Croissants

Vitamix Croissants (Cuisinart is probably better to use with dough blade)

Yield: 12 croissants
Total Time: 6 Hours
Difficulty: Advanced
Select your container size: 64 oz. Lo Profile

Ingredients
• ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk (not enough, used 1 cup)
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 CUPS + 1 tablespoon (310 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons whole milk
• 1 egg for glaze (or melted butter or milk, or oil)
• 1 3/4 sticks butter (too much?)

Directions
1. Combine the warm milk with yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar. Allow to bloom for 10 minutes.
2. In the Vitamix Container, combine the flour, remaining sugar, salt and 2 Tablespoons cold cubed butter.
3. Secure the lid. Select variable 6 and pulse 5-6 times, or until the mixture looks like wet sand.
4. Remove the lid plug, Select Variable 6 and begin to pulse while slowly drizzling in the milk mixture through the lid plug opening. Pulse 22-27 times, or until a dough ball roughly forms. Remove the dough from the container to a lightly floured work surface, and knead 5-6 times (do not overwork, or it will be tough to roll out.)
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 40-50 minutes
6. Next, combine 1 Tablespoon of flour with 1 ¾ sticks cubed cold butter into the container and secure the lid. Select Variable 6 and pulse 8-10 times. Remove the lid plug and insert the tamper. Tamp the butter into the blades. Stop, remove the lid, and scrape. Pulse 3-4 more times.
7. Remove the butter from the container using a spatula to get under the blades. Place butter in the center of a piece of parchment paper.
8. Cover with another piece of parchment, and roll out into a rectangular shape 1/8 inch (.3 cm) thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until hardened but still pliable.
9. Remove the dough block from the refrigerator, and place on a very lightly floured work surface.
10. Roll into a 12 in x 8 in rectangle (30 cm x 20 cm). Use a pastry brush to gently dust any excess flour off of the dough (the excess flour may cause croissants to not rise as well.)
11. Remove the chilled butter block from the parchment, and place in the center of the dough, leaving a ½ inch (1.3 cm) border of uncovered dough around the butters edges.
12. Next, make the first fold, called the letter fold, by folding the bottom dough up to the center of the butter, then the top dough down over the center of the butter block. Pinch the edges together, and use your rolling pin to seal the edges. Run the rolling pin across 3-4 times.
13. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
14. Remove the dough from plastic, and dust the dough lightly with flour. Place the dough with the short edge parallel to the bottom of your work surface.
15. Roll into a 16 in x 8 in (40 cm x 20 cm) rectangle, then complete the book fold by folding in both short edges to the center. Be sure to leave ¼ inch (.6 cm) of space in between the folded in edges. Next, fold one side over the other, as if closing a book.
16. Dust off the excess flour by using a pastry brush, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
17. Repeat the letter fold one more time, then refrigerate another 2 to 24 hours.
18. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and roll out into a 24 in x 12 in (60 cm x 30 cm) rectangle that is ¼ in (.6 cm) thick.
19. Position the rectangle so the long edge is at the edge of your work surface.
20. Use a ruler and a paring knife to make small nicks along the top of the dough, spaced every 4 inches (10 cm.)
21. Along the bottom edge, make a nick every 2 inches (5 cm) from the left side, moving right.
22. Cut from the first top nick, to the first bottom nick. This will make your first “mini” triangle (will not be a full croissant.)
23. Next, continue to cut triangles by dragging your knife from the top nick to the bottom nick on an angle until all dough is cut into triangles.
24. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C.) Line two baking sheets with parchment or silpats.
25. Line up all triangles so the bottom is parallel with the bottom edge of your work surface.
26. Very gently stretch the dough so it becomes 1 – 2 inches (2.5 cm-5 cm) longer, or until it resembles the Eiffel tower.
27. Next, grab the bottom points of the triangle, and begin rolling the dough upwards towards the point, forming a crescent shape. Tuck the tip underneath the croissant, and curve the ends inward.
28. Continue to form all of the croissants, then place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the lined trays.
29. Place the trays in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to harden the dough (so the butter does not melt out when baking.) WRONG! Proof for an hour or two before baking)
30. Brush with the egg and milk mixture or just milk, and place in the oven. Bake for 17- 22 minutes or until golden brown and flakey.

