Croissants Express

The origin of the croissant can actually be traced back to 13th century Austria, where it was called the kipferl, the German word for crescent. However it was an Austrian artillery officer August Zang who founded a Viennese bakery at 92, rue du Richelieu in Paris. Since then, bakeries around the world compete to make the best in their respective cities; not a small task. The process is time consuming and requires several steps, but when properly executed, it makes for a very special treat. Here is a recipe that requires just a few hours of work, with very good results. It does not have the fine lamination of professionally made croissants, but the end result is quite satisfying. The key ingredient for best results is of course, butter. Most commercial butters have a high water content which prevents the dough from rising, but a good quality butter (Such as President or KerryGold) provide excellent results. The dough recipe makes for 10 round disks which are slathered with butter and pile up then cut in croissant shapes.
I make a large quantity which I freeze and then leave them in the stove to rise overnight. What a treat !

INGREDIENTS
300g (2 cups) Bread flour
4g (1/2 tbsp.) active dry yeast
25g (2 tbsp.) Sugar
1pc (50 g+-) Egg
145g (0.6 cup) lukewarm milk
3g (1/2 tsp) Salt
20g (1.4 tbsp.) Unsalted butter at room temperature

90g (6 tbsp.) Unsalted butter at room temperature

PREPARATION
In a bowl of a stand mixer, pour the milk, the sugar and the yeast and let it bloom for a few minutes. Add the bread flour, salt and butter. Mix at medium speed for about 10 minutes. Croissant dough is harder than normal bread dough, which is good for shaping, so the amount of liquid should should be kept at a minimum.
Let the dough rise for an hour covered in a warm place. After an hour, deflate the dough ball and divide in 9 balls of equal weight of approximately 60 grams.

Roll each ball into a 20cm in diameter and set aside. Using the 90 grams of butter, spread 10 grams of butter on each roll making sure to cover the entire surface of each disk. Pile them up and place them in the freezer for about 30-40 minutes, until the dough gets semi-frozen and the butter feels quite firm.
After that period, roll the pile of disks into a 40cm in diameter. Cut the circle in 12 portions and roll each one in a croissant shape, starting from the larger side as a base.
Let the dough come to room temperature and rise at almost double in size – About 1.5 to 2 hours.
Brush each croissant with beaten egg and bake at 200C for 15-16 minutes, until golden brown.

TIP DU JOUR :
You can make them in advance and freeze them before the last fermentation. Which means, after cutting and shaping them into croissant shape, place them in a freezing bag. They can keep up to 3 months.
The best way to defrost them is to leave them on a tray covered with parchment paper and place them in the oven overnight. They will slowly defrost and rise and increase double in size.
Brush them with a beaten egg and bake them for 15-16 minutes, until golden brown.