Wheat Sandwich Bread

 

I've gotten a bit lazy with my bread baking lately.  It's not even about making the bread; that's not the part I dread.  It's the dishes afterward.  I hate trying to get the gunk from the dough off of the bowls, counter, etc. We don't make sandwiches very often, if at all, so generally not having bread in the house isn't much of a problem.  However, I've been craving grilled cheese for weeks now and I really try not to buy bread so I finally broke down and made a loaf recently.  Whether a loaf of bread makes a good grilled cheese sandwich is one of my tests for whether I'll turn to the recipe again in the future.  The anadama bread I made last summer is still my top choice for grilled cheese, but this wheat sandwich bread was wonderful too!  Definitely worthy of a repeat for its great texture and flavor - just slightly sweet but still hearty. 



This recipe allowed me to finally use the wheat germ I bought ages ago that's been sitting in my freezer.  Wheat germ is the embryo of the wheat kernel and provides a ton of nutrition so I felt slightly less guilty about using my bread to make grilled cheese :)  If you don't have wheat germ I think you could probably substitute more whole wheat flour in its place in the recipe.  Additionally, if you'd prefer a white sandwich bread, you can use all bread flour in the recipe.  As you'll see below, I made my bread using a food processor, but you could also do it by hand or using a stand mixer.  I generally make bread by hand, but the food processor wound up being a quick alternative and definitely a method I'd turn to again.



Wheat Sandwich Bread
from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

1 cup whole milk, warm (~110 F)
1/3 cup warm water (~110 F)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt

Toast the wheat germ in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Whisk the milk, water, 3 tablespoons of the butter and the honey together in a large measuring cup. 
 
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the yeast, salt, toasted wheat germ, the bread flour and 1 1/4 cups of the whole wheat flour to combine.  With the food processor running, pour the milk mixture through the feed tube and process until a rough ball forms, about 30 to 40 seconds.  Let the dough rest for 2 minutes, then process again for 30 seconds.

Using some of the remaining 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour, lightly flour your work surface.  Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining whole wheat flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and use your hands to press it into a 9-inch square.  Roll the dough into a tight cylinder and pinch the seam together to secure.  Place the loaf seam-side down in a greased 9-inch loaf pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size and the dough springs back slowly when indented with your finger, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Bring a kettle or pot of water to a boil.  Brush the top of the dough with the remaining tablespoon of butter.  Set the loaf pan on an oven rack in the middle position and place an empty metal loaf pan next to it.  Fill the empty pan about half full with the boiling water.  Bake the bread until golden and the center registers 200 F on an instant-read thermometer, about 40 to 50 minutes.  Turn the bread out onto a wire rack and let cool to room temperature before slicing, about 2 hours.

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Chicken Pizzaiola

If you've ever had one of those days where it's 5 pm before you know it and you don't have a plan for dinner, this recipe might save you as it saved me one night last week.  One of the best things about it is that it's highly adaptable.  I used pepperoni in my dish, as the recipe suggested, but you could use just about any other pizza topping that you enjoy - mushrooms, onions, peppers, sausage - the possibilities are endless!  You could probably even skip the mozzarella and substitute another cheese that melts well.  Finally, with regard to the sauce, you could definitely use jarred tomato sauce to make this recipe, but if you don't have any on hand or happen to have time to make your own, I've posted a few good options on the blog previously that you could try.

You can have this chicken on the table in 30 minutes or less, making it perfect for a weeknight.  It appealed to the picky eater in this family and since it's so adaptable, I think it would probably be a hit with most (assuming, of course, you like chicken).  Pasta would be a wonderful, and obvious, choice for a side, though a big salad would also be nice.  We have chicken a lot so I'm very happy to have yet another delicious recipe to keep things interesting here!