King Arthur Croissant

Prep: 45 mins.
Bake: 30 mins. to 40 mins.
Total: 4 hrs 30 mins.
Yield: 24 croissants

Dough
2 large eggs + enough warm water to make 2 cups of liquid
1/4 cup sugar, divided
5 1/2 to 6 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk (optional)
1 scant tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional; for sweet pastry)

Butter
1 7/8 cups unsalted butter, cool to the touch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Instructions
For the dough: Put the eggs and water in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar, 3 cups (362g) of the flour, and the yeast. Mix until well blended; set aside to let the sponge work.

For the butter: Cut the butter into 1˝ chunks and combine with the salt and flour at low speed in a stand mixer just until smooth, with no lumps. Be careful not to beat too much; you don’t want to incorporate any air.
Spread the butter on a piece of plastic wrap and shape into an 8˝ square. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Finish the dough: Add the melted butter to the sponge. Whisk together the remaining sugar, 2 1/2 cups (298g) of the flour, the dry milk, and salt and add to the sponge. Mix until the dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes; touch the dough lightly with your finger. If it’s still sticky, add the remaining flour 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough is the desired consistency. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, pat it into a 9˝ square, then wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To laminate the dough: Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and gently roll it to a 12″ square.
Unwrap the butter square and place it in the center of the dough at a 45° angle, so it looks like a diamond in a square. Pull the corners of the dough into the center of the butter diamond. Moisten the edges with a little water and pinch the seams together well to enclose the butter. Dust the top with flour and turn the packet over.
Tap the dough all over with a rolling pin, encouraging it into a rectangular shape. Once it’s pliable, roll it to a 20˝ x 10˝ rectangle, picking it up and dusting lightly with flour as needed.

When you’ve reached the proper size, use a dry brush to sweep off any excess flour and fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter. Take care to keep the edges straight and line them up directly over each other. If the dough slides around, use a little water at the corners to tack them in place. This is your first turn.
Rotate the dough out so it looks like a book about to be opened. Roll the dough out once more to 20˝ x 10˝ and fold it as before. This is the second turn. Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to allow the gluten in the dough to relax.

Give the dough two more turns after its rest, then wrap the dough well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight before using. You can also freeze the dough at this point.

To shape the croissants: Cut the packet of dough in half. Wrap and refrigerate or freeze one half.
Roll the other half to a 13˝ x 18˝ rectangle. Trim the edges about 1/4˝ all the way around with a ruler and pizza cutter. This removes the folded edges that would inhibit the dough’s rise.
Cut the dough in thirds lengthwise and in half down the center. This will give you six 4˝ x 9˝ pieces. Cut these pieces in half diagonally and arrange them so the points are facing away from you. Stretch them gently to make them a little longer, then cut a 1˝ notch in the center of the base of each triangle.
Take the two inside corners of the notch and roll them up toward you, building a curved shape as you roll the base of the dough toward the tip. Make sure the tip ends up under the bottom of the croissant. Place the shaped pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet, curving the ends toward each other. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Take the croissants out of the refrigerator, and let them warm and rise for 60 to 90 minutes at room temperature. They should expand noticeably, and when you gently press one with your finger, the indentation should remain.
Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush each croissant with an egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven’s temperature to 350°F and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until deep golden brown and no raw dough is visible where the layers overlap. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan on a rack for 20 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 pounds, enough for 2 dozen.

Tips from our bakers

Adding flour to the butter inlay helps to stabilize it, so the butter won’t flow out the seams of the dough as it’s being rolled.
Bubbles and leaks: It’s not unusual to have air trapped inside your laminated dough. If this happens, simply pop the bubble with a toothpick and press the dough down to lie flat. If there’s a bare spot where butter is coming through, dust the leak with flour, pressing down lightly so it sticks, and continue on with the fold. Refrigerate the dough as soon as the fold is done, to firm it up.
As you work, keep the dough, work surface, and your rolling pin well dusted with flour. Turn over the dough from time to time. As you roll, you tend to expand the top layers more than the bottom. By flipping the dough over, you’ll even that out. Before folding the dough over on itself, use your pastry brush to sweep off excess flour. This will help the dough stick to itself after folding, so the layers don’t slide around.
Have a little water on hand; don’t be afraid to brush the corners of the dough with it, to tack the dough in place.
You can make rectangular, filled croissants, too. See our blog for step by step instructions on how to do this. Fill croissants with ham and cheese, spinach, or use our pain au chocolate sticks for a special treat.
When rolling the dough, especially for the first time, be sure the dough and butter are at the same consistency; this will make rolling much smoother and the layers will be more even.
To make Danish from this dough, add 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves to the dough when mixing. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as shown until the dough is finished.