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It's a labor of love but these golden, buttery, flaky croissants are SO worth it!
YOU GUYS! Words cannot describe the sheer amount of accomplishment you will feel when you successfully make perfectly laminated, buttery, flaky, layered, almond croissants with fresh homemade marzipan filling. They're crunchy on the outside and soo tender on the inside.
Now, there's no doubt that croissants are a labor of love but man are they worth it. They can be time consuming if you've never made a homemade croissant before because a few of these steps will feel foreign to you as compared to your basic 'combine your wet and dry ingredients and bake' recipe (Trust me, I was humbled my first experience). But now, I feel like I can whip these out on demand no prob!
The marzipan recipe is basically fool proof, but oh my goodness does it elevate thee butter croissants to a whole other world! Then you add some shaved almonds on top for that extra crunch and wooowee (is that how you spell it?) you're taken to another UNIVERSE!
So whether you're having the group over for brunch, a birthday, the holidays, or any day that ends in Y, these croissants need to be on your plate. And if they're not on your plate, they better already be in your belly!!
What You’ll Need:
Flour
Sugar
Sea salt
Warm water
Egg
Saran wrap
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Pizza cutter or a knife
How to Prepare Your Croissants
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
2 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
2 tsp sea salt
1 package (2 1/2 tsp) dry active yeast
2/3 cup warm water
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) European style butter, cold
3 tbsp European style butter, melted
1/2 cup grass-fed milk
1 egg
Process (I HIGHLY suggest watching the video above while following thee instructions):
SESSION 1:
Step 1: Make your marzipan (If you're making almond croissants)
Step 2: In a bowl, stir together flour, 2 tbsp sugar, and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix together yeast, warm water, and 1 tsp sugar. Set aside to activate the yeast for 5 minutes (it will start to look foamy).
Step 4: Melt 3 tbsp butter.
Step 5: Mix melted butter and milk into the activated yeast mixture.
Step 6: Gradually add flour mixture into your liquid mixture, stirring (either by hand or with a mixer & attachment) until your dough is elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
Step 7: lightly flour a plate and slightly flatten your dough ball. Put the dough on the plate and wrap with saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
SESSION 2:
Step 8: Place 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) of butter between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Smash it down with a rolling pin and shape it into an even 7.5"x7.5" square block. Put it back into the fridge to keep it from melting.
Step 9: Take your croissant dough out of the fridge. It should have risen a little bit.
Step 10: Lightly flour your surface and roll dough out into 12"x12".
Step 11: Grab your butter square out of the fridge and place on top of your dough in a diamond shape.
Step 12: Roll each dough corner out (think of rolling it away from the butter). Roll these flaps out to about 6" - 8".
Step 13: Once each corder is rolled out, fold each corner to cover the butter.
Step 14: Press the rolling pin on the dough to create trenches. This will help evenly disperse the butter.
Step 15: Roll the dough out into a 12"x24" rectangle.
Step 16: Once you've rolled out the dough gently fold it into 3, like a book.
Step 17: Lightly flour a baking sheet and place your "book" on it. Wrap it with saran wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Step 18: Repeat steps 15-17 2 more times! This is called lamination (how it becomes flaky!)
Step 19: Once you've rolled out your dough into a 12"x24" rectangle for a third time, cut off any edges to make sure you have an even rectangle.
Step 20: Without cutting, divide your dough into 4 sections. I like to lightly fold it, so I can use the creases as my guide
Step 21: Now, cut each section. I recommend getting something with a straight edge, like a cutting board, to help you cut perfectly straight lines. Now you should have 4 even strips.
Step 22: For each strip cut diagonally from the bottom left corner to the top right corner. You should end up with 8 right triangles of dough.
Step 23: Take a dough triangle and stretch the top until you have an isosceles triangle (2 even sides). Then, pull the top of the triangle away from you just slightly (the dough is fragile. so be careful not to tear it).
Step 24: ROLL THE CROISSANTS
(For plain croissants):Starting from the wide end of your dough triangle, gently push the dough forward, rolling it into a beautiful little croissant.
(For almond croissants): Take about 2 teaspoons of your marzipan, roll it into a ball and flatten it. Place it on the wide end of your dough triangle and gently push the dough forward, rolling it into a beautiful little croissant.
Step 25: Place parchment paper onto your baking sheets and place rolled croissants on top.
Step 26: Wrap in saran wrap, refrigerate and let them rest for at least 2 hours or overnight
SESSION 3:
Step 27: Make an egg wash by whisking together 1 egg and 2 tsp water or milk (this is whats going to make the croissants crispy, flaky, and golden!). Brush this mixture over your croissants.
Step 28: Pour 2 cups of hot water in a small bowl and place at the bottom of you oven (keep the oven OFF). Place your croissants in the oven (keep the oven OFF still). Let them sit in there for about 2 hours to proof.
Step 29: Take croissants out of the oven, cover with egg wash again, and let them sit for 30 minutes in room temperature.
Step 30: Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden, and (FINALLY) enjoy!!!
What did I tell ya?! LABOR. OF. LOVE. But SO worth it! These are so fun for any time you want to impress someone (even if that someone is just yourself). Make sure you save this recipe to have in your back pocket whenever you want to try it out!
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