Croissant Donuts

Ah, it's the latest New York craze, the deep-fried love child of croissant and donut, cronut! Since I was not willing to drive for more than 5 hours to New York and was desperate to try its crunchy crust and multi-layered crumb, I just had to make some.

I have read deep-fried croissants a few years ago most probably in David Lebovitz's blog. The cronut reminds me a little of the Filipino donuts bicho-bicho (that's what we call them in my hometown of Santa Rosa, Laguna). The creator of these cronuts said that the method of laminating is a bit different than the regular croissants recipe to avoid melting the butter during frying; of course he didn't say how. I made a wild guess and somehow the pastries came out multi-layered, crunchy, and delicious. I didn't fill them with cream; just rolled them in fine raw sugar mixed with powdered lemon, powdered lime, and also vanilla sugar. Y.U.M.M.Y!   

Making cronuts (and croissants) is a very involved process. Although I really love these fried gems, I won't make them too often. But do try making these.

Croissant Donuts
1¼ cups unbleached bread flour
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
½ tablespoon instant yeast
½ cup cold whole milk
½ cup cold water
2 tablespoons soft butter
¾ cup cold unsalted butter
extra all-purpose flour for dusting
light olive oil for frying

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, sugar, and yeast. Add milk, water, and the 2 tablespoons soft butter; mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will look coarse, wet, and shaggy. Add a little more flour if necessary and continue mixing by hand. Transfer the dough to the kitchen counter dusted with flour and with floured hands, knead for 5 minutes or until smooth and soft but no longer sticky. Form into a ball. Place the dough ball seams side down in a lightly oiled container, cover with plastic film and lid, and immediately refrigerate overnight.

• The next day, remove dough from refrigerator and roll on counter dusted with flour into a 16 x 8 inch rectangle. Thinly slice the cold butter and place on 2/3 of the flattened dough. Fold the third without butter onto the second third and fold the top over like an envelop. Add more flour on the counter and repeat rolling and folding, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Repeat roll/fold 3 more times, resting the dough in the refrigerator 1 hour each time, until  butter is completely incorporated in the dough. 
• After the last roll/fold, gently roll out until the dough is ½ inch thick, occasionally lifting the dough with a metal scraper and dusting the counter underneath with flour to prevent it from sticking and tearing. Cut with a donut cutter and carefully transfer into a cookie sheet lined with parchment or silicone. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a cool spot for 2 hours. 
• In a heavy Dutch oven, heat 3 inches of oil to 325° F and fry 2 donuts at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Roll in sugar, or dust with flavored powdered sugar, or use your favorite glaze.