Chicken Pizzaiola
from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

3 cups tomato sauce, homemade or jarred
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 ounces (1 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
4 ounces (1 cup) mozzarella, shredded
2 ounces pepperoni, sliced thin

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 450 F.  Spread the tomato sauce in a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the Parmesan in a shallow dish, then add the chicken, turning to coat.  Lay the chicken on top of the tomato sauce.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and sprinkle the mozzarella and pepperoni over it.  Increase the oven temperature to 475 F and continue to bake until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through (an instant read thermometer should read 160 F), about 5 more minutes. 

TWD: Milk Chocolate Mini-Bundt Cakes

This week's TWD was selected by Kristin of I'm Right about Everything: milk chocolate mini-bundt cakes!  When it comes to chocolate, I get the impression that most of my blogging buddies would choose a nice dark chocolate over milk chocolate any day.  For me, though, it's all about the milk chocolate.  I don't like bittersweet chocolate at all and while I will eat semisweet, it's definitely not my chocolate of choice.  I blame my sweet tooth for my love of milk chocolate - for me, the sweeter the better!  In any event, I was psyched about this week's selection as it's rare that recipes actually call for milk chocolate, much less let it play a starring role!



This recipe was also fun because it let me use my mini-bundt pan, which is definitely one of the least used pans in my house, despite its cuteness.  The recipe called for a swirl of nuts, cocoa powder and sugar in the center but since we don't like nuts here, I substituted peanut butter chips in the swirl of 4 of the cakes (for Shane) and mint chips in 2 of them (for me).  The cakes are topped with a chocolate glaze, which caused problems for many of us this week.  Mine was very clumpy and looked nothing at all like the gorgeous photo in the book, but after thinning it with a bit of hot water, it was usable.  Next time I'll skip the glaze (which I did this time on my 2 cakes anyway) or make a chocolate ganache for Shane's cakes. 



So, did the cakes live up to my high expectations?  Sort of.  I absolutely loved the flavor of the milk chocolate cakes with the mint chips in the swirl.  Chocolate and mint is one of my favorite flavor combinations so not a huge surprise.  The texture of the cakes was another story, though.  They weren't dry, but were quite heavy and dense.  I've gone over the recipe time and again in my head and can't figure out where I might have screwed it up.  I also know I didn't overcook the cakes, so I'll be curious to read about the rest of the TWD bakers' experiences this week.  I'll definitely make this one again and hopefully I can pick up some tips for improved texture next time.  Thanks to Kristin for hosting this week's selection.  You can find the recipe on her blog or on pages 188-189 of the book.

Choco-Buzz - an homage to Hostess Choco-Bliss

Do you remember Hostess Choco-Bliss snack cakes from the 80's?  No?  It's ok, me either.   But they're just one of many things Shane remembers fondly from his childhood - right up there with so many of his other favorites from the 80's:

1.  Cartoons! He-Man, Transformers, Voltron and the associated toys for all of those.  Also, Duck Tales!
2.  Video Games (Mario, Mega Man, Contra and others for the Nintendo. Pac-Man and Galaga in the arcade)
3.  My lunch boxes for school (a new one every year)
4.  Vintage Arnold movies – Predator, Commando, Terminator
5.  Garbage Pail Kids
6.  ALF
7.  Guns ‘n Roses (although he didn’t actually own a copy of Appetite for Destruction until the early 00s)

We're both children of the 80's but I probably couldn't tell you one thing I fondly remember so it's a good thing I have Shane as a reference :)  But getting back to my original point...  The other day Shane and his coworkers were discussing Choco-Bliss at work, which led Shane to Google, which led him to this blog post from the folks at King Arthur Flour: a re-creation of the Choco-Bliss!  He immediately emailed me the link asking if I could make these.  It's actually quite a rare occurrence for Shane to request a baked good, so I was more than happy to give these a shot.  I follow King Arthur's blog so I'd previously seen this post but I probably never would have attempted the recipe (it was long and I can be a lazy baker sometimes) were it not for the nudge from Shane.



