Saturday 13 April 2013

Sourdough Croissants













A variation on the classic croissant. I'm a croissant freak and a sourdough freak, so these are right up my street.  Freak Street.


NOTE: These are going to take a few days to make, but it's totally worth it.


Sourdough Croissants
slightly adapted from Bitter Baker
Makes 12

For the Ferment:
145g white starter/sourdough culture (here are some instructions on how to make it if you don't already have some)
250g water at 20 degrees C
415g bread flour
olive oil for kneading

For the Dough:
6g fresh yeast
15g lukewarm water
50g caster sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
80g bread flour
200g unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze:
1 egg, lightly beaten

Make the Ferment:
Put the starter, bread flour and water in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed until it comes together. Rub 1 teaspoon of olive oil on a work surface and tip the dough out on to it. Pat the dough out until it's an oval shape then fold the top and bottom into the middle, then both sides in toward the middle. Let the dough rest in a clean, dry bowl which has be smeared with oil for 15 minutes. Repeat the folding and resting three more times. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let is rest in the fridge for 12 hours. I left it overnight.

Make the Dough:
Mix the yeast with the water in the bowl of a stand mixer and set i aside for 10 minutes until foamy. Take the ferment out of the fridge and add it to the yeast mixture along with the sugar, salt and flour. Mix on low speed to bring it together into a smooth dough and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Form the Croissant:
Take the butter out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before you want to start shaping the croissants. Place it between two sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it is a 15cm x 15cm square. Roll the dough out to a 30cm x 30cm square Place the butter on the bottom half of the dough and fold the top half over it to completely cover the butter. Press the edges of the dough together to seal in the butter. Prick the dough a few time with a skewer, this will make it easier to roll.  Roll the dough to a rectangle that measures 25cm x 50cm. Fold in thirds, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour. Repeat the rolling and folding three more times.

Roll the dough out to a rectangle that measures 25cm x 50cm. Cut triangles, about 10cm wide and 25cm tall (I used a pizza cutter). Roll up the croissants, starting at the wide end, and ending with the point of the triangle. Put the triangles on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

Place them on a greased baking tray, pointed end down, and brush with beaten egg. Let them rise for 2-3 hours, until they are puffy. Brush with more beaten egg just before they go in the oven. Bake them at 220 degrees C for 10 minutes, turn the temperature down to 190 degrees C and bake for another 15 minutes.

16 comments:

  1. Ooo, aren't these just the best?! Mm, yours look amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am one person who doesn't mind spending few days to make something tasty. Do you think I can freeze any unbaked croissants in a ziplock? Great photos btw.

    ReplyDelete
  3. These look soooooo amazing! There's nothing better than fresh croissants. I so want to make these - maybe I'll try them next weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  4. YES! Silly or not, your croissants look PERFECT!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love it!!!! I love making croissants (cause of your last recipe) & now I wanna make this one. Yummy!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for a great recipe Yvonne. I'll be making these again and again (that's what my family is telling me.)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey Aya. Yes, absolutely. These will freeze really well: Once you've rolled them, pop them on a baking tray and stick the whole tray in the freezer until the uncooked croissants are frozen. Once they're hard, take them off the tray and pop them into a zip-lock bag and back into the freezer. When you want to bake them, take them out of the freezer and place them on a baking paper lined baking tray. Let them thaw and rise. They should be room temperature and puffy. Brush with beaten egg and bake as per the recipe. You can also freeze the cooked croissants. Thaw them before you want to eat them and pop them in a 180 degree oven for about 10 minutes to warm them up - they'll be just like they were baked fresh.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey Sam. You're right, you can't beat a fresh croissant and a homemade one is a work of art. I hope you give them a try. Let me know how it goes if you do.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks so much Little Kitchie. I just couldn't help myself.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks Gabrielle. You are going to love these. I can't wait to see how yours turn out.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love that you made these with sourdough. I've been using the recipe in the Flour cookbook - currently have some dough in the refrigerator! I've been dying to try sourdough version the Tartine Bread book ... definitely next time.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oooh beautiful! I've not had sourdough croissants before.. they look so light and fluffy.. I've got some starter that needs to be used too! How does one stack croissants?

    ReplyDelete
  13. There is nothing silly at all about spending several days making something that will be devoured in minutes! :) These look gorgeous! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks Kristen. This is the first time I've made sourdough croissants. I'm so happy with how they turned out. I might have to buy..., I mean check-out, the Tartine Bread book now just to compare you understand. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hey Pink Patisserie. Sourdough croissants are a revelation. And the answer to your question: very badly.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hey Pizzarozza. Days to prepare, minutes to eat... story of my life.

    ReplyDelete