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?