Yesterday afternoon we got to work.  I was very thankful Shane helped me with these as they are a bit time consuming, though not at all complicated.  The one issue I ran into with this recipe was with the cake.  It was pretty fragile and honestly, a bit frustrating to work with.  I later saw a tip in the comments over on KA's blog post recommending freezing the cake for a bit to make it easier to slice and next time I'll probably try that.  Otherwise, it was fun to watch these come together as they were filled and then topped with the icing.  Choco-Bliss had a grooved top traditionally (or so I'm told) so we made some that way (by running the tines of a fork through the icing) and left some with a smooth top. 



When I mentioned I was making this treat to my friend Nancy, she suggested making them for Shane as a Valentine's Day treat, and while I loved the idea, I knew there was no way I could wait 2 weeks to make these for him.  She also suggested posting them on Valentine's Day, but it falls on a Sunday this year, which is the posting day for Sweet Melissa Sundays.  So, I thought instead I'd post these today, which leaves everyone else plenty of time to make this rich, indulgent treat for Valentine's Day.  Shane tasted the components along the way as we made these and enjoyed each of them so I was fairly certain these would be a hit.  When he sampled one of the assembled cakes last night he declared it among his top 3 treats I've ever made him (in close competition with these favorites among others). 
The recipe is below and I highly recommend checking out the KA blog for lots of photos of the process if you're a visual person like me.



Choco-Buzz
adapted from King Arthur Flour

Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 cup hot water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa, sifted
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Icing
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray a 9x13-inch can pan with cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper with cooking spray too.

To Make the Cake: In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.  Stir in the cocoa and hot water.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso powder (if using), sugar, baking soda and salt.  Pour the cocoa/butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to blend.  Finally, add the buttermilk (or yogurt), eggs and vanilla to the bowl and whisk until the batter is smooth (you could also do this with a mixer, but I don't think it's necessary). 

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  The cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan when it is done.  Remove the pan from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely. 

To Make the Filling: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the cocoa, chocolate chips, salt and heavy cream.  Microwave until the cream is very hot and the chocolate chips have softened.  I microwaved for 1 minute at first and then in 30 second bursts until the chips had softened.  Once the chips have softened, stir to help them melt completely.  You want the mixture to be completely smooth so if necessary place back in the microwave to reheat.  Stir in the vanilla and set the bowl aside. 

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening and half of the confectioners' sugar until fluffy.  The mixture may appear crumbly at first, but it will come together.  Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Once fluffy, add the chocolate mixture and beat until smooth.  Scrape the sides of the bowl then add the remaining confectioners' sugar and beat again until the filling is fluffy and spreadable.  You may need to add just a teaspoon or two of heavy cream to adjust the consistency.

[Note - you probably want to wait and make the icing after you cut and fill the cakes as it will set up fairly quickly once made] To Make the Icing: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, corn syrup, vanilla and ice cream.  Following the same instructions as above, microwave until the cream is hot and the chips have softened.  Stir the mixture until the chips are fully melted, reheating if necessary.  Add the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.

To Assemble: Turn the completely cooled cake out of the pan.  With a long end facing you, cut the cake in half, to form two 9 x 6 1/2-inch rectangles.  Use a long serrated knife to slice through the middle of each rectangle completely so you have a top and bottom half. 

Spread half of the filling on each bottom rectangle of cake.  Use a spatula or your fingers (which I found easier) to spread the filling to the edges of the rectangle.  Place the top halves back on the filling to form two chocolate-filled 9 x 6 1/2-inch rectangles. 

Spread half of the icing over the top of each rectangle using an offset spatula.  Working with one cake at a time, make two vertical slices and two horizontal slices to yield nine 2x3-inch snack cakes.  Repeat with the remaining cake.  Traditionally, Choco-Bliss had a grooved top so if you'd like to re-create that look, simply dip a fork in hot water and run the tines through the icing. 

