Croissants

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Hope you had a sun-shining, pleasant-weather weekend in your neck of the woods. Here, the scrumptious weather continues with bright light, and a cool breeze keeping the edge off the heat. There were also plenty of croissants filled with pineapple and chocolate to enjoy. Did you say you had a better weekend????



This is kind of my first attempt at taking step by step pictures. I cannot say I enjoyed this much, but hopefully it is helpful to understand the cutting and rolling of croissants.  There is spoon filling at the broad end of the triangle; roll-tucking in the center, while simultaneously keeping the tapered-end stretched.  This helps, give several layers as possible for the finished croissants.



To make chocolate filled pastry, cut the dough in rectangles and roll


Let it sit for about 10 minutes so that the dough rises a little, give an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like.  Do not leave pineapple pieces on the baking sheet while baking (like you see in the picture) because this might burn while in the oven.  I sprinkled some while photographing for effect, though, I doubt that was very successful.


Aha! baked goodies, crisp on the outside with buttery layers inside.



Enjoy for breakfast with milk, or every time you spot them on your counter top, grab one and pop'em in your mouth like I do.  No wonder the needle on my weighing scale keeps tipping to the wrong side.

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

All purpose flour bleached and enriched - 2 1/4 to begin.  )Keep plenty in store because you will need to work the dough while rolling)
Water - 3/4 cup
Eggs - 1 (beat and divide in two )
Yeast -  1 1/4 tspn
Salt - 1/2 tspn
Sugar - 2 1/2 Tspn
Butter - 1 1/2 stick (divide into six parts)

Filling:
1. I use cheese, jalapeno, chocolate and even pineapples.  You can use filling of your choice.
I have used chocolate chips, if you have small stick that will work better while rolling
For the pineapple filling I have used canned pineapple chopped fine and sprinkled with sugar

Method:
1. Mix yeast, 1/2 tspn sugar in 1/4 cup of luke warm water (110D F) and wait till the yeast froths
2. Take all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and make a well in the center
3. Add 1/2 the egg,( and retain the remaining for egg wash), water and yeast and using a spatula mix
4. Leave the dough in the refrigerator for 15 mintues
5. Dust your counter top with dough and drop the sticky dough in.
6. Knead the dough to make it supple and roll out into a rectangle
7. Spread one part of the butter and fold like a book. (Check this video for more help)
8. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 15 minutes
9. Continue rolling out the dough in rectangle, spreading butter and folding like a book until you exhaust the butter.  This makes sure you have incorporated the butter evenly and have flaky layers
10. You may refrigerate the dough overnight and bake them the next day or after resting 15 minutes
11.  Roll, cut, shape croissants and give an egg wash as mentioned earlier and bake at 400 D F for 10 - 15 minutes

Contributor: Sunitha