2 cups sifted bread flour
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp iodine salt
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tbsp melted and cooled butter
10 tbsp unsalted butter cut into thin slices
1 tsp honey
1/3 cup lukewarm milk
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp cream
Parchment paper
Plastic Wrap
Pastry brush
Rolling pin
Pizza cutter
Sharp knife
Timer
Baking ruler
Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl dissolve, the honey and 1/3 cup milk, whisk in the yeast and set aside to allow yeast to activate for 20 minutes. Add in water, 1 1/2 tbsp butter, sugar, salt and sifted flour. Combine using a spatula until ingredients have come together. Knead dough by hand for 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead for an additional 4 minutes. The dough should not be stiff so knead lightly. Place the dough back in the bowl cover with plastic and allow to proof in a warm area until doubled in size.
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and flatten to eliminate air bubbles. Move dough into a large piece of parchment paper and shape into a rectangle. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll out a 7×10 inch rectangle. Cover the dough along with the parchment paper in plastic wrap and place on a quarter sheet pan. Freeze for 3 hours.
With a smaller piece of parchment paper (big enough to fold), arrange the butter slices over half of the parchment paper. Roll out the butter and spread the butter to each corner of the parchment paper. Make sure the thickness of the butter is even. Place butter in fridge and allow to harden for up to 3 hours. Both butter and dough should be cold. If dough is too hard to roll, allow to sit in room temp for 30 minutes until the lamination process. Keep the butter in the fridge until ready to use.
Remove the parchment paper from the dough and place dough on an un-floured surface. The rectangle should measure 7×10 inches. If not roll to those measurements making sure to keep the same thickness throughout the dough.
Place the butter on one half of the dough (the parchment paper should remain on top of the butter). Press butter gently onto the dough to bring together. Peel the parchment paper off of the butter (be gentle). Fold the other half of the dough over the butter and press the edges together to seal the butter inside the dough. Pat over the dough to help bind the butter with the dough. If the dough is not cold wrap in plastic and place back into the fridge for 60 minutes.
Add flour to the work surface and place the dough on it. Press into the dough with the rolling pin to make sure the butter is workable. Roll out the longer width of the dough to 15 inches. Making sure that the shorter width is kept at 5 inches. Make sure the dough does not stick to the surface and the width is straight and even.
Brush off any excess flour from the dough with the pastry brush. Fold in 1/3 of the dough to the center of the dough. Cut the corners of the dough to release any tension. Again, brush off excess flour and fold the other half of the dough over the first fold. Cut the corners of the dough to release tension. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and fridge for 60 minutes.
Place the dough on a well-floured surface. The folded side should be facing you. Carefully press the dough with the rolling pin to make sure both dough and butter are workable. Roll out the dough to 1 cm thick with an 8–9-inch width at the edge facing you. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap for 45 minutes to allow to rest.
Roll out the dough to 4-5 cm thick. Make sure the surface is floured so dough does not stick. If the dough becomes too soft cover in plastic wrap and fridge for 30 minutes.
Cut a thin line of the dough to make sure your dough is straight and even. Do the same on the opposite end. On one side of the long side of the dough make a 3.5-inch mark. Do the same on the opposite side of the dough, making it between the markings on the first edge of the dough. Use a ruler and sharp knife or pizza cutter to connect the markings on the two sides with straight lines. (Use the ruler to do this) Cut on the lines with the pizza cutter or a very sharp knife. Makes 6 triangles.
Brush off any excess flour from each triangle. Make a 1 cm cut along the base of the triangle and roll up the base of the triangle (be gentle) while pulling both corners so that the base becomes wider. It will become easier to roll the croissant up the rest of the way. Do this with each triangle. (Make sure the tip of the croissant is centered while rolling and the dough is not to tight or loose).
Place the croissants on a lined baking tray tucking the tip of each croissant under the croissant. Carefully press the croissant to seal the tip into the bottom of the croissant. Cover with plastic and a dish drying towel and set in a warm space to proof until doubled in size. They are proofed enough when they are plump and jiggle a little when the baking sheet is lightly shaken. This can take up to 3 hours, patience is needed for this step. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Gently brush croissants with the egg and cream wash and bake for 20-30 minutes. If necessary, turn the baking sheet one time halfway during the baking time. Remove from oven and let croissants cool for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling. It is important to allow the croissants to cool and rest or they will be to soft inside. Serve with your favorite dishes, chicken salad, jam and more. These take every bit of your patience but are so worth the wait!
Yields: 6 Croissants