To store the cakes, allow the icing to set then wrap each in plastic wrap individually.  The cakes can also be frozen if well-wrapped.

Cranberry-Honey Spice Pinwheel Cookies

Apologies to my SMS friends, especially our host this week - Jennifer of Maple N' Cornbread, who selected butterscotch pudding.  I learned we aren't fans of butterscotch pudding when I made it for Tuesdays with Dorie and I didn't want to have to throw it away again.  I'll be back next week for sure but in the meantime you can stop by the SMS blogroll to see how everyone else fared with the pudding. 



I still wanted to share something today, though, and I decided on these wonderful cookies I made to ship to my Secret Baker recipient this month.  We select a theme each month, and for January it was healthy treats, which we figured everyone would be more than ready for after the holidays.  I went a bit overboard on buying cranberries this year so I had plenty in my freezer and knew I wanted to include them in what I made.  I came upon these cookies on EatingWell.com and decided to make them almost immediately! 



You start by making the filling for the cookies, which includes both fresh and dried cranberries - tart and colorful, honey - sweet and floral, and orange zest, cinnamon and cardamom - wonderfully spicy and fragrant.  The smell of the filling as it cooked on the stove was easily one of my favorite scents ever.  I'd gladly buy it if someone were to bottle it or turn it into a candle!  After it cooks, you puree the mixture and the next time I make these I'll be sure to puree mine a bit more than I did this time.  I still had small bits of cranberries which made cutting the dough difficult and caused the cookies to look a bit messy after they were baked.



The cookie dough comes together easily and after a brief chill, you roll it out, spread it with the cranberry filling and roll the dough around the filling.  The key to this whole process is keeping the dough cold as it will get more sticky and soft as it warms.  The recipe suggests enclosing the wrapped rolls of cookie dough in the cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls before freezing them in order to ensure uniformly round cookies.  I tried it, but still struggled with achieving round cookies.  The dough got warm very quickly so in conjunction with pureeing the filling more next time, I'd also pop the dough into the freezer more often to keep it cold as I cut it.  I think those two changes would lead to better results in terms of appearance of the cookies.



As for the taste, I think my Secret Baker recipient, Margot, described them best when she told me they were "curiously addictive."  I agree completely!  They're sweet and spicy, tender and chewy, and all too easy to pop into your mouth one after the other!  The recipe is a bit time consuming, but it makes a ton of cookies and since the rolls of dough can sit in the freezer, you can make them ahead of time and just slice and bake the cookies as you need them.  They'd be wonderful around the holidays but I won't limit myself to those few months, especially since I've still got plenty of cranberries in my freezer!

Cranberry-Honey Spice Pinwheel Cookies
from EatingWell.com

Filling
1 1/2 cups sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (allspice can be substituted for the cardamom)

Dough
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (allspice can be substituted for the cardamom)
 1/3 cup canola oil
3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons low-fat milk, plus more as needed
2 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

To make the filling: Combine the dried and fresh cranberries, honey, orange zest, cinnamon and cardamom (or allspice) in a medium nonreactive saucepan (aluminum and cast iron are examples of reactive saucepans - if you use them here they may impart off color and/or off flavor to the filling) over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook, stirring, until the fresh cranberries burst and soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool slightly then transfer to a food processor and puree.  You can add up to 2 teaspoons of water to the mixture if it seems dry.  Cover and refrigerate the filling until you are ready to use it.  It can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.

To make the dough: Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom (or allspice) in a large bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oil, butter, sugar, honey, eggs, milk, orange zest, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat first on low speed, then on medium speed, until well combined. Add the dry ingredients, in 2 additions, and beat on low speed until just incorporated.  You can add up to 1 tablespoon of milk to the dough if it is too dry to hold together.  (I didn't find I needed any extra milk for my dough.)  Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 30 to 45 minutes to reduce its stickiness.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide it in half. Shape each half into a 6-inch-long log. Working with one log at a time, center it on a 16-inch-long sheet of parchment or wax paper.  Cover with a second sheet of parchment or wax paper.  Press and then roll into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle of even thickness, inverting the dough occasionally to roll out any wrinkles and patching it to make the sides as even as possible. Transfer the dough, still in the paper, to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining log of dough and transfer to the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the rectangles of dough are slightly firm, about 15-20 minutes.

