Wednesday, March 28, 2012

I LOVE CROISSANTS

Croissant

Romeo & Juliet Croissant

A croissant is a buttery flaky pastry named for its distinctive crescent shape. It is also sometimes called a crescent from the French word for "crescent". Croissants are made of a leavened variant of puff pastry. The yeast dough is layered with pastry margarine or butter, rolled and folded 3 to 4 times in succession, then rolled into a sheet, a technique called laminating.

This innovation, along with the croissant's versatility and distinctive shape, has made it the best-known type of French pastry in much of the world. Today, the croissant remains popular in a continental breakfast.

Ingredients (16 pieces)
(Recipe source from Alex Goh Cookbook)

(A)210gm bread flour
40gm plain flour
30gm sugar
1 tsp salt
15gm milk powder
2 tsp instant yeast

(B)180ml water ( I use 150ml )

(C) 45gm butter

(D) 120gm pastry margarine

1. Mix (A) till well blended, add (B) and knead to form a dough.
2. Add (C) and knead to form a smooth dough. Cover with damp cloth or plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.(I USED MY BREADMAKER TO DO THE JOB. AFTER KNEAD CYCLE TAKE OUT THE DOUGH PUT IN PLASTIC MIXING BOWL COVER WITH CLING WRAP AND CHILL IN THE FRIDGE FOR 1 HOUR.)
3. Wrap (D) with plastic sheet and roll it out. Then take the dough out from the fridge and roll into a rectangular shape. Roll about 10mm thickness.
4. Place (D) on the bottom half of the dough and fold it up.
5. Then fold the bottom third up to the middle and the top third down to the middle. Turn the dough 90 deg and roll the dough into a rectangular shape and REPEAT one more time. Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for 20 mins.
6. Take out the dough and repeat step 5, cover the dough and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
7. Take out the dough, divide into 3 or 4 parts. Roll the dough to 5mm thick, cut it crossways into equal triangles (W 13cm x H 17cm)then cut opening wide end to make a V shape. Roll them up to form crescent.
8. Place on grease tray, cover and let it prove for 45 mins
9. Brush with egg wash and bake at 190 deg for 15 mins.
10. Serve hot with any filling of your choice.
Taste good with sausage, scrambles eggs or sardine and extra garnishing eg. slice cucumber, tomato, lettuce, etc..

Chubby Croissant with tuna filling.

Tuna Filling
Ingredients

1 can tuna with mayonnaise
1 big onion ( chopped )
2 to 3 chili ( chopped finely )
1 tomato ( cut cube )
1 tsp sugar
Pepper to taste ( I used 1/4tsp)
2 tsp vinegar or 2 pieces calamondin (limau kasturi)

Marinate chopped onion with a pinch of salt for 10 mins.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Cut calamondin into half and squeeze the juice, add into the tuna.
Chilled well in the fridge before serve.

NOTE: The following link is the step of folding and rolling croissant fromTheFreshLoaf

Have a nice week ahead  to all my dear friends. Enjoy!