Croissant Bread - This is amazing!

Hello Bakers,

How did I not focus on croissant bread sooner? I don’t know . But I am so grateful to one of my baking students for sending me a photo and asking “Chef, how do we make this?”

I had croissant dough in the freezer - soon - I was ready to figure out the shaping. A simple almost
tri fold was the best with an egg wash between the folds. The finished slices held together beautifully.

Here is the tutorial and the half recipe below. It takes about 680-744g of croissant dough to fill a 9”x 5” pan.

This is the perfect project for a less than stellar batch of croissant dough. Please let me know if you try it..

Happy Baking! Colette

Croissant Bread Shaping and Baking Notes

1. Grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan. Make a batch of five star egg wash - 1 egg beaten very well with a pinch of salt and strained.

2. Thaw the croissant dough overnight if frozen.

3. Roll the dough into a 10” x 10” square on a lightly floured surface.

4. Brush surface with egg wash.

5. Fold the over two thirds, egg wash and complete the folds.

6. Proof in a warm place (76-80 degrees) until it rises to the top of the pan.

7. Egg wash the top of loaf.

8. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 for 15 minutes, 325 for 8 minutes. Then turn off the oven and leave the loaf in the oven for 10 minutes. The internal temperature should be 210-211 degrees.
   
   Croissant: Half Recipe
   Equipment: Equipment: Stand mixer, paddle and dough hook, spatula, scale, medium sized bowl, quarter sheet pan. Quart sized ZipLoc Bag or parchment paper
   ruler, dry brush, rolling pin
   Ingredients:
   The Dough:
   170g     Milk
   5g      Instant yeast
   283g     All Purpose flour (King Arthur or Bread Flour)
   22g     Granulated sugar
   3g     Dry milk powder (optional)
   14g    Unsalted butter, softened
   6g    Salt
   

Butter Block
227g Unsalted butter
1. Cut cold butter into sticks and place in a Ziploc bag and tap/roll into an approx. 7 x 7” rectangle and chill.

Mixing the dough

1. In the bowl of the stand mixer combine milk and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add the flour, sugar, butter and salt.

3. Mix for 3 minutes at low/medium-low speed.

4. Move the dough to a buttered bowl, cover and let sit at room temperature for

1 hour, then move to the refrigerator for 2 hours before locking in the butter.

1. Ten minutes before incorporating the butter. Remove the butter block and let it warm up while you roll out the dough.

2. After 2 hours, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a 7”x14” rectangle.

3. Place butter in the center of the dough and bring the dough edges to the center over the butter.

4. Roll the dough out to 7 x 14” and fold into thirds.

5. Wrap and let rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. 

6. After 30 minutes roll out the dough to 7” x 14” and fold into thirds again. Place back in the refrigerator for 40 minutes. 

7. Roll out to a 7” X 14” rectangle and complete the final fold.

 The dough can be wrapped and frozen for up to one month or chilled for 2 hours before shaping. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Spinach, Feta and Sun Dried Tomato Croissants

Hi Everyone,

A few months ago, I teased a spinace, feta and sun dried tomato croissant on Instagram. I promised a tutorial and here it is. The first part of the tutorial is a small batch croissant recipe.

It’s summer and you may not feel like wrestling a large batch of dough - plus the small batch is so cute. It’s perfect for small households. Have fun making these delicious croissants - any questions let me know.

If you would like more details on making croissants - check out my Craftsy class, Classic Croissants, Mdern Techniques.

