Croissants Number 1

Why Number 1? Because I plan on trying again with a slightly different method and recipe. I've put a few of the changes into the method below, though this isn't what I did when I made the croissants in the picture, but is what I will do next time.

Croissants are incredibly time consuming to make and certainly not for the faint hearted. I do love them for breakfast and since I have the whole of the Easter break at home to do as I wish, I thought I'd give them a go.

You must start either the day before you will be eating them. I started making the dough at around 4pm.

This recipe is one from Brooke, whose blog, My Little Thermomix has some wonderful recipes.

Croissants Number One
500g bakers flour
50g castor sugar
25g powdered milk
30g butter, room temperature
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried yeast
350g water

250g butter, room temperature, extra
flour, extra
egg wash made with 1 egg and 2 Tbsp water

Place the first lot of ingredients in the TM and mix for 4 1/2  minutes, dough setting. The dough will be soft and elastic.
Tip into a greased bowl and refrigerate for an hour. After half an hour, roll out the butter between two sheets of plastic wrap until it's about 1 cm thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Tip dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle a little flour over the top. Roll into a long rectangle, twice the size of the the butter, away from you. (Brooke recommends rolling into a square. I think a rectangle would be better.) Place the flattened butter in the centre and bring the top third of the dough down, brushing away the flour with a pastry brush. Bring the bottom third over this, again brushing away flour.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour.

Roll into a long rectangle again on a floured surface.  Flour rolling pin to prevent sticking. Fold into three again and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Brooke recommends doing the rolling, folding and refrigerating twice more. I think this made the dough a little tough.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning, cut dough in half and refrigerate the other half.
Roll into a long rectangle away from you on a floured surface. Neaten edges. Cut triangles with equal sides and roll up from base. Place on baking tray with seam down. Brush with beaten egg and prove in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
Repeat with remaining dough.

Heat oven to 190C. Brush croissants with egg wash and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until a deep golden brown.
Serve with butter & jam, cheese & ham or smoked salmon & avocado.