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My friend and QVC on-air guest for Authentic Gourmet (and other favorite foodie brands), Richard Lyntton, recently spent time in Paris at a Patisserie School, learning to make homemade croissants! I asked him if he could share a favorite recipe or two with us that he learned in his classes! I’ll admit, this may not be the easiest recipe I’ve ever seen, but just imagine the fun you could have making homemade croissants! And if not, there’s always the amazingly delicious Authentic Gourmet Croissants See Richard’s Facebook page for more fun from his Paris travels!  

Croissants of la cuisine Paris

Ingredients:

(Starting Dough)
8.8oz bread flour
1 tsp / 0.17oz salt
1.23oz sugar
0.35oz fresh yeast (0.17oz instant yeast)
4.05 oz warm water
1 TBsp/0.88oz melted butter

(Butter Block)
4.4oz unsalted butter

(Eggwash)
1 whole egg

(Garnish):
Chocolate Sticks or
Chocolate Chips or
Pearl Sugar or
Raisins, Cinnamon

(Sugar syrup):
3.38 oz water
1.76 oz sugar

Instructions:

1.Take a flight to Pareee!

2. Sample croissants in local café and decide to make some for yourself!

3. Go to la cuisine Paris, a local cooking school on the banks of River Seine opposite Notre Dame Cathedral. 

4. Starting dough: start by making a “fountain” with the flour on the worktop, then combine the ingredient in the fountain. Knead the dough until elastic, create a ball, then wrap in plastic film and refrigerate. The dough should sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours before the lamination stage.

5. Prepare the Butter Block: Using a rolling pin and parchment paper, pound 4.23 oz butter into a thin rectangle. Refrigerate until cold and firm.

6. Lamination: Roll out the dough into a rectangle. Place the butter block on the bottom two-thirds and start folding (there should be 5 layers). Roll out and then make a “Double Fold”. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Take the dough out of the fridge, then roll out again into a rectangle and make a “Simple Fold”. Wrap in plastic and leave to rest for another 30 minutes. At this point, dough can be refrigerated for a maximum of 48 hours, or frozen for up to two months (defrost in the refrigerator).

7. Shape Croissants: Roll out the dough into a rectangle. Trim and straighten the edges. Shape the croissants (triangle), the chocolate croissants (rectangles), and the pinwheels/baskets (squares). Place them all onto baking trays. Brush with the egg wash. Shaped croissants can be frozen for up to 2 months to be baked later (defrost in refrigerator).

8. Rising: Leave the shaped croissants on trays at room temperature for 2-3 hours until they look and feel puffy, and have doubled in size.

9. Baking: Preheat the oven at 395 degrees. Place the croissants into the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes until golden in color, including the creases. Create steam by spraying water into the oven occasionally. Prepare the sugar syrup by boiling water and sugar together. Glaze the croissants with sugar syrup as soon as the trays come out of the oven.

Enjoy!!