To shape the cookies: Place one rectangle of dough on a work surface. Peel off the top sheet of parchment or wax paper.  Spread half of the reserved cranberry filling evenly over the dough - it will be a thin layer of filling.  Starting with a long end facing you, tightly roll the dough around the filling, leaving the bottom sheet of parchment or wax paper behind.  Wrap the roll in a clean sheet of wax paper, twisting the ends to prevent unrolling.  Place the roll on a baking sheet. Repeat with the second rectangle of dough and place on the baking sheet.  Freeze until firm, at least 3 to 4 hours, and up to 2 months.

To bake the cookies: Position racks in the upper third and center of the oven; preheat to 350 F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one pinwheel roll at a time, trim the uneven ends. Cut the roll crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices using a large serrated knife; periodically turning the roll to maintain a relatively round cookie shape. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Bake the cookies until puffed and barely golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes, rotating the pans back to front and top to middle halfway through baking. Immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cut and bake the remaining pinwheel roll, if desired.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a week or frozen for up to 1 month.

King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Brownies

Happy Friday!  I was thinking we should celebrate the end of another week with brownies, but not just any brownies -  these are whole grain brownies!  The folks at King Arthur Flour piqued my interest in this recipe when they tweeted about it many months ago but I only recently got around to giving it a shot.  I'm not above trying to make my baked goods just a tad bit healthier (see exhibit 1) and I was hopeful that these brownies might satisfy my chocolate craving and also make me feel good about incorporating more whole grains into my diet, even if they were part of the dessert course.



In the world of brownies there are those on the fudgy side and those on the cakey side.  My personal preference, and I think I may be in the minority on this one, is for cakey brownies, and not the gooey fudgy ones.  So, I was excited when I tried my first bite and discovered that these brownies were definitely more on the cakey side.  They're very good - lots of rich chocolate flavor and a texture that didn't immediately scream "there are whole grains hiding in here" to me.  Generally, I've found that I can use white whole wheat flour in my baking with good results and these brownies were no exception.  I sent these to Margot of Effort to Deliciousness as part of her Secret Baker package and she let me know that she enjoyed them too!  I'll definitely make these again - maybe next time with mint chips instead of chocolate chips - yum! 

I've shared the recipe below but King Arthur Flour also has a blog post about these brownies which can be found here.

Whole Grain Brownies
from King Arthur Flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray a 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray and, if desired, line the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil leaving an overhang on opposing sides for easy removal after baking.  I like to spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray too just to make sure the brownies release.  

Add the butter to a saucepan set over low heat and melt it.  Remove the pan from the heat, add the brown sugar and stir to combine.  Return the pan to the heat (still on low) until the butter/sugar mixture is hot (about 110 F to 120 F) but not bubbling.  If the mixture separates, stir briefly to recombine.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl then add the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder and vanilla.  Add the eggs one at a time, stirring to incorporate after each addition.  Finally, add the flour and chocolate chips and mix to combine.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.  Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center reveals wet crumbs, but not raw batter, and the edges are set.  Move the pan to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Once cool, cover and let sit overnight before cutting.  This rest allows the bran to absorb moisture and soften, leading to both better flavor and texture.

Homemade Croissants - Step by Step Instructions w/Photos So You Can Do it Too!

Homemade croissants - the sort of treat I never would have envisioned making in my kitchen a few years ago but now I can say I've done it!!  And oddly, now that I've made them, I find myself wondering why I didn't do it sooner.  These croissants are perfection - buttery, flaky, just a bit crisp on the outside but yielding to a wonderfully soft interior.  The only thing that could improve them would be chocolate and that is next up on the list! 



