Croissants to Crow About

Croissant au Levain

First know this:
If you’ve never worked with bread dough before, all right, you can still go ahead, but please consider first making Gayle’s Croissants from “The Village Baker’s Wife,” which do not require a sourdough starter. You’ll learn the technique for doing the roll-in and turns necessary to get the butter worked correctly into the dough layers – and Gayle explains all in her book (available on the Gayle’s Bakery website).

If you must have the Croissant au Levain toot sweet but don’t have a sourdough starter, the book gives a recipe for how to create your own – keep in mind you’ll need a few days to grow it – this is not a quick cab ride down Culinary Avenue so don’t expect to start on Wednesday for your special guest’s arrival on Friday.
That being said, here’s a timetable if you DO have your own starter.

Croissant Sample Timetable

First Day
3 p.m.: Make sponge
9 p.m.: Make dough and let rise
10 p.m.:
Refrigerate dough

Second Day
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Do roll-in (to turns)
11 a.m.: Refrigerate dough overnight

Third Day
8 a.m.: Do final turn, roll out dough, shape croissants and proof

2 to 3 p.m.: Bake
Note: This timetable is subject to shift a la wind, weather and especially altitude. When I tried this timetable in Dubois, Wyoming, the responsiveness of the dough was eye-popping. In the reefer (as M.F. K. Fisher lovingly calls the fridge), the dough blew up into the rack above it, more than double in size. It took half the time for the dough to rise one the croissants were shaped – something about less oxygen or atmospheric pressure? Don’t ask me. Just watch and be aware that dough leavened with natural yeast at various altitudes does what dough will.
Second thought: The dough is also affected by ATTITUDE. If you’re feeling blue or worse like Holly Golightly battling through the “Mean Reds,” try this another day. The dough senses mood. Yeast is a living organism, you need to understand that.

First day:

Sponge
½ cup liquid sourdough starter
¼ cup water
½ cup whole-wheat flour
In a medium bowl, make the sponge, diluting the starter with the water. Add the whole-wheat flour and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. This mixture will be the consistency of thick batter. Let rise 5 to 6 hours, or until doubled.

Dough
1 package active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
½ cup butter, softened and cut into small chunks
Scant ½ cup powdered milk
7 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour if you prefer it)
2 tablespoons salt
½ cup sugar

2 ½ cups (20 ounces) cold butter

Egg Glaze
1 egg
2 tablespoons cold water


For the dough, dilute the yeast in ¼ cup of the warm water. Set aside until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Place the sponge and the remaining 1 ¾ cups of water in a large bowl. Add the ½ cup of butter and the milk powder and mix with a wooden spoon until moderately incorporated. Add the yeast mixture and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon or plastic dough scraper. Mix only until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. The dough will be damp and sticky but workable.

Knead the dough no more than a few minutes on a lightly floured surface, working out any dry spots. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
Punch the dough down, then shape it into a flat 12 x 6 x 3-inch square. Cover the dough in plastic wrap or a split-open plastic food storage bag, and refrigerate for 12 to 15 hours. (Mamma Mia says, keep all parts covered or sections exposed to air will develop a distasteful crust.)

For the roll-in, wrap all of the butter in parchment paper and pound it with a rolling pin until it is soft and malleable. Then, remove the parchment paper and, on the lightly floured work surface, with the rolling pin and a metal dough scraper alternately roll and shape the butter into a rectangle measuring 10 x 10 x ½-inch thick.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a 24 x 12-inch rectangle. Place the slab of butter on the right half of the dough, fold the other half of the dough over the butter, and pinch the edges together to form a flat pillow.

Cover the dough pillow and transfer it to the refrigerator to rest for 10 minutes. To complete the first turn, remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to approximately 30 x 12 inches. Fold the dough in thirds (turn the bottom up to the center, then fold the top down onto the bottom). Then re-cover and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Complete the second turn, rolling the dough out the opposite way and folding it into thirds again. Cover the dough and store overnight in the refrigerator. Repeat the process one more time the next day.

After the third turn is completed, cut the dough in half. Cover one half and return it to the refrigerator (Joe Ortiz says that keeping the dough chilled is beyond essential. Keep that dough cold).

Roll the other half into a 16-inch-wide rectangle 1/8-inch-thick and cut it into two 8-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip into 9 or 10 triangles with 5-inch bases.
Starting with the base of the triangles, fold ¼ inch of the dough over onto itself and begin rolling the triangle up to the point. Gently stretch the dough by pulling on the tip as you roll it. Leave the pointed ends straight instead of curling into horns.

Repeat the process with the remaining half of the refrigerated dough or reserve it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the croissants at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Whisk together the egg and water to make the glaze. Lightly brush each croissant with the glaze. Let rise, uncovered, for 4 or 5 hours at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the croissants once more with the glaze. Place the baking sheets on the center rack in the oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until golden brown.

(Recipe reprinted with permission from Joe Ortiz, author of “The Village Baker” and co-author of “The Village Baker’s Wife.”)

Mamma Mia says:
From plain to fancy, you can go so many directions with this wonderful croissant recipe, adding herbs for one batch, cracked pepper, roasted garlic, fillings, chocolate, and on and on.

Mamma recommends getting comfortable with the croissant method first, then taking off where the muse leads. Freezing the dough seems to further deepen the flavor development, so if you’re not in a rush, give the dough time in the deep cooler. You’ll need to defrost the dough at least a day in the refrigerator, so work that day into your schedule. Then roll out as usual.

Ellen Christine recommends using leftover croissants for Crostini, which is a delicious idea. Mamma has also broken them up and used them in one of those cheesy overnight casseroles you serve for brunch the next day – magnifique!