Croissant Dough and Croissants-Julia Childs Pt 1

Title:
Croissant Dough and Croissants-Julia Childs Pt 1

Yield:
24 Servings

Categories:
Pastry,
Roll




Ingredients:





     1 oz Fresh yeast


 3 1/2 c  Flour, unbleached all


          -purpose+


   1/3 c  Sugar


     2 ts Salt


     1 c  Milk +/-





-------------------------------FOR
THE BUTTER-------------------------------


 4 1/2    Sticks unsalted butter, 1 lb


          -2 oz, cold-cut into 1/2


          -inch


     2 tb Flour, unbleached all


          -purpose



---------------------------------CROISSANTS---------------------------------


     1    Recipe-croissant dough, well


          -chilled


          Flour, for rolling dough


     1 lg Egg





 FOR THE DOUGH: Put the yeast, flour sugar, salt and 1 cup of milk into the


 bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. With the machine on its lowest


 speed, mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until a soft, moist dough forms on the hook.


 If the dough is to dry, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. In most


 cases if the dough does need more liquid, it won't need more than about 3


 tablespoons, but check carefully as you want all the flour to be moistened.


 Stop the mixer and look into the bowl. If the hook has not picked up all


 the flour from the bottom af the bowl, add a few more drops of milk. Set


 ther mixer to its highest speed and work the dough until it is smooth and


 elastic, no longer sticky and close to the consistancy of soft butter,


 about 4 minutes. To make certain that all the ingredients are perfectly


 blendedyou can remove the dough from the mixer after 3 minutes, and then


 with the mixer on high speed, return plum size pieces to the bowl. The


 pieces will remain seperate for a short while, then come together, at which


 time the dough is ready. Remove the dough from the mixer, wrap it in


 plastic and put it in a plastic bag, leaving a little room for expansion.


 Keep the dough at room temperature for 30 minutes to give the gluten time


 to relax; then refrigerate the dough for 8 hours or ovenight. FOR THE


 BUTTER: Attach the paddle to your mixer and beat the butter and flour on


 the highest speed until smooth and the same consistency as the croissant


 dough, about 2 minutes. Reach into the bowl and poke around in the butter


 to make sure that its evenly blended-if you find any lumps, just squeeze


 them between your fingers. Scrape the butter onto a large piece of plastic


 wrap and give it a few slaps to knock the air out of it. Mold it into an


 oval 5 to 6 inches long and 1 inch thick, Wrap it tightly and refrigerate


 until needed. At this point the dough and the butter can be frozen; defrost


 overnight in the refrigerator before preceeding with the recipe.


 INCORPORATING THE BUTTER: Place the croissant doughon a generously floured


 large work surface (marble is ideal(sure!!!)) and sprinkle the top of the


 dough lightly with flour. Using a long rolling pin, roll the dough into an


 oval approximately 10 inches wide and 17 inches long. Brush the excess


 flour from the dough. Center the oval of chilled butter across the oval of


 dough and fold the top and bottom of the dough over the butter to make a


 tidy package. Gently and evenly stretch the folded layers of dough out to


 ther sides and press the edges down firmly with your fingertips to create
a


 neatly sealed rectangle. If you own a French rolling pin (one without


 handles)now's the time to use it. Hold one side of the doughsteady with


 your hand and strike the other side gently but firmly with the rolling pin


 to distribute the butter evenly. As you hit the doough you will see the


 butter moving out into the crevises. Strike the other side of the dough the


 same way. After pounding you should have a 1 inch thick rectangle about


 about 14 inches long and 6 inches wide. Keeping the work surface and the


 top of the dough well floured, roll out the dough. If this your first time


 working with croissant dough, you may want to roll out the dough just a


 little to distribute the butter, put it on a baking sheet lined with


 flour-dusted parchment paper, cover it with plastic and chill it for 1 to
2


 hoours first; this way you won't risk having the dough go soft or the


 butter seep out. (Each time you wrap the dough, make sure it's well


 covered-even a little air will cause the dought to form an unwanted skin.)


 If your experienced, feeling courageous or have dough that is still well


 chilled, go on to make your first turn. ROLLING AND FOLDING: Roll the dough


 into a rectangle 24 to 26 inches long and about 14 inches wide, with the


 long side facing you. (You may feel as though your rolling the dough


 sideways-and you are.) Brush off the excess flourand, working from the left


 and right sides, fold the dough inward into thirds, as you would a


 brochure, so that you have a package that's about 8 inches wide by 14


 inches long. Carefully transfer the dough to a parchment- lined baking


 sheet, mark the parchment "1 turn" so you'll know what you've done, cover


 and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. You can frereze the dough after this


 ar any other turn. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.


 FOR THE SECOND TURN: Place the dough so that the 14 inch side runs left to


 right. (The dough needs 2 more turns; you've given it one quarter-turn


 already.) Making sure the work surface is well floured at all times, roll


 the dough as you did before into a rectangle 24 to 26 inches long by about


 14 inches wide . (When doing the second and third turns, you may find that


 the dough has cracked a little. That's natural; it's a result of the yeast.


 Don't worry, just flour the dough and work surface and keep going.) As you


 did before fold the dough in thirds. Place it on the parchment, mark the


 paper "2 turns", cover and refrigerate


 


 continued in part 2