I actually made these last week while house sitting for my in-laws because they have lots of wonderful, uncluttered, usable counter space.  My kitchen is fairly large, but doesn't have much counter space, so a project like this would be a bit challenging (especially since I don't always work neatly).  This recipe is long and there are a lot of steps, but I promise it's really not very difficult if you take your time and read the instructions carefully.  The end result is SO worth the effort.  I've never made a laminated dough before so I have no basis for comparison, but this dough was wonderful to work with - very silky and smooth and it rolled out beautifully.  The only thing I found challenging about the recipe was trying to pound 3 and a half sticks of butter into an 8-inch square.  Eventually, it did cooperate somewhat (you'll see in the pictures that my square is far from perfect) - I found that once I got going and the butter became malleable it got easier, so don't be too frustrated if it seems impossible at first.



The recipe in the book included many wonderful photos, which really helped me along the way.  I tend to doubt myself when I try something this intimidating for the first time and I found the photos reassuring.  In an effort to help anyone else who might want to try making croissants at home, I tried to take lots of process photos, which I don't normally do.  Many of the photos were taken at night and styling wasn't a concern so much as keeping flour and butter out of my camera but hopefully they'll help clear up any written instructions which are confusing.  I've also included my notes in green where applicable.  By no means am I an expert, but if you want to attempt the recipe and still have questions after reading this post, feel free to ask away in the comments or email me at traceysculinaryadventures@gmail.com and I'll do my best to help!



Croissant Dough
from Baking, by James Peterson

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup barely warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups cold unsalted butter (3 1/2 sticks)

In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour with the water and yeast just until the lumps of flour are broken up.  Set the bowl aside and let rise for 1 hour.  (I couldn't see a noticeable rise in mine after an hour but there were bubbles all over the surface.)

Add the remaining flour, the cream and salt and knead the mixture for 1 minute.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

Knead the mixture by hand for 10 minutes or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (on low speed) for about 20 minutes.  The dough should be smooth and elastic by the time you finish kneading.  (I kneaded mine with the mixer and it was a breeze.  I did give the mixer a brief 2 minute rest after 10 minutes out of an abundance of caution to make sure it didn't overheat, but the motor never got very warm so it probably wasn't necessary.  The dough is silky and smooth and just gorgeous after it's been kneaded.)  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place the butter between two sheets of plastic wrap and using a rolling pin, pound the butter into an 8-inch square.  


Remove the dough from the refrigerator and on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a 9 x 17-inch rectangle.  Place the square of butter on the bottom half of the rectangle.  You can use your hands to align the dough and the sides of the butter square.


Fold the top half of the rectangle of dough down over the bottom half so the square of butter is now enclosed.  Press together the edges of the square to seal in the butter.  Use your hands to even out the square.  (You can see my butter peeking out here if you look closely on the side - I hadn't yet sealed it in.)


Gently pound the square with a rolling pin to stretch the dough and the butter in it.  Roll the dough into a 9 x 18-inch rectangle.  Next, you want to fold the rectangle into thirds like a letter - start with a narrow end facing you.  I began by folding the bottom third up.


Then folded the top third down...  You've now completed one "turn!"


Turn the dough so the single fold (like the spine of a book) is on your left. 


You're now ready to start the second turn.  Repeat the process shown above of rolling the dough into a 9 x 18-inch rectangle, then folding the rectangle into thirds by bringing the bottom up and the top down over it.  Use your fingers to make two imprints on the dough to keep track of the fact that you've completed two turns.


Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Once the dough has been refrigerated, remove it and complete two more "turns" - for a total of four turns in all.  At this point, the dough is ready to be rolled out and used.  Alternatively, you can wrap in plastic and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before you shape and proof (in fact, the recipe notes that 12-24 hours in the fridge before proofing improves the flavor of the dough).

