by Malia Kirby L.Ac.
I think most of us here in the States have some food memory or another about those Pillsbury Crescent rolls in the exploding can. Some of us may or may not have grown up with people in our lives telling us that they were Exactly. The. Same. as croissants in France. Talk about a bald-faced lie.
So, what’s my obsession with the croissant? Part of it is epic sentimentality of breakfasts in Paris (which at that point in my young life consisted of the three C’s: croissant, coffee, and cigarette), but the rest I shall describe in the following paragraph:
Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter. Butter.
And specifically, European butter, which has a higher fat content than American-style butter, leading to added flakiness and that croissant-specific shatter upon first bite, leaving butter-flavored flakes on your lips and the napkin in your lap. So, today, while the cigarette no longer applies to breakfast, the king of pastry should still grace your mornings on occasion. Here’s how to get that accomplished, courtesy of Thomas Keller & Sebastien Rouxel’s Bouchon Bakery cookbook, which taught me how over the past few weeks since it graced our home with its presence. Viva le France!
Fun with Butter: Croissants
Poolish
100g all-purpose flour
0.1g instant yeast
100g room-temperature water
Butter Block
330g European-style unsalted butter
Dough
500g all-purpose flour
75g granulated sugar
10g instant yeast
3g diastatic malt powder
200g room-temperature water, divided
100g room-temperature unsalted butter
15g kosher salt
Egg wash
1 egg
Make the Poolish
Combine the flour and yeast in a medium bowl and mix with your fingers, then pour in the water and mix until thoroughly combined (The mixture should have the consistency of pancake batter). Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temp. for 12-15 hours.
Make the Butter Block
Place the butter in the center of a piece of parchment paper, then top with another piece of parchment paper. Pound the top of the butter from left to right with a rolling pin to flatten it into a 6x7-inch rectangle. Wrap tightly in the parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Dough
Lightly oil a large bowl with any neutrally-flavored oil of your choice. Set aside until ready to use.
Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and malt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, then mix on the lowest setting until evenly distributed.
Pour half of the water around the edges of the bowl of poolish, then add the contents of the bowl of poolish and all but 50g of the water into the bowl of the mixer. Add the butter and mix on low for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the flour has been incorporated.
Sprinkle the salt over the top and mix on low for 2 minutes to dissolve the salt. If the mixture feels dry, add the reserved 50g of water a little at a time as needed. Mix on low speed for 20 minutes.
Release the dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Stretch the left side of the dough outward, then fold it over the center of the dough, then repeat this process on the right side (this process will look as if you’re creating a tri-fold brochure out of your dough). Repeat this process again, this time stretching the top of the dough outward and folding over the center, followed by the bottom (this will resemble folding a business letter). Turn the dough over so that the seam faces downward onto the work surface, then lift with a bench scraper and place it seam-side down into the lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel and let sit for 1 hour.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly flour your work surface.
Uncover the dough and turn out onto your work surface. Pat the dough into a 10x7-inch rectangle, pressing any bubbles out to the edges and out of the dough. Transfer to the lined sheet pan and freeze for 20 minutes.
Incorporate the Butter Block
Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin.
Turn the dough out onto the work surface and lightly dust with flour. Roll the dough out from the center into a 16 x 7 x ½ - inch thick rectangle, rotating and flipping it frequently, adding flour only in small enough quantities to prevent sticking.
Lay the block of butter in the center of the dough. Stretch and fold the two longer sides of the dough so they meet in the midline of the butter block, pinching the seam together to seal.
Using the floured rolling pin, press down on the dough across the seam from one side to the other to expand. Turn the dough so the short end faces you, then roll to expand the length of the dough, flipping and turning as needed until you have a rectangle 22 x 9 x 3/8 – inch thick.
Fold
From this point on, you will want to work with the dough quickly enough to keep the butter from warming, but not so quickly that the cold butter will shatter into the dough.
Fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough up to the center, followed by folding the top ½ down to cover the bottom third. Turn the dough 90 degrees, so that the opening is on the right side of the dough. This completes the first fold; gently press a finger into one corner to mark it. Return the dough to the sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 20 minutes.
Repeat the fold process twice, covering and freezing the dough each time to prevent the butter melting into the dough.
Finishing the Dough
At this point, the dough should remain cold to preserve the thin sheets of butter between the layers of dough. Freeze as necessary to maintain a firm consistency.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly dust a work surface with flour. Place the dough on the work surface with the opening to the right. Lightly dust the top of the dough and roll outward from the center into a 24 x 9 - rectangle, flipping and rotating as necessary.
Cut the dough in half, making two 12 x 9 rectangles, then cover and freeze for 20 minutes.
Cut & Roll
Spray two sheet pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. Transfer the dough from the freezer to the refrigerator.
Lightly flour a work surface. Remove one of the dough rectangles from the refrigerator with the short end closest to you, then roll into a 19 x 9 – inch rectangle. Turn the dough 90 degrees so that the long side is now facing you.
Starting at the left, measure 3 ¾ inches along the bottom edge of the dough and cut from this point to the upper left hand point of the dough to make a triangle. Next, measure 3 ¾ inches along the top edge of the dough and cut from this point straight down. Continue the cutting process to make 8 triangles.
Hold one dough triangle by the base with one hand, then gently pull the dough out from the tip until stretched to 12 inches. Fold the corners in to the center of the base, then roll the dough from the wide end to the tip. Place on the lined baking sheet with the tail tucked under. Press down slightly to keep the croissant from rolling on the pan. Repeat this process with the remaining triangles, spacing them evenly on the baking sheet.
Remove the second piece of dough from the refrigerator and repeat the above process.
Make an egg wash by breaking the egg into a small bowl and whisking to combine the white and the yolk, then lightly brush over each croissant. Cover and refrigerate any leftover egg wash. Cover the pans and proof for 2 hours.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
Brush the croissants again with the egg wash, place in the oven, and reduce heat to 325°F. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, place the pans on a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely.
Eat the same day.
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