3 Day Croissants

AuthorZoeDifficultyAdvanced
Yields8 Servings
Prep Time1 dayCook Time15 minsTotal Time1 day 15 mins
Poolish
 ¾ cup Water, Warm
 1 cup Flour
 2 tbsp Instant Dry Yeast
Dough
 3 cups Flour
 1.50 tsp Kosher Salt
  cup Sugar
 ½ cup Milk
 2 ¾ cups Butter, Cubed
Laminate
 1 cup Unsalted Butter, From a Large Brick of Butter
Egg Wash
 1 Egg
 1 tsp Milk, Whole or 2%,
The Poolish
1

To make the poolish, heat the water to lukewarm in a small sauce pot. Be careful not to overheat the water. Add in the yeast and the flour. Stir until the mixture comes together.

2

Cover with a clean dishcloth and set aside to bubble up for 30-45 minutes. The poolish should expand exponentially. It should be bubbly and sponge-like.

The Dough
3

While the poolish is poofing up, make the dough. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt and sugar together.

4

When the poolish is ready, add it to your flour mixture. Once the poolish has been added, add the milk and combine.

5

Take your butter cubes and knead them into the dough. Do this in multiple different stages, 3-4, making sure the butter from the previous stage has been fully incorporated.

6

Knead the dough for 5 more minutes after the butter is fully incorporated. Your dough should be smooth and slightly sticky.

7

Form your dough into a 9x9 square and cover fully and tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Laminate
8

Cut the unsalted butter into 4 1/2" thick slices and place on a large piece of parchment paper. Cover with another piece of parchment paper. Using rolling pin, roll out the butter until it forms a 7x7 square. Wrap the butter in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Making the Croissants
9

Take the dough out of the fridge the next day (at least 8 hours of chilling time) and roll out onto a lightly floured surface.

10

Roll the dough out into a 12x12 square of even thickness. Take the butter out of the fridge and unwrap the plastic wrap. Place the butter in the center of the dough with the corners of the butter square facing the corners of the dough square.

11

Cover the butter square by folding the sides of the dough over it. Flour your rolling pin and roll out the dough carefully into a long rectangle, approximately 8x24". Work the dough slowly, you don't want too much butter to leak out.

12

Once the dough has been rolled out fully, fold 1/3 of the dough to the center, and the other 1/3 of the dough over that. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.

13

Repeat the two steps before this four times.

14

After laminating the dough, roll out the dough to 8x44". Now is when you will decide to either make classic croissants or pain au chocolat. If making pain au chocolat, take a pizza cutter and cut long rectangles of the same size.

15

If making classic croissants, take a ruler and down one side of the rectangle, make marks at 5" intervals down that side. Down the opposite side, do the same, but start making the marks 2.5" down the dough instead of at the beginning.

16

Roll the flat side of the triangle towards the pointy end. Press the point against the body of the croissant to seal it. You can now leave them straight, or bend them a bit to achieve that "crescent" shape.

17

Place the croissants in an airtight container, making sure they have room to expand. Put on the lid of the container and place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.

18

Transfer the proofed croissants to a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.

19

Whisk the egg and milk together to make an egg wash. With a brush, brush the croissants with the egg wash.

20

Proof the croissants again ( do not cover or refrigerate) for an hour.

21

After the croissants have proofed for an hour, preheat the oven to 375F. Once the oven has preheated, brush the croissants with more egg wash.

22

Bake croissants for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

23

Croissants are best eaten the day they are made.

Ingredients

Poolish
 ¾ cup Water, Warm
 1 cup Flour
 2 tbsp Instant Dry Yeast
Dough
 3 cups Flour
 1.50 tsp Kosher Salt
  cup Sugar
 ½ cup Milk
 2 ¾ cups Butter, Cubed
Laminate
 1 cup Unsalted Butter, From a Large Brick of Butter
Egg Wash
 1 Egg
 1 tsp Milk, Whole or 2%,

Directions

The Poolish
1

To make the poolish, heat the water to lukewarm in a small sauce pot. Be careful not to overheat the water. Add in the yeast and the flour. Stir until the mixture comes together.

2

Cover with a clean dishcloth and set aside to bubble up for 30-45 minutes. The poolish should expand exponentially. It should be bubbly and sponge-like.

The Dough
3

While the poolish is poofing up, make the dough. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt and sugar together.

4

When the poolish is ready, add it to your flour mixture. Once the poolish has been added, add the milk and combine.

5

Take your butter cubes and knead them into the dough. Do this in multiple different stages, 3-4, making sure the butter from the previous stage has been fully incorporated.

6

Knead the dough for 5 more minutes after the butter is fully incorporated. Your dough should be smooth and slightly sticky.

7

Form your dough into a 9x9 square and cover fully and tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Laminate
8

Cut the unsalted butter into 4 1/2" thick slices and place on a large piece of parchment paper. Cover with another piece of parchment paper. Using rolling pin, roll out the butter until it forms a 7x7 square. Wrap the butter in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Making the Croissants
9

Take the dough out of the fridge the next day (at least 8 hours of chilling time) and roll out onto a lightly floured surface.

10

Roll the dough out into a 12x12 square of even thickness. Take the butter out of the fridge and unwrap the plastic wrap. Place the butter in the center of the dough with the corners of the butter square facing the corners of the dough square.

11

Cover the butter square by folding the sides of the dough over it. Flour your rolling pin and roll out the dough carefully into a long rectangle, approximately 8x24". Work the dough slowly, you don't want too much butter to leak out.

12

Once the dough has been rolled out fully, fold 1/3 of the dough to the center, and the other 1/3 of the dough over that. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.

13

Repeat the two steps before this four times.

14

After laminating the dough, roll out the dough to 8x44". Now is when you will decide to either make classic croissants or pain au chocolat. If making pain au chocolat, take a pizza cutter and cut long rectangles of the same size.

15

If making classic croissants, take a ruler and down one side of the rectangle, make marks at 5" intervals down that side. Down the opposite side, do the same, but start making the marks 2.5" down the dough instead of at the beginning.

16

Roll the flat side of the triangle towards the pointy end. Press the point against the body of the croissant to seal it. You can now leave them straight, or bend them a bit to achieve that "crescent" shape.

17

Place the croissants in an airtight container, making sure they have room to expand. Put on the lid of the container and place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.

18

Transfer the proofed croissants to a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.

19

Whisk the egg and milk together to make an egg wash. With a brush, brush the croissants with the egg wash.

20

Proof the croissants again ( do not cover or refrigerate) for an hour.

21

After the croissants have proofed for an hour, preheat the oven to 375F. Once the oven has preheated, brush the croissants with more egg wash.

22

Bake croissants for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

23

Croissants are best eaten the day they are made.

3 Day Croissants
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