TOP-3 recipes with photos of making croissants at home. Secrets of the chefs of the symbol of Parisian pastries. Video recipes.
Croissant is the most famous French pastry. Many Parisians start their day with a cup of aromatic coffee and a real French croissant in the morning. Since it was in this country that this popular pastry was born. All the subtleties and secrets of making dough, options for fillings and TOP-3 of the most delicious recipes for making croissants can be found in this review.
Secrets of Parisian baking chefs
- Croissants are made from yeast puff pastry, which is kneaded from wheat flour, milk, sugar and salt. For cooking, only fresh, high quality products are taken.
- Flour should be pre-sieved 2 times to saturate with oxygen.
- The main secret of the layering of the dough is the temperature of the butter and dough, which should be the same (about 24 ° C).
- Do not knead the dough too actively: excess oxygen will negatively affect the result.
- An equally strict rule for the dough - proofing should take place at a temperature of 25 ° C.
- The thickness of the dough during rolling should be no more than 3 mm.
- Before baking, the products are rolled up with a tube, laid out on a baking sheet and left to rise.
- The blanks are greased with a beaten egg, placed in an oven and removed after they acquire a golden color.
- According to French pastry chefs, the croissant should only be consumed fresh, because after 3-4 hours it loses its extraordinary taste.
Croissant fillings
Classic French croissants are prepared without toppings. Some chefs believe that this is already a self-sufficient dessert. But, nevertheless, today this pastry can be tried with the following fillings:
- Chocolate or nuttela
- Fruits (apples, bananas, apricots, pears, peaches, citrus fruits).
- Berries (cherries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries).
- Thick jam, preserves, preserves.
- Marmalade.
- Dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots, prunes).
- Cottage cheese, cheese, feta.
- Salty fish.
- Sausages, ham, chicken, brisket.
- Vegetables, mushrooms, fish, seafood.
- Nuts with honey or caramel.
The main requirement for all fillings is that it should not be liquid, otherwise, during baking, the dough will rise and displace it. Croissants with salted filling are served as an appetizer, and with sweet filling as a dessert.
Classic croissants without filling
Classic croissants are made from yeast puff pastry from the best natural products. Of course, you can bake them from a store semi-finished product, but it is better to knead the base yourself. Only then can you guarantee the quality of your baked goods.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 465 kcal.
- Servings - 24
- Cooking time - 5 hours (of which 25 minutes for baking and 4 hours for holding the dough)
Ingredients:
- Butter 82% fat - 350 g
- Flour of the highest grade - 500 g
- Milk - 200 ml
- Powdered sugar - 30 g
- Vegetable oil - 30 ml
- Yeast - 40 g fresh or 13 g dry
- Salt - 8 g
- Eggs - 2 pcs.
- Baking powder - 2 g
Making classic croissants without filling:
- Thaw the butter slightly to keep it firm but not firm. Sprinkle the cling film with flour, put a block of butter on top, sprinkle with flour, cover with foil and beat to make a 10 × 12.5 cm rectangle. Remove the butter in the foil in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- For the test, dissolve the yeast in milk. Add baking powder to flour and sift 2 times. Beat in eggs, add powdered sugar with salt, add vegetable oil and milk with dissolved yeast. Quickly, literally in 3 minutes, knead the dough.
- Form a rectangular layer of 20 × 12.5 cm from the dough, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Then put it on the table and put butter on one half, cover with the second part of the dough on top and pinch the edges. Using a rolling pin sprinkled with flour, roll out the dough in one direction to make a layer 1 cm thick. Fold the resulting rectangle 3 times and send it to the freezer for 15 minutes, then in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Repeat the rolling and freezing cycle 6 times, putting the dough in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Roll out the chilled dough into a 3x5 mm rectangle. Cut it into 2 pieces with a long rectangle and cut each in a zigzag shape to make triangles. You can roll out the dough in a circle and divide it into 6 triangles.
- In the middle of the base of the triangle, make a 1-2 cm cut to make it easier to fold the bagel.
- Starting at the widest part, roll the dough into a crescent shape.
- Place the bagels on a greased baking sheet, 2 cm apart. Leave the items for half an hour, covering them with a towel, so that they become fluffy.
- Brush the croissants with egg yolk and place in a preheated oven up to 200 ° C and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.
Note:
- Oils should be at least 1/3 of the flour mass, and preferably in a ratio of 1: 1.
- When rolling out the dough for the first time, move the rolling pin in one direction, turning the layer 90 ° C. When rolling it the next time after cooling, roll it the other way.
Croissants - the quick way
Making delicious croissants according to the classic recipe is troublesome, although the result is worth it. But you can make small products from puff yeast dough using a simplified version. The buns are also tender, airy and crispy.
Ingredients:
- Fresh yeast - 1 tsp (not complete)
- Water - 50 ml
- Milk - 170 ml
- Salt - a pinch
- Sugar - 2.5 tablespoons
- Eggs - 1 pc.
- Flour - 400-450 g
- Butter - 100 g
- Yolk - 1 pc.
- Vanilla sugar - 10 g
- Any filling
Quick way to make croissants:
- Dissolve the yeast in water, let it stand for 10 minutes and beat in the eggs.
- Then pour in milk, salt, add sugar and stir.
- Pour flour in portions and knead into a soft dough, which leave to rise for 25 minutes.
- Roll out the dough and spread the softened butter over it.
- Fold it in half and pinch the edges. Leave it to come up a little for 15 minutes and roll it into a layer. Leave it again for 15 minutes and roll it out again into a thin layer of 3 mm.
- Then cut the dough into triangles.
- If you are making filled croissants, place the filling on the wide part of the triangle, slightly stepping back from the edge, and wrap the dough in a bagel.
- Put the products on a baking sheet, leave to rise for 25 minutes and brush with yolk mixed with vanilla sugar.
- Bake the croissants in a preheated oven at 165 ° C until golden brown for about 20-25 minutes.
Store-bought dough croissants with chocolate and nuts
Making croissants from store-bought dough with filling at home is the easiest recipe. The result is a small crescent-shaped puff pastry made from puffy yeast dough, very appetizing, crispy and tender.
Ingredients:
- Puff yeast dough - 500 g
- Butter - 30 g
- Dark chocolate - 100 g for filling, 100 g for decoration
- Walnuts - 50 g for the filling, 0, 25 tbsp. for decoration
- Milk - 1 tablespoon
- Cognac - 1 tablespoon
Making croissants from purchased dough with chocolate and nuts:
- Defrost the dough naturally without using the microwave. Sprinkle it with flour and roll it into a thin round shape about 5 mm thick. Cut it into 8 equal pieces with a sharp knife.
- For the chocolate filling, melt the chocolate (100 g) in a water bath. Add milk, butter and brandy to it. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly and add roasted and crushed nuts.
- Cut the wide part of each triangle slightly and lay out the filling. Roll the dough into rolls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put it on a proofer so that the products increase 3-4 times.
- Grease the products with a beaten egg and send to bake in a preheated oven to 220 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
- To decorate croissants, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and dip the rim of the croissants in the chocolate. Sprinkle with finely chopped nuts on top.
