Croissants

I have decided to bake my way through Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day at my own pace. There are a little over 30 recipes and I have baked maybe a third when I signed up to be a recipe tester 2 years ago. I will bake all the breads including the ones I already baked and will post the adapted versions as I go along. I highly recommend this baking book for beginner or with a little experience bakers and busy folks as the dough recipes are not very complicated [except for croissants] and are mixed the night before, kept in the refrigerator for 1 up to 4 days and the breads baked at your convenience. This is also not a no-knead bread book; there is minimal kneading with machine or hand, 2 to 3 minutes at the most, which I prefer to the no-knead method because a little kneading makes a huge difference in taste and texture.

To start off this series is one of my top favorites from the book, Croissants. Making croissants is not an easy project. It takes 2 days and there are a number of steps to do but the end result is very rewarding: flaky buttery golden brown crust with delicious pillowy soft elastic layered crumb. After enjoying a few pieces of the croissants specially the ones with chocolate batons, you won't settle for anything less.

Croissants
adapted from ARTISAN BREADS EVERY DAY by Peter Reinhart

the recipe makes croissants that have flaky buttery crust and soft pillowy somewhat elastic visibly layered crumb

dough
21 oz/595 gm/4 2/3 cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour or a combination
0.4 oz/11 gm/2½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 oz/56.5 gm/¼ cup sugar
0.33 oz/9 gm/1 tablespoon instant yeast
7 oz/198 gm/¾ cup + 2 tablespoons cold whole milk
8 oz/227 gm/1 cup cool water
1 oz/28.5 gm/2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
extra flour for dusting

butter block
12 oz/340 gm/1½ cups cold unsalted butter
0.57 oz/16 gm/2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

tools
standing mixer
plastic dough scraper
metal pastry scraper
rolling pin

optional ingredients
1 egg for egg wash
3-inch chocolate batons for chocolate croissants

• Make the dough: With the paddle attachment, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add in the milk, water, and butter and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. The dough will look coarse, wet, and shaggy. Adjust with more flour or water if necessary. Continue mixing on the lowest speed for another 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium-high for 15 seconds until the dough begins to smooth out. It will be very soft, supple, and sticky, but not batterlike. Add more flour or water as needed and mix until the dough has formed. It should be soft and pliable and somewhat sticky. Transfer the dough to the kitchen counter dusted with flour and with floured hands, form it into a ball. Place the dough seams side down in a lightly oiled container, cover with plastic film and lid, and immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days.
  
• Prepare the butter block: Cut the cold butter into ½ inch slices and place in the bowl of a standing mixer. Sprinkle the flour and beat on low with the paddle attachment until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. The butter should still be cold. Using a plastic scraper, transfer the butter mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a 6-inch square.
  
• Incorporate the butter block into the dough: Have a container of flour nearby. Lightly dust the kitchen counter with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll into a 12½ inch by 6½ inch rectangle, about ½-inch thick. Place the butter block on one side of the dough, fold the other half of the dough to completely cover the butter and pinch on all sides to seal in the butter block. You now have three layers: dough, butter, dough.
  
• Laminate the dough: With the metal scraper, lift the dough, one side at a time, and toss more flour underneath it. Lightly tap the dough with a rolling pin and working from the center out and then on all four sides, gently roll the dough into a 9 x 16-inch rectangle, dusting under and on top of the dough as needed, always using a metal scraper to prevent tearing and to keep the corners squared. Fold the dough as if folding a letter: fold the right one-third of the dough over to the left, making sure the top and bottom are squared-off and are perfectly aligned with the bottom dough. Fold the left one-third dough to the right the same way. Use the rolling pin to press out any air pockets, then lay it down on a sheet pan lined with the plastic wrap you used for the butter block. Cover loosely with another piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Dust the kitchen counter with flour. Transfer the dough back on the counter with the open seam facing away from and the closed side facing you, and gently roll and fold it as before. Return to the plastic-lined pan, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat this procedure one more time. You have now completed three turns and created 81 layers of dough and butter.
• Roll and shape: Transfer the dough back to the flour-dusted counter and gently roll out, from the center to the corners, then out to the sides, until the dough is under ¼ inch thick, about 28 inches wide and 9 inches long, lifting the dough with the metal scraper and dusting the counter underneath with flour to prevent it from sticking and tearing. Remember to always keep the corners neatly squared-off.
  
• To make croissants: Using a ruler, make a small notch with the metal scraper at 4-inch intervals along the bottom edge of the dough. Repeat this along the edge of the top of the dough but mark the first at 2 inches from the left and continue measuring at 4-inch intervals from that point. Using a pizza cutter or the metal scraper, cut a line from the left corner of the bottom dough to the first notch of the top dough, then simply connect the marks to cut off the dough triangles. When all the pieces are cut and separated, cut a 1-inch notch into the bottom center of the triangle base. Spread the bottom as wide as the notch will allow to create wing-like flaps. Begin rolling up the dough, gently pulling the top point (nose) as you roll, trying not to squeeze it. It should form in either 5 or 7 "steps". Place the shaped pieces on parchment-lined sheet pans 2 inches apart, with the nose positioned underneath so that it is anchored. Give the end flaps a slight curve and facing in the same direction as the nose is pointing. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 2½ to 3 hours or until the croissants look airy and feel hollow. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450°F/232°C. Apply egg wash if desired. Place the pans in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375°F/191°C and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, or until a rich golden brown all over. Allow to cool for 40 minutes before serving.
• Chocolate Croissants: Use half or the full recipe. Cut the rolled dough into 3½ inch x 6 inch rectangles. Place 2 batons on one short side, roll up, and place on the parchment-lined pans, seam side down, 2 inches apart. Bake as above.
  

