Pie and Pastry Bible (132 page)

Place the triangle on the counter with the point toward you. Shape one of the round scraps into a 1¼-inch-long football and place it at the base of the triangle. Roll the base over the scrap of dough to cover it by about ½ inch and continue rolling the dough with your left hand while keeping the triangle stretched with your right hand. (Figure 4) Place it point side down on a lined baking sheet and curve the ends so that they turn in on the side of the croissant opposite the point. (Figure 5) Keep the finished croissants covered with plastic wrap while you shape the remainder, placing 8 or 9 evenly spaced on each pan so there will be room for them to expand to the finished size of 5 inches by 3 inches.

When all the croissants are formed, brush them with the egg glaze. If you have two 2-inch-deep by 18-inch sheet pans, invert them over the croissants.
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Alternatively, cover them lightly with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick vegetable spray and set the sheet pans aside in a warm spot. Allow the croissants to rise for about 2 hours.
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They should double in size and be very light to the touch.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack on the lowest level before preheating.

Five minutes ahead, place a pan with about 1 inch of boiling water on a rack toward the bottom of the oven. (To prevent a ring from forming if using a metal pan, add a pinch of cream of tartar to the water.)

Place the croissants in the oven and turn the temperature down to 400°F. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown (210°F.). After the first 10 minutes, turn around and reverse the position of the two sheets. The texture will still be slightly doughy inside but while cooling, the croissants will continue to cook through perfectly.

Remove the croissants to a rack and cool for 20 to 30 minutes. They are best eaten warm, when the outside is crisp and light and the center is soft and tender, or within 3 hours of baking.

STORE

Unbaked croissant dough, refrigerated, up to 2 days; frozen, up to 3 months. Use 25 percent more yeast if planning to freeze the dough, as some yeast will die during freezing. Baked croissants, room temperature, up to 1 day; frozen, several months. Reheat them in a preheated 300°F. oven for 5 minutes (8 minutes if frozen).

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

A
tutove
(ridged) rolling pin can be used for added ease in rolling up until the last 2 turns, after which the dough layer becomes too thin and the butter could break through.

Do the turns after 20 minutes but no more than 40 minutes of refrigerating; if chilled further, the outside of the dough will soften while the center remains firm, so the layering is not as even. Once all the turns have been completed, the butter is evenly dispersed in thin sheets, so the dough stays evenly pliant.

Brush off all flour when rolling and keep the unused dough covered to avoid crusting, which would cause separation of the rolled layers during baking. The inside of the baked croissant should be numerous little open cells with no visible striations.

If the room is cool (68°F. or under), it is desirable to leave the rolled dough covered on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes to relax before the final shaping.

Although a tightly rolled croissant with seven distinct sections is attractive, I find that the texture is lighter and better they are if not rolled too tightly, especially when using part whole wheat flour in the dough.

To get a more pronounced curve, after proofing and gently egg glazing again, so your fingers won’t stick to the dough, very gently recurve the two ends inward.