CROISSANTS
Eighteen 3 'kinch-long croissants

Croissant is the French word for crescent. Rich, somewhat troublesome, but 
unequaled by any other form of roll, a croissant can be made plain or baked 
with a filling, such as jam, almond paste, or even a savory ingredient such 
as ham or cheese. Filled with chocolate, it is called pain au choco/at, 
chocolate bread.

If you wish, divide this recipe in half and use half to make croissants and 
half to make Pains au Chocolat, below
.
Place on a work surface:
11/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter

Measure:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Sprinkle the butter with a little of the flour and begin to beat it with a 
rolling pin. Scrape the butter from the work surface and the rolling pin as 
needed and fold it over itself into a heap. Continue to work the butter 
until it is a smooth and malleable mass. Knead the remaining flour into the 
butter with your hands, working quickly to keep the butter cold. Place the 
butter on a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a 9 x 6-inch rectangle. 
Wrap and refriger­ ate the butter while you make the dough.

Whisk together in a small bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, 
about 5 minutes:
1 cup warm (105° to 115°F) whole milk
1 package (2'/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix together in a large bowl:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, softened
1 teaspoon salt

Make a well in the center and add the warm milk mixture. Mix with a fork or 
your fingers to make a dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and 
knead for a few seconds, until smooth. Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll into a 15 1/2 x 8-inch 
rectangle, sprinkling additional flour under­ neath it as needed to prevent 
sticking. Position the dough so that one of the short ends is facing you. 
Cover the upper two-thirds of the dough with the rectangle of but­ter, 
leaving a l-inch border of dough on the sides and at the top. Fold the 
bottom third of the dough over the but­ ter. Fold the top third of the 
dough, with the butter on it, down over the first third, as if you were 
folding a business letter. Press the edges of the dough together on all 3 
sides to seal in the butter. Rotate the dough so that the folded edge is on 
the left and the sealed edge is on the right.

Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour and press it gently with the rolling 
pin to flatten it slightly. Keeping the short end of the dough facing you, 
roll into an 18 x 8-inch rec­ tangle. Fold the bottom third up and the top 
third down again. (This rolling and folding is called a single turn.) Ro­ 
tate the dough so that the folded edge is on the left and the open edge is 
on the right (like a book about to be opened). Give the dough one more 
single turn, rolling it into an 18 x 8-inch rectangle and folding it in 
thirds. Sprin­ kle the work surface lightly with flour as needed to pre­ 
vent the dough from sticking; if at any time the butter gets soft, 
refrigerate it for 10 to 15 minutes. Mark the dough with 2 imprints to 
remind yourself that you have given the dough 2 turns. Wrap the dough 
loosely in plastic and re­ frigerate for 30 minutes.
Place the dough so the folded edge is on the left and the open edge is on 
the right, and give it another turn. Ro­ tate and give the dough a final 
turn. If at any time the but­ ter gets soft, refrigerate it for 10 to 15 
minutes. (At this point the dough can be frozen, wrapped in plastic, then 
aluminum foil, then a plastic bag with the air removed. If frozen, thaw 
overnight in the refrigerator before pro­ ceeding.)

Roll the dough into a 24 x 12-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Let 
stand for 5 minutes to relax the gluten and prevent shrinking when cut.
Cut the dough lengthwise into two 24 x 6-inch strips.

Refrigerate 1 strip on a baking sheet. Position the remain­ ing rectangle 
with one long side facing you Starting from the left, mark the bottom edge 
of the dough by nicking it with a knife at 4'h-inch intervals. Mark the top 
edge of the dough 2'/4 inches from the left edge, then continue to mark it 
at 4'h-inch intervals. To cut the dough into triangles, cut from the bottom 
left corner of the dough to the first mark at the top, then from that mark 
to the first mark at the bottom, then from the first mark at the bottom to 
the second mark at the top, and so forth, until you have 9 triangles. Make a 
1/4-inch-long nick in the middle of the short side of each triangle.


To form a croissant, stretch the short side of a triangle by pulling the 
corners gently as you begin to roll the stretched edge tightly (but not too 
tightly) toward the op­ posite point of the triangle. Finish rolling the 
croissant so that the point to the triangle is on the bottom of the roll. 
Shape the other triangles in the same manner. Place the croissants at least 
2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets, curving the ends to form crescent 
shapes. Repeat the procedure with the second rectangle. (Unbaked crois­ 
sants can be refrigerated overnight; they will rise partially, for the yeast 
continues to work slowly in the chilled envi­ ronment. Let them finish 
rising at room temperature be­ fore baking. They can also be frozen; thaw 
overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)


Cover the croissants with a clean cloth or plastic wrap.

Let rise at room temperature until increased in volume by almost half, 1 to 
11/2 hours.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Brush the croissants lightly with:

1 egg, I ightly beaten

Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the croissants to a rack 
and let cool completely. Croissants are best served the day they are baked, 
but they may be frozen for 1 month in a sealed plastic bag. Reheat in a pre­ 
heated 300°F oven for 5 minutes.


RASPBERRY CROISSANTS
Any jam may be used in place of the raspberry jam-try apricot, blueberry, or 
black currant jam or apple butter. Prepare Croissants, above. Place 11/2 
teaspoons raspberry jam (9 tablespoons total) 3/4 inch from the nick at the 
wide end of each triangle before rolling up the croissant. On the first 
roll, pinch the dough around the jam to seal it in.

ALMOND CROISSANTS
Prepare Croissants, above. Place 1 1/2 teaspoons almond paste, (9 
tablespoons total) 3/4 inch from the nick at the wide end of each triangle 
before rolling up the crois­ sant. After brushing with the egg wash, 
sprinkle the tops with sliced almonds.

PAIN AU CHOCOLATE
Twenty-four 3 1/2inch-long rolls

Little flaky rolls of croissant pastry filled with dark choco­ late are a 
traditional French gouter-teatime or after-school snack.

Have ready:
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 12 ounces 
large chocolate chips

Prepare:
Dough for Croissants, aboveDivide in half, and refrigerate one half. Roll 
the other half into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. Cut into twelve 4-inch 
squares. Arrange 1/2 ounce of the chocolate in a 2-inch­ long mound in each 
square, parallel to and about 1/2 inch from one edge of the square. Lightly 
brush the opposite edge of the square with a 1/2-inch band of:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Fold the edge of the dough closest to the chocolate over the chocolate and 
continue to roll the dough up into a cylinder. Place the rolls seam side 
down at least 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with the 
remaining dough and chocolate.

Let rise and bake as for Croissants, above.


75th Anniversary Edition of Joy of Cooking 


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