Here is the recipe:

Equipment: Stand mixer, paddle and dough hook, spatula, scale, medium sized bowl, quarter sheet pan. Quart size ziplock bag or 1/2 sheet of parchment paper, ruler, dry brush, rolling pin.
Croissant: Half Recipe

Yield 8 Croissants
Equipment: Equipment: Stand mixer, paddle and dough hook, spatula, scale, medium sized bowl, quarter sheet pan. Quart sized ZipLoc Bag or parchment paper
ruler, dry brush, rolling pin
Ingredients:
The Dough:
170g     Milk
5g      Instant yeast
283g     All Purpose flour (King Arthur or Bread Flour)
22g     Granulated sugar
3g     Dry milk powder (optional)
14g    Unsalted butter, softened
6g    Salt
Butter Block
227g Unsalted butter
1. Cut cold butter into sticks and place in a Ziploc bag and tap/roll into an approx. 7 x 7” rectangle and chill.
Mixing the dough
1. In the bowl of the stand mixer combine milk and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes
2. Add the flour, sugar, butter and salt.
3. Mix for 3 minutes at low/medium-low speed.
4. Move the dough to a buttered bowl, cover and let sit at room temperature for
1 hour, then move to the refrigerator for 2 hours before locking in the butter.
5. Ten minutes before incorporating the butter. Remove the butter block and let it warm up while you roll out the dough.
6. After 2 hours, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a 7”x 14” rectangle.
7. Place butter in the center of the dough and bring the dough edges to the center over the butter.
8. Roll the dough out to 7 x 14” and fold into thirds.
9. Wrap and let rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. 
10. After 30 minutes roll out the dough to 7” x 14” and fold into thirds again. Place back in the refrigerator for 40 minutes. 
11. Roll out to a 7” X 14” rectangle and complete the final fold.
The dough can be wrapped and frozen for up to one month or chilled for 2 hours before shaping. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

    Spinach, Feta and Sun-dried tomato tapenade croissants

Feta - whole milk, skim or vegan

Spinach - I 10 ounce bag of fresh spinach, sauteed with spinach - can add a little garlic and 

salt and pepper. Cool and squeeze out all the excess moisture in a strainer.

Sundried tomato tapenade: Combine 4 ounces sun dried tomatoes, olive oil in the work bowl of a small food processor and blend until smooth.

Five star egg wash: 1 egg whisked with a pinch of salt until very smooth, strain for extra smoothness.
To shape spinach, feta and sun dried tomato croissants:
1.Roll dough out into a 12” x  12” square - the dough should be 3/16” of an inch thick.
2. Cut 4”x 4” squares.
3. Use 8 squares - cut ¼” strips out of the remaining square.
4. Arrange the squares on the work surface so they look like diamonds.
5. Stripe the right hand side with egg wash.
6. Spread about 1 ½ teaspoons with tapenade.
7. Arrange spinach and feta on top.
8. Fold left side over filling.
9. Fold right side over filling.
10. Tie belt around the center - pinching the ends.
11. Proof until light - may take 1 1 ½ hours.
12. Egg wash and bake at 375 for 30 minutes until they are an all over golden brown and feel relatively light.

Hawaiian Rolls - so Scrumptious and Better than Store Bought!

Hello Bakers!

Recently, I taught the flying sponge technique in the Breads 2 class I teach at Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. It’s a useful technique for rich doughs. In a flying sponge the liquid in the recipe, the yeast and about 1/3rd of the flour is mixed, covered and left to sit for 45 minutes at room temperature so that the yeast can get a head start before the heavier ingredients are added.

It works well for brioche and danish pastry (I regret not using it in my Craftsy, Danish from Scratch Class) But even now that formula could easily be adapted to include a flying sponge.

Hawaiian rolls are perfect for flying sponge. I saw most recipes on the internet did use some form of a sponge. But many were confusing and I wanted to create a straight forward method that would get you baking in no time. Also - I use all pineapple juice so that the sugar is decreased.

The potato flour helps with texture and increases their shelf life. Not to be confused with potato starch - potato flour is made from dehydrated potatoes. It’s available at King Arthur and on Amazon. Stored in the freezer with the rest of your specialty flours, it will last a long time. You can use it in any cinnamon roll or sweet dough formula - use 6% of the total flour amount to increase the softness of the crumb structure.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/search?Product%5Bquery%5D=potato%20flour#Product

I hope you try these - once you make these for family and friends you will be making them all the time. It’s nearly impossible to eat just one. I can’t and I have a lot of self discipline - thanks to my Mom who was a model.

