Prep Time:
6 hr 0 min
Inactive
Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
10 min
Level:
Difficult
Serves:
About 20 croissants or
pain au
Use
a stand mixer for this recipe. Most hand-held mixers will not hold up to the
strength of this dough.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Scant 1/4 cup loosely packed
fresh compressed yeast
- Generous 1/2 cup cold water
- 3 1/3 cups bread flour, plus extra if needed
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- Generous 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons room
temperature unsalted butter
For the pain au chocolat:
- 9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate,
chopped.
- Finely chopped is easier to work with. The recipe read Bitter-sweet or
unsweetened but the semi-sweet is MUCH better.
- Almond cream, recipe follows
- Hydrated Raisins, recipe follows
For the Danish:
- Almond cream, recipe follows
- Canned fruit
For the egg wash:
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- Scant 1/4 cup whole milk
Directions
Prepare the dough: Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Allow the butter to cool to room
temperature. It should be warm to the touch.
In
a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the cold water. Place the flour, salt,
sugar, milk, and melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Set the mixer on medium
speed and mix just until the ingredients are dispersed, about 5 seconds. Add
the dissolved yeast and beat on medium-high speed until the dough is well
combined and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute. If the
dough is too soft, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it is firmer.
(The dough is too soft when it cannot hold its shape.) If the dough is too
hard, add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until it has softened. (The dough
is too hard when it is difficult to mix in the mixer.) Remove the dough from
the mixing bowl. If the dough is slightly sticky and ropy, knead it with your hands for about 30 seconds, until it is
smooth. Pat it into a ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet,
cover with plastic wrap, and let it proof at room temperature for about 30
minutes.
Place
the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to an 8 by 15-inch
rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Wrap the rectangle in plastic wrap and
refrigerate for 2 hours. The cold retards the rising process, allowing a slow fermentation to help develop the flavor of the dough.
The thickness is the most
important aspect of each of the rolling tasks.
Keeping the edges straight from the beginning will greatly aid in the
final cutting stage; but I have a suggestion when the time comes should you
have uneven edges.
Remove
the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap the rectangle, and place it with a long
side facing you on a lightly floured work surface. Spread the softened butter
evenly over the right two thirds of the dough. Incorporate the butter by
folding the (butterless) left third of the dough over the center, Then fold the
right third of the dough to the left, to resemble a folded letter. Roll this
out into another 10 by 30-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Fold each
short end of the dough to the middle so they meet but do not overlap. Then fold
one half over the other half and, if necessary, rotate the dough so that the
seam is on your right. Wrap the folded dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a
minimum of 2 hours.
Remove
the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and place on a lightly floured work
surface. Roll it into a 10 by 30-inch rectangle and turn it so a long side
faces you. Give the dough a single fold by folding the left third of the dough
over the center third, then fold the right third of the dough to the left. Now
the dough should resemble a folded letter. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest
in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove
the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured work surface.
Roll out the dough into a 10 by 36-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.
Keep the thickness even and the edges straight. This will make it easier to cut
the croissants or pain au chocolat.
For Croissants:
Use
a sharp chef's knife (Or a pastry/ravioli or pizza wheel) to cut out triangles
with a 2 ½ to 4 inch base and 10-inch sides. Lay each triangle on a lightly
floured work surface with the tip facing you. Gently pull the tip toward you;
this light stretch adds layers to the finished croissant without adding density. Use the palms of
your hands to roll each triangle up from the base to the tip. Grasp the outer
edges and turn them slightly inward so that they resemble the classic Croissant
shape.
At this stage, they can
be frozen for up to 1 week if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Thaw on a parchment
paper-covered baking sheet overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.
Place
the rolled croissants on a parchment covered baking sheet; spaced about 2
inches apart. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Allow the
croissants to proof at room temperature until they have doubled in size and
appear light and full of air; about 2 to 3 hours depending on the temperature
of the room and of the dough.
For Pain au Chocolat:
With
a sharp chef's knife; cut the dough into 3 ½ by 4 ½ inch rectangles. Lay each
rectangle on a lightly floured work surface, with a long side facing you, and
place about ¾ to 1 tablespoon of the chopped chocolate in the upper third of
each one. Fold that third of the dough over the chocolate. Place about another ½
tablespoon of the chocolate along that new seam of the folded dough. Fold the
bottom third of the dough over the chocolate.
