Croissants à la Julia Child

Croissants

Mix together in a small glass bowl and let stand 5 minutes until foamy:

• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water (about 105°)

Meanwhile, heat on stove until warm to the finger:

• 1/2 cup milk

Mix together in a large bowl:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cake flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

You will also need (later on in the recipe):

• 1 stick (4 ounces) good-quality unsalted butter, cold

Pour yeast mixture and warm milk into dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Dump out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough no linger sticks to your hands and springs back when gently pressed. Place into clean bowl and use scissors to snip an “X” into the top of the dough to help it rise. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge). Once risen, punch down dough and re-cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until softened but still cold. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and roll out into a circle shape (about 10 inches in diameter) spread butter into a square shape in the middle of dough (about 5 inches across). Fold both sides and top and bottom of dough up and over the butter (try not to stretch or pull the dough too much) and pinch closed to form a little dough package. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

The rest of the process is repetitive and easy, but time consuming. You will need to roll and fold the dough out 4 times, or turns. The dough will need to rest in the fridge after each turn. This process takes about 5 hours.

Note: This is the only point in the recipe where I deviate from Julia. She does not chill the dough after the first and third turn but I find chilling it for just 30 minutes makes it much easier to handle.

Roll the dough out into a roughly 15 x 5 inch rectangle. Use a firm and even pressure to prevent butter from bursting out of the dough. Fold the dough like a letter, into thirds, and rotate one-quarter turn. Press your finger to make 1 dot at the top of the dough. This is your first turn. The dot will help you remember the orientation of the dough for the next time you need to roll it out.

Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Keeping your first dot at the top of the dough, roll out dough again into 15 x 5 inch rectangle. Fold like a letter, rotate one-quarter and mark two dots at the top of the dough.

Wrap and chill 2 hours.

Roll out again, fold, rotate, mark three dots at top.

Wrap and chill 30 minutes.

Roll out, fold, rotate, mark four dots at top.

Wrap and chill 2 hours.

Lightly butter two baking sheets and set aside. Roll the dough out into a 20 x 5 inch rectangle. Cut in half. Place half in fridge to keep cold while you work with other half.

Shape the half into a 12 x 5 inch rectangle and cut into thirds. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife and cut each piece on a bias. You will now have 6 triangles. They will have a right angle edge so you need to take a rolling pin and feather out the base of each so that the triangles have a shape more like this: Δ. Get the bottom rolling and then use a flat hand with firm but light pressure to quickly roll the dough. Place croissant evenly on baking sheet. Repeat the same steps with other half of dough and fill another baking sheets.

Place small juice glasses or shot glasses on baking sheets so that you can lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the top and not have it touch the dough. Leave to rise until they are doubled in size (about 1-2 hours.)

Preheat oven to 475°. It is very important that this temperature is accurate so give your oven plenty of time to preheat and use an oven thermometer if you have one (my oven was about 20° off!). When oven is ready and croissants are raised, brush tops with:

• 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water

Bake for 10-12 minutes (I baked one tray at a time so I could monitor them and not have to shuffle them around the oven halfway through). Serve warm, with jam if desired.