Subj : NYT Most Requested - 35b
To   : All
From : Dave Drum
Date : Sat Oct 12 2024 05:04 pm

35b
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

     Title: Croissants Part 2
Categories: Breads
     Yield: 8 Servings


 You're going to enclose the butter block in the dough and roll them
 out together. To ensure they do so evenly, they should have the same
 firmness, with the dough being slightly colder than the butter. The
 butter should be chilled but able to bend without breaking. If it
 feels stiff or brittle, let sit at room temperature for a few
 minutes. Unwrap the butter just so the top is exposed, then use the
 parchment paper to carefully invert the block in the center of the
 dough rectangle, ensuring all sides are parallel. Press the butter
 gently into the dough and peel off the parchment paper. You should
 have a block of butter with overhanging dough on two opposite sides
 and a thin border of dough along the other two.

 Grasp the overhanging dough on one side and bring it over the butter
 toward the center, then repeat with the other side of the dough,
 enclosing the butter. You don’t need the dough to overlap, but you
 want the two sides to meet, so stretch it if necessary, and pinch the
 dough together along all seams so no butter peeks out anywhere. Lift
 the whole block and dust a bit of flour underneath, then rotate the
 dough 90 degrees, so the center seam is oriented vertically.
 Orient the rolling pin perpendicular to the seam and lightly beat the
 dough all along the surface to lengthen and flatten. Roll out the
 dough lengthwise along the seam into a 24" long, 1/4" thick narrow
 slab, lightly dusting underneath and over top with more flour as
 needed to prevent sticking. Rather than applying pressure downward,
 try to push the dough toward and away from you with the pin, which
 will help maintain even layers of dough and butter. Remember to
 periodically lift the dough and make sure it's not sticking to the
 surface, and try your best to maintain straight, parallel sides.
 (It's OK if the shorter sides round a bit - you're going to trim
 them.)

 Use a wheel cutter or long, sharp knife to trim the shorter ends,
 removing excess dough where the butter doesn't fully extend and
 squaring off the corners for a very straight-edged, even rectangle of
 dough. Maintaining the rectangular shape, especially at this stage,
 will lead to the most consistent and even lamination. If at any point
 in the process you see air bubbles in the dough while rolling, pierce
 them with a cake tester or the tip of a paring knife to deflate and
 proceed.

 Dust any flour off the dough's surface. Grasp the short toward the
 midline of the dough slab, aligning the sides. Press gently so the
 dough adheres to itself. Repeat with the other side of the dough,
 leaving an 1/8" gap where the ends meet in the middle. Now, fold the
 entire slab in half crosswise along the gap in the center. You should
 now have a rectangular packet of dough, called a "book," that’s four
 layers thick. This is a "double turn," and it has now quadrupled the
 number of layers of butter inside the dough.

 Wrap the book tightly in the reserved plastic. If it is thicker than
 about 1 1/2", or if it's lost some of its rectangularity, roll over
 the plastic-wrapped dough to flatten it and reshape it. Freeze the
 book for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
 Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Unwrap and
 place on a lightly floured surface. Beat the dough and roll out as
 before (Step 10) into another long, narrow 3/8" thick slab. It should
 be nice and relaxed, and extend easily. Dust off any excess flour.
 Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, bringing the top third of the
 slab down and over the center third, then the bottom third up and
 over. This is a "simple turn," tripling the layers. Press gently so
 the layers adhere. Wrap tightly in plastic again and freeze for 15
 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

 Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes, then unwrap
 and place on a lightly floured surface. Beat the dough and roll out as
 before, but into a 14" by 17" slab (15" by 16" for pain au chocolat or
 ham and cheese croissants). The dough will start to spring back, but
 try to get it as close to those dimensions as possible. Brush off any
 excess flour, wrap tightly in plastic, and slide onto a baking sheet
 or cutting board. Freeze for 20 minutes, then chill overnight (8 to
 12 hours). If making pain au chocolat or ham and cheese croissants,
 see recipes.

 Four and a half hours before serving, arrange racks in the upper and
 lower thirds of the oven. Bring a skillet of water to a simmer over
 medium-high heat. Transfer the skillet to the floor of the oven and
 close the door. (The steam released inside the oven will create an
 ideal proofing environment.)

 As the steam releases in the oven, line two rimmed baking sheets with
 parchment paper and set aside. Let the dough sit at room temperature
 for about 5 minutes. Unwrap (save the plastic for proofing), place on
 a very lightly floured surface, and, if necessary, roll out to 17" by
 14". Very thoroughly dust off any excess flour with a pastry brush.
 Use a wheel cutter or long knife and ruler to cut the shorter sides,
 trimming any irregular edges where not all the layers of dough fully
 extend and creating a rectangle that's exactly 16" long, then cut
 into four 4" X 14" rectangles.

 CONTINUED TO PART 3 (Shades of Stan Frankenthaler)

 By: Claire Saffitz

 Yield: 8 croissants

 RECIPE FROM: https://cooking.nytimes.com

 Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

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... Frozen yoghurt is the celery of desserts; be ice cream or be nothing.
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