Step by Step Guide To Make The Perfect Croissant
Twenty years ago, the typical British breakfast menu would have involved a full English breakfast or a wide variety of cereals. Croissants were viewed as a European option and were not widely available or even particularly popular. Fast forward to today and the breakfast landscape has changed dramatically. Whether it is a more global palate, or simply a change in tastes, croissants are enjoying a significant boom in popularity. If you own an artisan bakery and currently don’t offer croissants you could be missing out on a substantial source of growth.
At Nelstrops, we are committed to helping our customers, which is why we have created what we believe to be the ultimate croissant recipe for your use. When used in conjunction with the finest ingredients including Nelstrops strong white flour, you are virtually guaranteed exceptional croissants time after time, croissants which could ultimately improve your reputation and help to grow your business.
Ingredients
500g Nelstrops Traditional Strong White Flour, plus extra for dusting
1 ½ tsp salt
50g Sugar
2 x 7g sachets Fast-Action Dried Yeast
Oil, for greasing
300g of butter at room temperature
1 Egg, beaten 300ml cold water
Step 1
Get a mixing bowl and put in the flour, salt and sugar. Add 300ml of cold water into a jug and then add all the yeast, ensuring that everything is stirred properly. In the flour create a hole in the middle into which you pour your water and yeast mix. Then mix the ingredients for 10 minutes.
Once you are confident that your ingredients are fully mixed then shape the mixture into a ball. Place the ball in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a teatowel and leave for at least 2 hours in the fridge. Alternatively use a mixer with a dough hook and mix on slow to medium speed until the dough is clear and uniform before balling and fridging the dough.
Step 2
Take your butter and place it between 2 sheets of baking parchment. With the help of a rolling pin transform it into an even rectangle with rough dimensions of around 20 by 15 cm. Then leave the butter wrapped in the parchment and place it in a fridge allowing it to chill.
Step 3
Once your dough has suitably chilled remove it from the fridge and place it on a suitably floured surface, before rolling it into a 40 by 20 CM rectangle. Then put your unwrapped slab of butter in the centre of the dough, ensuring that it covers the middle third.
Step 4
Take one side of your dough and fold it halfway over the butter in the middle third.
Step 5
Now take the other side of the dough and fold it up and over the butter similarly. The idea is to ensure that the two edges of your dough meet in the centre of the butter.
Step 6
Now you need to fold the dough in half again, ensuring that the point where the ends of the dough meet is essentially your seam. Once this stage of the preparation is complete, wrap the dough in the cling film and then chill for 30 minutes.
Step 7
Although this may seem a little excessive this method aims to produce light fluffy and delicious croissants so the next step repeats steps 3 to 6. Repeat the rolling, folding and chilling process two more times rolling the pastry while it is still folded. The only difference in step 7 is that you do not need to add more butter. Once this is completed then wrap the pastry up and put it in the fridge to chill overnight.
Step 8
In the morning once again roll out your dough on a floured surface, into the shape of a large rectangle, this time with the dimensions of 60 x 30 cm. The key then is to use either a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to trim the edges so they are straight and smooth.
Step 9
This is the stage where it could be argued things get a little more technical. Firstly cut your dough in half lengthwise, so that you end up with two long strips. Then cut each of those strips into approximately 6 or 7 triangles ensuring that you have at least 2 equal sides.
Step 10
Take each triangle and slowly change its shape by pulling the two corners at the base of the triangle to both stretch and subsequently widen it.
Step 11
Working your way from the base of the triangle, gently roll the dough into the shape of a croissant. Take your time and be very gentle in this process, as you want to ensure that you are rolling the dough not crushing it.
Step 12
The aim is to roll the dough into the completed croissant shape, where the tip of each triangle ends up tucking into the rest of the croissant. This ensures that the croissant retains its shape and does not come apart during the baking process. Should you want to get adventurous and want to add fillings, then always put those fillings along the widest part of the triangle before you start the rolling-up process.
Step 13
The penultimate part of the preparation process involves bending the ends of the croissants inwards, before transferring the croissants to a baking tray which has been prepared with baking parchment. Ensure that your croissants are spaced properly apart. Now cover the croissants with lightly oiled cling film, and leave them to rise until they are roughly double in size, or for 2 hours, whichever is the longest.
Step 14
The 14th and final step involves heating your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. While you are waiting beat your egg, and then add a pinch of salt ensuring that the egg and salt are mixed well. Use this mixture to glaze your croissants generously. Now place the croissants in the oven and bake them for 15 to 18 minutes, until they have risen properly and are a nice golden brown. Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool on wire racks. In addition to this specific recipe you also have the opportunity to spice things up a little by adding alternative ingredients, such as raisins, chocolate pieces, and cinnamon powder, which further increases the amount of choice for your customers.
By following this recipe and using the best ingredients including Nelstrops Traditional strong white flour, you will be able to create delicious homemade croissants that everyone will love.
Keep visiting the Nelstrops site regularly as we aim to add many more delicious recipes for your benefit.