These croissants are a holiday tradition. I make them on Christmas Eve so they are in the fridge, ready to be popped into the oven right after presents. They are so wonderful, Mark loves them. The truth is, since our family is so small and we go to see in-laws the day after Christmas, I don't make a Christmas dinner. I make this for breakfast, and then we veg all day long. It's truly wonderful. We always get four or five new movies for Christmas, plus chocolates and crackers. I make cheeseballs and salsas, maybe a pie if I'm really ambitious, and we just lounge.
So please enjoy these labor-intensive croissants. It's not as hard as it looks. The steps are very specific and make this recipe error-proof. I hope you will find the time on Christmas Day to relax and eat good food!
Makes 12 croissants
Ingredients: 4 C flour, plus extra for rolling
1/4 C sugar
1 t salt
2 t active dry yeast
1 1/4 C milk, warmed
2 sticks butter, softened
1 egg, mixed with 1 T milk, for glazing
Stir the dry ingredients into a large bowl, make a well in the center, and add the milk. Mix to a soft dough, adding more milk if too dry. Knead on a lightly floured counter for 5-10 min, or until smooth and elastic. Let rise in a large bowl, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size. Meanwhile, flatten the butter with a rolling pin between 2 sheets of waxed paper to form a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, then let chill.
Knead the dough for 1 minute. Remove the butter from the refrigerator and let soften slightly. Roll out the dough on a well floured counter to 18x6 inches (long rectangle). Place the butter in the center, folding up the sides and squeezing the edges together gently. With the short end of the dough toward you, fold the top third down toward the center, then fold the bottom third up. Rotate 90 degrees clockwise so that the fold is to your left and the top flap toward your right. Roll out to a rectangle and fold again. If the butter feels soft, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let chill. Repeat the rolling process twice more. Cut the dough in half. Roll out one half into a triangle 1/4 inch thick (keep the other half refrigerated). Cut six triangles from the triangle. Do the same to the other half of dough.
Brush the triangles with the glaze. (I stop here for the night, covering with saran wrap. In the morning I let them sit out for half an hour before I bake them.) Roll into croissant shapes, starting at the base and tucking the point underneath to prevent unrolling while cooking. Brush again with glaze. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and let double in size. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 min until golden brown.
What special foods do you eat on Christmas Day?
16 comments:
Okay YUM!! By the growl of my stomach I'd say it's my lunch time - but now I'm craving THESE. thanks. a. lot. ;-)
They sound wonderful! Wish I was a cook, a baker or even a candlestick maker! he he. I loved your post.
You're welcome Sara! :)
Try it, Melissa. you might be surprised.
they look gooddd!!! My other goal this year besides losing weight, is to bake and cook more!
I didn't know skim milk was just as fine. Everyone kept telling me if I didn't drink whole milk the baby would not get enough vitamin D.
I wanted to lose weight really bad that I ate only 1000 calories, but this year, I'm gong to take it slow and be smarter about it. You're right, excercise is the key. I started out slow, but then I got into it. Hpefully, I'll be able t post pictures of my progress soon. I"m so excited; I can't wait.
LMJ--vitamin D is very important. But you can get it as a supplement without the extra 7 grams of fat, ha ha. :)
I never exercised before the birth of my second. Walking was enough exercise for me. And even though I lost all the weight w/ my first kid, I didn't get my body back. My husband, who is an exercise guru, finally convinced me to join a gym when my second was about three months old.
I HATED it at first. But I stuck w/ it. A year later, I'm an addict. I have to get to the gym. It makes such a difference! Spinning classes are a great way to go! I don't like kick-boxing, yoga, or dance, so I'm difficult. You might try some of the others to see what else you enjoy.
Good luck girl! You can do it!
Yummy! They look fabulous. Thanks for sharing the recipe. ;-)
Yum, those look good. Maybe I'll try them. (more likely I'll say I'm going to try them and be too lazy to actually follow through) I do love croissants. And I was just looking at your anniversary post, too. I didn't know you were LDS. Me too. I love the Salt Lake temple, it's gorgeous. Congrats on 5 years!
Yum. Croissants are my favorite, but I've never made them. I'll have to give this recipe a try. Thanks!
I LOVE croissants! I've been wanting a good recipe. Will definitely have to try these. We always do a breakfast casserole Christmas morning, but I can definitely see popping these in along with it! Thanks for the recipe!
If I homemade those my family would flip! In a good way of course, then they'd barracade me in the kitchen till I mass produced!
Oh, wow, those look awesome! I love things I can do mostly the night before! Thanks, Tamara, for sharing.
I've never tried to make croissants but they sound yummy. My husband's favorite treat for Christmas is Captain Crunch Candy, this horribly fattening snack with no nutritional value whatsoever. Of course, the kids love it too :)
YUm! I always make a brie and cranberry parcel but now you can buy them looking far prettier from the supermarkets so might have to change that!
Kate x
I missed this one!!! These look delicious!
I'm odd when it comes to croissants. Sometimes I love em and other times I can't stand em.
I know, I'm a weirdo. Anyway, happy holidays!
Solvange--I think your husband and my husband would get along wonderfully! His favorite Christmas treat is cereal!
Kate--that sounds extremely delightful and exotic. How on earth do you make it? I don't think I've ever seen one!
Voidwalker--I'm just like you. You'll love these. Guaranteed.
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