Croissants

They're a classic for a reason. Croissants are flakey puffs of buttery bliss. This makes them, perhaps, not the best idea for breakfast-every-day, but as a special treat they are special indeed. Here's the other thing. Croissants aren't nearly as hard to make as they're often made out to be. They just take time. Lots and lots of time. Also butter. Lots and lots and lots of butter.

In picking a recipe for these croissants, I decided to consult the expert, and so I turned to one of Julia's cookbooks: From Julia Child's Kitchen. Generally, I find, when reading Julia's work, that it is hugely helpful to imagine her voice boisterously and jubilantly speaking each word. Try it sometime. You'll have more fun.

As I know quite little about French pastry preparation, I followed Julia's advice more-or-less to the letter, and the results did not disappoint. So, take a Saturday, or a Sunday, or a few days, actually (there are several points in the recipe where the dough can rest overnight), and give these a shot. You'll be pleased.

Breakfast, anybody?

Croissants (makes a half dozen)

Ingredients
-5/8 tsp. yeast
-4 1/2 tsp. lukewarm water
-1 tsp sugar
-1/4 lb all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/3 cup lukewarm milk
-1 TB canola oil
-2-3 1/2 oz chilled butter (if unsalted, up salt to 3/4 tsp)

Procedure (approx. amount of time required)

Yeast mix, oil and milk mix, and dry mix.

1) The Mixing (5-7 minutes): Mix the yeast, water, and sugar together in a small bowl and let it liquify. This will take a few minutes. Meanwhile, weigh the flour and measure it, along with the salt, into a large bowl. Microwave the milk very, very briefly so that it comes to lukewarm/light side of warm. Mix the oil into it, if you'd like. Then, mix both the milk/oil milk and the yeast mix into the flour, blending thoroughly. I used a rubber spatula for this; a wooden spoon would also work.

Mixed dough

Dough mid-knead

2) The Kneading (5-7 minutes): Dump the dough onto a lightly-floured surface and let it rest for a couple minutes. You can use this time to wash the mixing bowl (you'll use it as a rising bowl soon). To knead the dough, pick up the edge with a spatula and flip the whole piece of dough over to the other ride. Do this about 8-10 times until the dough feels smooth and pulls back into shape a bit when tugged out. Don't do much more than this, or you'll over-activate the gluten and end up with tough dough later! Scoop the dough into the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Let it rise at a room temperature of no more than 75°F.

Rising dough--2nd rise

3) The Rises (5+ hours or overnight): These croissants get two rises. The first rise should last at least 3 hours, and the dough should, supposedly, triple in size. I'll be honest in saying that my dough sat for 3.5 hours and didn't much more than double, but if you can get yours to triple, excellent! After the first rise, turn the dough onto the work surface and pat it into a 6 inch longish rectangle. Then, fold it in three like a business letter--says Julia. Let it rise at about 75°F for 1.5-2 hours, until it has doubled in volume. Chill for half an hour. If you'd like, you can stick it in the fridge overnight. Just make sure to stick a heavy plate on top of the dough so that it doesn't rise too, too fast.

4) The Turns (3+ hours): So, this is where the butter enters the bread. There's a range of butter that one can use, but the more you use, the flakier the croissant. I went all out this time and used a full stick--the maximum Julia recommends--for my half dozen pastries. You want the butter cold but spreadable, and the best way to achieve this is to mush it around with your hand, squishing it down and scooping it up and squishing down again a few times.

Smooshing butter!

Once the butter's ready, roll the dough gently into a 7x4 inch (ish) rectangle.

Butter and dough, side by side. Yes, it's that kinda ratio

 Spread the butter as evenly as possible over 2/3 of the dough, leaving a little quarter inch border all the way around. Again, hands are the best way to go here.

Buttered dough

For turn number one, fold like a business letter again, first bringing the unbuttered 1/3 up to the middle and then folding the top down over it. Lightly flour the dough and rotate it so the top flap is on your right, like a book. Roll it into a 5x8 inch (or larger) rectangle and fold into 3 once again.

Dough after the second turn, folded business-letter style

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes, topping with a heavy plate to prevent rising. Complete two more turns (for a total of four) as in the second turn and then allow to chill for at least two hours. This is another good opportunity to leave it in the fridge overnight.

1/3 of the dough. The beginnings of two croissants!

5) The Forming (10-20 minutes): Roll the dough into a 15x5 inch rectangle and then cut crosswise into three pieces. Chill two of the three pieces and roll the last into a 5 inch square. Cut it diagonally in half, forming two triangles. Gently tug on the ends of one triangle, lengthening it to around 7 inches and expanding the base by an inch or so. Then roll it up from base to point and tug the two ends in a bit to form a crescent shape. Repeat for the other triangle, and then repeat the whole process for the two chilled pieces. You'll be left with 6 adorable little puffs.

Four completed croissants and two to go!

 6) The Final Rise and Baking (2+ hours): Place the formed croissants on a baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel. Allow to rise at about 75°F until almost triple in size and quite puffy. At some point during the rise, depending on how quickly your oven heats, set it for 475°F. If you'd like, you can paint the croissants with a bit of egg glaze. Place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and 12-15 minutes, until puffy and golden. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.