There are things in life that I secretly long to do, but I'm just not bold enough to do on my own. But I'll do them if I have a friend call me up and say, "I'm longing to do this. Will you do it with me?" All I need is a little hand-holding and encouragement and I can pretend to be fearless.That's how this month's Bread Baking Babes assignment felt to me. Croissant! Me make croissant? Are you crazy? That's something that you go buy. You can't really make croissant.....can you?
Katie, of Thyme for Cooking, our fearless host kitchen of the month gave us this assignment. With the encouragement of the other Babes (and the looming posting deadline), I put on my apron, got my unsalted butter out of the freezer, and gave it a go. I chose to divide the task into two days and that made it easier. The only truly tricky part is leaving yourself a day in which you babysit the dough - refrigerate, take out and roll, turn, repeat. Three times. But other than that, it's just baby steps.I also made a couple of them as Pain au Chocolate. They were so good they disappeared before they could even have their pictures taken! (Trader Joe's carries chocolate batons, in case you want to try them.)
My family got so excited that I'd made croissants that I felt like a kitchen super-hero for the day. Now I want to try different recipes to see if I can nail down the perfect croissant. Hmmm, any volunteers for taste testers nearby?
The recipe for the croissants is on Katie's site. Be sure and check out the tasty creations from the other Babes (addresses in the sidebar). And if you'd like to try your hand at croissant making and post about it by Feb. 2, 2009, send the link to Katie and she'll send you the highly coveted Baking Buddy badge to proudly display on your site.
Your croissants look lovely! Good to know about the chocolate at Trader Joe's. I am sure your family will be very happy to continue taste testing for all the other recipes you may try.
ReplyDeleteIt is easier jumping off the cliff when all the Babes join in isn't it.
ReplyDeleteI suggest trying the recipe in Fine Cooking Mag (Jan-Feb 2009 I believe).
One of the things I really loved about this recipe was the shorter length, thicker width and two strips that created smaller than what I would call standard. I feel like I can have two or three then ;) (fool I am) My only saving grace was going for a 20 minute walk between the three folds.
I'd rush over but I really believe your family will be more than happy to continue taste testing.
ReplyDeleteAnother batch of fantastic looking croissants! Whatever flavour you make, I bet you'll have volonteers at your door to eat them!
ReplyDeleteI'm not nearby, but I'll gladly make the effort to go over there and try them out for you!
ReplyDeleteSam totally wolfed his down, and kept eyeing mine and asking "are you going to eat that?". They were very nummy. Thanks for sharing the five million cals. I'm sure my butt really needed them ;-) Good thing we have a work out date tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI want to be your taste tester!
ReplyDeleteThey look divine, I want one so bad.. plus a nice cup of coffee to go with them.
(and by one - I mean lots, I want lots)
Those look wonderful compared to the greasy pucks I ended up with!!
ReplyDeleteBravo! Yes, wear superhero kitchen badge as long as you want! They turned out perfect!
ReplyDeleteThey do look wonderful Lynn! I know what you mean by croissants being scary to bake. The first time I made them I was so tense about it, I got a bad neck ache. I needed to lighten up about them! Baby steps is an excellent approach and over 2 days.
ReplyDeleteThe second time I made them in Richard Bertinet's classes. His method was so easy. We did them over 4 hours. They were very nice too. We used the same laminated dough to make some beautiful danish pastries.
I would gladly come by jet plane to bake and eat croissants with you.
Lynn, they look PERFECT. Well done. Your mornings must be better with one of these with your coffee!
ReplyDeletewow! i have never made croissants, but yours look like they were done by a professional! they're so light and golden! i'm amazed!!
ReplyDeleteLynn, your croissants look fantastic! See, we all jumped in the deep end together and look what we all got?! OK, butter batwings but then kneading out the dough will take care of that!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, they look pretty perfect to me!
ReplyDeleteMy address is....
they do look perfect! I just want to grab one to stuff into my mouth straight away!
ReplyDeleteAmazing job here! They look so flaky and divine!
ReplyDeletePerfect.
ReplyDeleteDelicious and professional! You go, seems like a daunting task to me!
ReplyDeleteGorgious, so flaky...
ReplyDeleteCan I be testpanel by mail , please?
Fantastic texture to your croissants, Lynn - they look a darn sight better than most shop-bought ones. If you ever need a taster, please sign me up!
ReplyDeleteThis is a badge I am going to earn for sure. It has been my dream to make these and this recipe actually does not scare me. Can't wait for Saturday to start.
ReplyDeleteI would so be your taste tester, Lynn! Especially this morning as I haven't had breakfast yet and my stomach is yelling for a gorgeous, freshly baked croissant. :)
ReplyDeleteOh wow those look amazing!! Croissants are something I've wanted to make forever but have been scared. Reading your post has helped push me to try making them though.
ReplyDeleteLook at that last picture - that is a perfect croissant.
ReplyDeleteThe first, (and only) time I made croissants was for the Daring Bakers. They were fabulous, but time consuming as you know. I should really give it another try.
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