Before you begin to shape the dough, line two large baking sheets with parchment.  Also, make sure you have a ruler handy.  Cut the dough in half.  (I took a photo of the dough at this point because I was amazed by all of the layers you could see!)


On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of the dough into a 6 1/2 x 20-inch rectangle.  (You can trim the edges of the dough if they're ragged or really uneven.)  The dough will be about 1/8 - 1/4-inch thick and look something like this:


Transfer each large rectangle onto one of the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.  You want the dough firm, but not brittle.

When the first rectangle is ready to work with, transfer it back to your work surface with one of the long ends facing you.  The next step is to cut the triangles from the dough that will be formed into individual croissants.  Starting on the left side of the bottom edge of the rectangle, measure 5 inches from the end and make a tiny notch to mark the base of the first triangle.  Measure another 5 inches from that notch and make a second notch to mark the base of the second triangle.  Finally, repeat one more time - measure another 5 inches and make a notch.  You should now have marked off four 5-inch sections.  (Sorry, looks like I didn't get a picture until I had cut the triangles.  I actually think it might be easier to skip ahead and look at that photo to get an idea of the finished product before you read through the next two paragraphs.  It sounds a lot more difficult than it is and knowing what the end result looks like gives the written instructions context.)

Turn the rectangle 180 degrees so the opposite long side (the one that hasn't been notched) is facing you.  Starting on the left side, make a notch 2 1/2 inches from the end.  Measure 5 inches from the first notch and make a second notch.  Measure another 5 inches from the second notch, make a third notch and finally, measure 5 inches from the third notch and make your final notch.  This second side of the triangle should now be marked into 5 sections - the 2 sections at the ends will each be 2 1/2 long and the ones in the middle 5 inches long.

You're ready to cut the triangles which will form the croissants now.  Leave the rectangle as is - so the second side you notched is closest to you.  The notches on the far side are for the bases of the triangles and the notches on the near side form the tips of the triangles.  Use a large knife to cut the triangles by connecting the notches on the near and far sides.  You should end up with 6 full triangles, each 5 by 6 1/2-inches, as well as some trimmings on the ends.  I took this photo just after I'd cut the triangles.  (I followed the process exactly as outlined above so you can work backward from this photo if you're at all confused.  )


Repeat the process above with your second rectangle so you have a total of 12 triangles.  Make a small slit in the base of the center of each triangle.


Begin to roll the triangles to form the croissants by curling the two sides of the triangle on each side of the slit away from each other.  You want to roll tightly.


Using both hands, continue to roll the base of the triangle - one hand working with the dough on each side of the slit.  Point your hands away from each other - at about 45 degree angles from center - as you roll.  Rolling in this manner will help make the classic croissant shape.  (If I'd had a second person, I'd have taken a shot with my hands actually on the dough but I think you get the idea.)


Roll each triangle so the tip is underneath and then bend the 2 ends toward each other to form a shape like a little crab.  Hopefully you can see 3 distinct layers as the dough curls to form the croissant.  Arrange the croissants on a sheet pan and cover them with plastic wrap to proof.


You have several options for proofing: overnight in the fridge, ~3 hours in a cool place or ~1 hour in a warm place.  The book indicates that overnight proofing is best because the croissants develop more flavor thanks to the slow rising time.  (I proofed mine overnight in the fridge and then took them out in the morning  and let them sit at room temperature for a few hours before baking.) 


(I didn't notice a huge difference in the size of my croissants after they'd proofed.  They looked slightly more puffy so I baked them and luckily it all worked out.  If you compare the photos directly above and below this paragraph to the one showing the croissants from the night before you may be able to discern a slight difference in size too.)


Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Adjust your oven racks so one is in the top third and one is in the bottom third of the oven.  Combine 1 egg with a splash of cream to form an egg wash and brush the proofed croissants.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the croissants are puffed and golden brown.  Remove them to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before serving.