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

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

          DIRECTIONS CONTINUE

 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 14x17" slab (15x16" 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 17x14". 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 4x14" rectangles.

 CONTINUED TO PART 3 (Shades of Stan Frankenthaler)

 Recipe by Claire Saffitz

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

 Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

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