The trick with croissants is keeping the butter from melting while working the dough. In this “quick” recipe, we cut a massive amount of butter into dry flour instead of softening it and spreading it over the rolled out flour. This allows us to immediately roll and fold instead of chilling the dough first. We substitute the apple with other seasonal fruit items when available.
To make 24 Croissants
Ingredients:
5C AP flour
1Lb butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
3 T sugar
1.5 T yeast, instant active
1.75 C milk, warmed
2t salt
More flour for work surface
2 tart apples, diced
2T sugar
1t cinnamon
Procedure:
- Cut butter into 3.5C flour with until largest pieces of butter are the size of lima beans and flour has taken on a yellowed, cornmeal-like appearance. (Watch closely-do not allow butter to melt.) Put the mixture in plastic bag and place in cooler or freezer. The cutting-in can be done with a pastry cutter, food processor, or stand mixer.
- Mix remaining 1.5C flour with milk, sugar, and yeast. Allow to rise 20-30 minutes-should begin to foam
- Add flour/butter mixture and salt and combine to a sticky mixture with butter particles
- Turn onto floured work surface and roll out to a large rectangle about ½ inch thick. Tri-fold twice, book-fold twice-do not allow butter pieces to melt. (A tri-fold is what you would do to a sheet of paper before inserting into an envelope, a book fold is simply folding in half, then in half again.)
- Refrigerate dough for 1-24 hours, cut into 4 equal blocks.
- Combine diced apples with sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll out each block into a 10 inch diameter disc. Cut into 6 wedges.
- Place an equal amount of apple filling on each wedge and roll from edge to point. Arrange onto baking parchment and allow to rise until doubled in volume (about 1 hour.)
- Brush with egg wash and bake at 400 for 16 minutes.