chocolate croissants

Egg Pie

One of the few Filipino baked goods that was unappealing to me and therefore never had before is egg pie. The custard dessert I remember had very thick nuclear yellow filling and it smelled eggy too. I don't know what came over me today but I suddenly wanted to try a friend's recipe that has only 3 eggs and no cornstarch or flour as thickener. And I'm glad I did bake it. The pie with its light creamy custard filling and my homemade buttery flaky crust is heavenly delicious but oh so rich. The filling has half a cup of butter in it! It is rather an indulgent dessert but I love it specially the subtle flavor combination of vanilla and lemon extracts and the dark brown crust on the custard gives a nice color contrast to the pale yellow filling beneath. This is great stuff.

Filipino Egg Pie

buttery flaky pie crust
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup very cold diced unsalted butter
½ cup ice water with a few ice cubes

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. With fingertips and working quickly, rub the butter into the flour. Sprinkle ¼ cup water, adding more if needed, ½ tablespoon at a time, and stir with a fork until the dough comes together and gathers into a ball. Flatten the dough, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 h0urs. Roll to fit into a 9 or 10-inch pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges using the back of a table knife. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

custard filling
3 whole eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
12 ounces whole milk, scalded and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, butter, and sugar until fluffy. On low speed, beat in the rest of the ingredients until fully incorporated. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator, pour the filling in, bake on the lower third shelf of the oven for 1 hour or until crust is golden in color. Cool on a rack for 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Whole Wheat and Rye Bread Rolls

A long-time reader Raissa asked if I have the recipe for the Cheesecake Factory® dark bread that the restaurant chain serves along with a sourdough loaf. I have never been to CF and I presumed it would be a dark whole wheat roll. I searched online for description and photos of the bread and found several copycat recipes, from pumpernickel with a little rye flour with cocoa powder and coffee, to sweetish squaw bread. I combined all the recipes with Peter Reinhart's soft rye sandwich bread method of retarding the dough in the refrigerator and came up with a sweetish soft delicious rolls. The rye flavor is almost indistinct and I think they came out a bit lighter in color than the photos. I will add more rye flour and a teaspoon more of caramel powder to the next batch. The old-fashioned oats on top give the loaves a good crunch and texture. I love it freshly baked with unsalted butter. I'll try to get some of the CF loaves to have a taste and to know if I did a good copy of their bread.

Whole Wheat and Rye Rolls

1 cup bread flour

1¼ cups whole wheat flour

½ cup whole grain rye flour
½ tablespoon vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons instant yeast
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon caramel powder

¼ cup powdered milk

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup room temperature water

3 tablespoons light olive oil

2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon molasses

extra oil for folding and shaping

water in a spray bottle

old-fashioned oats for topping

• Mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add all the liquids and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-low and mix for another minute. Replace attachment with the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Shape the dough into a ball and transfer, smooth side up, into a lightly oiled plastic container (with a lid). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough on all sides, shape into a ball, flip, and return to the container. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for another 30 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold, cover with plastic wrap and the lid and refrigerate overnight. [The reason for the stretch and fold is to make the dough stronger since it is a very sticky dough and difficult to knead by hand or machine.]
  
• The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into four 7-ounce pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Shape the dough pieces into small logs 7 inches long and 2 inches thick. Arrange on a sheet pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 2 hours or until doubled in size.
• 20 minutes before the rising period ends, place a rack on the lower third position and preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Just before baking, score the loaves ½ inch deep right down the middle. Let it spread a little then spray lightly with water. Sprinkle oats on top of the loaves and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for 7 - 10 minutes more or until nicely browned.

the loaves have a sweetish soft crumb

Mango Tart

The recipe for this delicious Filipino mango tart is adapted from a recipe I found in one of the countless Filipino recipe directories on the web. It's a bit involved but worth making. The baked shell is very crispy and flaky and the tart is really really yummy.

Mango Tart
pastry shell, homemade or store bought
pastry cream
sliced ripe mangoes
meringue buttercream

pastry shell
1½ cups pastry or all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1½ tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
2 tablespoons shortening, cubed and chilled
1 large egg

• Sift together flour, sugar, and salt. With fingertips mix in butter and shortening until crumbly. Add the egg and stir with a fork. Form into a ball/s. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour. Roll out thinly and ease into tart pan/s, trim edges. Bake in a 400°F oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool. Remove from pans and set aside.

pastry cream
6 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup milk, scalded

• In a saucepan, mix the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch with a rubber spatula. Pour the scalded milk and cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Strain into a shallow container and cool for 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  

meringue buttercream
2 egg whites
pinch of fine sea salt
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 teaspoon rum or mango vodka, optional

• In a small saucepan, boil sugar and 3 tablespoons water to to 230°F. In a standing mixer with the wire whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until until stiff but not dry. With mixer on high speed, slowly pour hot syrup and beat until the bowl is cool to the touch. Add butter one piece at a time and continue beating until it holds its shape. Add rum or vodka if using.

Assemble the mango tart: Fill tart shell/s with a ½-inch thick layer of pastry cream. Arrange mango slices on top of cream. Top with meringue buttercream.