【Sweet French Croissants】

【Sweet French Croissants】
by MaomaoMom

I made these light and fluffy layered croissants for my son’s French class. They are crunchy outside and sweet inside that both my son and his classmates loved them.

Meal type: Appetizer, dessert
Prepare time: 60 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Stand time: 4 hours
Level: Medium
Serves: 24 servings

Ingredients:
Dough:
1) 1 cup + 3 tbsp lukewarm water or milk (285g), 1 tbsp sugar (14g), 1.5 tsp fast rising yeast;
2) 1 tbsp corn or vegetable oil;
3) 2.5 cups unsifted all purpose flour (400g), ¼ cup sugar (55g);
4) ¾ cup + 1 tbsp butter (185g);

Filling:
5) 2 tbsp butter (30g), 3 tbsp all purpose flour, 1.5 tbsp condensed milk, 4.5 tbsp icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract .

Directions:
1: Measure all ingredients of Ingredient 3) into a bowl and mix well (Picture 1, right), Measure all ingredients of Ingredient 1) into a measuring cup or a container, combine and let stand for 10 minutes (Picture 1, left). Add 1 tbsp oil into the yeast mixture, mix well then pour into the flour bowl. Knead a few times to make a soft dough (Picture 2) but don’t over knead.

2: Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume (Picture 3). Chill the dough in a fridge for 20 minutes. Take out the dough and shape into a log on a floured surface. Press down and roll out into a 30×60 cm rectangle.

3: Thinly slice the butter of Ingredient 4) and set aside under room temperature for 30 minutes. Lay them over two-thirds of the dough surface, leaving an unbuttered border about ¼ inch. Fold the unbuttered third towards to centre (Picture 4), then fold the other third to make a 3-layered dough. Turn 90 degrees (Picture 5) and roll out into a 30×60 cm rectangle (Picture 6). Fold again into thirds as before (Picture 7-8). Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.

4: Melt 2 tbsp butter in a microwave oven, then add the rest ingredients of Ingredient 5) (Picture 9). Mix well and set aside (Picture 10).

5: Take out the chilled dough and place on the floured surface. Roll out into a 30×60 cm rectangle and fold into thirds as before. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.

6: Repeat the Step 5 two more times. Then roll out the dough into a 30×60 cm rectangle. Cut the dough horizontally into two halves then cut each half into 12 triangles (Picture 11). Place a portion of filling (about ¾ tsp) near the bottom of the triangle (Picture 12). Gently roll towards the pointed end, stretching it slightly as you roll. Bend the two legs inwards to form a crescent shape (Picture 13). Shape the remaining croissants in the same manner.

7: Arrange them on two parchment paper lined baking sheets (Picture 14). Chill immediately for 30 minutes. Never allow them a final rising, or they will not have the proper flakiness.

8: Preheat oven at 400F/205C. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce to 350F/175C and bake for additional 12-15 minutes until golden.

Tips:
Store leftover croissants in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat at 350F for 5 minutes before serving.

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