then let the wash dry slightly before baking.  Place the croissants in the oven and turn down the temperature to 400º. After 10 minutes, quickly open the oven door and turn the sheet pan(s) 180º which will help the croissants bake evenly. Bake for 8-12 more minutes or until the croissants are deep golden brown. Remove the croissants from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly, but they are best eaten still warm, but not hot.