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I am a sucker for good croissants, which is not easy to come by these days.
I detest the mass-produced croissants we find at the likes of Costco’s and supermarket chains, they just don’t do justice to the real croissants we get from a French pattisserie.
When I read The Kitchy Kitchen’s post on Christmas Morning Croissants, I know that we have a winner as the step-by-step photos and the golden-hued final shots totally reminded me of the ones I had in Paris.
If there is one croissant recipe that you wish to attempt at home, this is it!
Imagine waking up to these gorgeous, perfectly baked, fresh-off-the-oven, buttery and flaky croissants on Christmas morning?
I don’t think anyone can resist them.
Happy holidays!
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 445 calories per serving.
What to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Croissants
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons warm water (110°F to 115°F)
- 1 teaspoon dry-active yeast
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup warm milk (plus 2 tablespoons 110°F to 115°F)
- 1 3/4 cups bread flour (plus more for work surface)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 7 ounces chilled unsalted butter
- a ruler or measuring tape (this is so much easier than eyeballing)
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Directions (Making the dough):
- In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir to combine. Let it stand for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to bubble a bit. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook attached (or if kneading by hand, a large bowl), combine the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and the salt with the milk.
- Add the yeast mixture and flour to the milk mixture. Knead on low speed for 3 minutes, then up to medium speed for 8 minutes. The dough should be smooth and shiny and should create a "windowpane" when you cut off a golf ball sized piece and stretch it with your hands. For it to be a "windowpane," light has to pass through it. If you don't have a mixer, knead the dough on a well floured surface using your hands.
- Transfer dough to a clean bowl (or in my case plastic tub). Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and let stand in a warm place until at least doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down the dough, press it flat, and put it in fridge for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Directions (Roll in the butter):
- Grate fridge cold butter like you would cheese over a sheet of plastic wrap. With your hands push it together into a 5 by 9 1/2 inch rectangle, wrap with plastic wrap, and press with your hands, so it forms a single block. Pop back in the fridge for 30 minutes; you want the butter to be cold. When the dough is ready, remove the butter from the plastic wrap.
- Place dough on a lightly floured work surface, roll it out to an 18-by-10-inch rectangle. Place the butter over the upper two-thirds of the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Fold the bottom (unbuttered) third of the dough up to the middle. Fold the top third down to cover it. It should look like a business letter…just made of dough.
- Lightly flour the top of the dough, and work surface. Turn the dough, so the edge of the top flap is to your right, and roll the dough into a rectangle, 18 by 8 inches. Roll quickly, and all the way through the dough, as you want to be an even thickness all the way through. Fold again like a business letter. Wrap in plastic wrap, and transfer to fridge for 1 hour.
- Remove dough from refrigerator. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and repeat the rolling and folding process twice more, as above. If the butter has hardened, lightly beat the dough with the rolling pin, going from one side to the other until the butter has softened. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Resting overnight will make it easier to shape.
Directions (Forming the croissants):
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to be a 16 by 8 inch rectangle. Cut into 4 rectangles, each 8 by 4 inches. Then cut each rectangle diagonally into 2 triangles. Trim edges, make a little incision in the base of the triangle, and stretch lightly into skinny long triangles. Roll up fairly tight, starting from the base with the incision and rolling forward. Stretch the ends towards each other to create a little crescent shape.
- At this point, you can let the croissants rise again right away, fridge overnight and rise next day, or freeze (defrost overnight in fridge before rising).
- Place the croissants on a parchment or silicon mat lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and heavy cream, and lightly brush over tops of croissants. Let the croissants rise in a warm space, which for me is my oven set to about 85F (the lowest setting on my oven), until very soft and jiggly, about 1 1/2 hours. Brush another layer of egg wash after they've risen.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Bake at 425°F (218°C) for 10 minutes then rotate the pan and turn down the oven to 375°F (190°C) and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Try your hardest not to eat them straight from the oven, as they need to cool for the layers to set properly.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
expands perfectly and looks yummy!
Great Croissants! Love the perfect texture. Croissant is a tough task for me. But I love your version. So perfect and appealing.
Hi Elaine, thanks. This recipe is from Kitchy Kitchen. :)
Dear Bee, the croissants are very tempting but I am disappointed that the steps looks incomplete.
It doesn’t tell you when to add the oil nor where to add the oil. Could you help please?
Hi Irene, this recipe is from another website. Please check her website here: http://www.thekitchykitchen.com/?recipes=/christmas-morning-croissants/
Hi dear, may i know when do you put the oil in? I dont seem to see it in the direction. But its mentioned in the recipe.
Thanks
Doll