At this stage, they can
be frozen for up to 1 week if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Thaw on a parchment
covered baking sheet overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.
Turn
over the pain au chocolat so the seams face down. This will keep them from
opening as they bake. Place them on a parchment covered baking sheet; spaced
about 2 inches apart. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and
allow the pain au chocolat to proof at room temperature until they have doubled in size and
appear light and full of air, about 2 to 3 hours.
For the Pain au Raisin:
Have
dough rolled to the 10 by 36-inch rectangle. Use an offset spatula to spread a 1/8-inch-thick layer of almond cream over the
dough, spreading it all the way to the edges of the rectangle. Sprinkle the top
of the almond cream with the hydrated raisins. Roll the dough toward you,
starting at the long side. Try to keep the roll tight and even. Cut the roll
into 1-inch-thick slices. You will have a tail on each slice. To close the pain
au raisin, simply tuck the tail under the dough. Place the pain au raisin on a
parchment covered baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart. Allow the Pain au
Raisin to proof at room temperature until they have doubled in size and appear
light and full of air; about 2 to 2 hours depending on the temperature of the
room and of the dough.
Roll
the dough into a 10 by 36-inch rectangle. Roll up the dough into a long
cylinder that is about 2 inches in diameter. Use a sharp knife to make cut 1
1/2-inch slices and lay flat to see the spirals. Place on a parchment covered
baking sheet. Allow the Danish to proof at room temperature until they have
doubled in size and appear light and full of air; about 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Use
your fingers to make an indentation/pocket in the center of the dough. Add a dollop of almond cream to the center of each Danish. Top with
fruit (I used canned apricots halves and cherries) that have been drained on
a wire rack placed over a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Place the
apricot half cut side down onto the almond cream. Or use 3 to 4 cherries.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
F.
- Make an egg wash by whisking
together the egg yolks, whole egg, and milk in a small bowl until well combined. With a pastry brush, very gently coat the pastries
completely with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about
10 minutes.
- If you have leftover tails of
dough after cutting, spread a generous layer of jam on them, then twist
them and bake these like the rest.
- Leftovers can be stored in the
freezer if well wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 weeks. Thaw at room
temperature and warm in the oven before serving.
Almond Cream:
- Almond cream is always baked to
a spongy, cake-like texture and can be used by itself or in combination
with nuts or fruits. The addition of starch to this recipe
ensures that it will not run out of a pastry shell during the cooking
process.
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon room
temperature unsalted butter
- Generous 1/2 cup granulated
sugar
- Generous 1 cup almond flour
- 1 large egg
- Scant 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Place
the butter, sugar, and almond flour in a medium-size mixing bowl and beat with
an electric mixer set on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
The mixture will be dry and sandy until the butter begins to incorporate. Add
the egg and mix well. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the side of the bowl
as needed. The egg is well incorporated when the mixture is light and creamy,
about 3 minutes. It is important to allow time for this air to beat in,
otherwise, the almond cream will be too heavy.
Add
the flour and beat on low speed just until it is no longer visible, about 30
seconds.
Pour
the almond cream into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for
up to 5 days. Allow it to come to room temperature before using and beat it
lightly with an electric mixer set on medium speed until it returns to its
initial volume and is once again light in texture and color.
Yield:
1 3/4 cups Preparation time: 15 minutes
- Mix a blend of 10 to 20% liquor to water. If you do not dilute the liquor with water, be prepared for a very
strong burst of flavor.
- Start with about 1 cup raisins
- Water, as needed
- Dark rum, brandy, Bailey’s or your
flavored liquor
Place
the raisins in a mixing bowl or glass jar and add water so that it covers the
raisins by about ½ inch. Stir in the alcohol. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. It
is even better to allow the raisins to hydrate for 2 to 3 days. You can keep
them in the refrigerator for a few weeks. When you are ready to use them, strain the amount that you need through a fine-mesh sieve before adding them to the recipe.
Yield:
1 cup Preparation time: 24 hours