Any questions - lmk - Happy Baking! Colette

Equipment: Mixer, dough hook, dough whisk or wooden spoon, plastic wrap, scale, 13X9" pan. Other pans can be used just make sure not to over crowd them, whisk for egg white glaze.

Sponge
100g Bread Flour
128g Pineapple juice
9g Instant Yeast - Gold is preferable but the Red will work too

Final Dough
53g Brown sugar
100g Whole Eggs
18g Egg Yolk - reserve egg white for glaze.
4g Vanilla
23g Potato Flour (if unavailable substitute 23g of bread flour)
283g Bread Flour
8g Salt
57g Butter, softened

Step 1: Make the flying sponge: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the pineapple juice and yeast, stir to combine and let sit 5 minutes, stir in flour with a dough whisk and wooden spoon.. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes until bubbly.
To make final dough:
Add the, eggs and egg yolk, potato flour, bread flour, sugar and salt to the sponge.
Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed for 2 minutes - add the softened butter increase the speed to medium low mix for 4 minutes until the butter is incorporated and mix for 2 additional minutes until the dough is fully developed.
Place dough in a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size, 60- 90 minutes.
While dough is rising, grease a 9x13” pan.
Scale dough into 12 equal pieces - if scaling each piece will weigh 60g.
Place in pan and let proof until they have lifted about a third of their size and have a marshmallow texture. Can take 60 - 75 minutes depending on the temperature of the kitchen.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Brush with the reserved beaten egg white glaze.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the are a beautiful golden brown.

The finished Hawaiian Rolls

Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

Hello Bakers,

Here is a little Summer fun - I had a hunch that Red Velvet Cinnamon rolls might but fun. But wrangling two important RV ingredients, cocoa and food color - that was a challenge. That’s when I thought about cake mix - and yeah - it worked. I used baking science and math to figure it out. Ingredient function knowledge also helped. Red Velvet for breakfast - give it a try.

Happy Baking! Colette

Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

150g Water (78-80 degrees)
9g Yeast
100g (2 each) Large eggs
4g Vanilla
1 package Red Velvet Cake Mix ( I used Duncan Hines)
250g Bread Flour
75g Unsalted Butter, softened

Combine water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes.
Add eggs, vanilla, cake mix, flour and salt.
Mix on low speed for 4 minutes. (The dough will be soft.
Add softened butter and mix on med-low for 4 minutes.
Scrape the dough out of the mixer bowl and onto a parchment lined sheet pan.(a quarter sheet pan works great). Pat into a rough rectangle.
Cover with plastic wrap and let bulk ferment for 45 minutes. Then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. The dough is very soft and is easier to shape when chilled.
Shaping: On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough out into an 8-9” x 12” rectangle.
Mark a line ½” from the top of the long top edge. Spread the softened butter on the surface of the dough to the line. Cover with sugar and cinnamon.
Starting at the long bottom edge, roll up the dough jelly roll style, not to tight not too loose.
Cut in 1 ½ slices with a piece of kitchen twine or dental floss.
Place in a well greased cake pan.
Proof, covered for until about ¾ risen - they expand out not up. There should be no gaps between the filling and the dough. It can take up to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for approx. 30 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls spring back and test clean with a cake tester. Unmold while it is still warm. Ice while still warm.

Filling:

85g Unsalted butter, softened
85g Brown sugar
3g Cinnamon

Soften butter with a spreadable consistency.
Combine brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined.

Cream Cheese Icing
90g Cream Cheese, softened
32g Unsalted butter
180g powdered sugar
4g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
25g milk
1g (¼ teaspoon) salt

Cream the butter and cream cheese together with the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes on medium speed until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt.
Adjust the consistency with the milk.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.