Since the subject of croissants has come up here recently I want to
point readers to a recipe / procedure for classic croissants in
"Baking with Julia" from the Julia Child PBS series of the same name
(the recipe is actually from Esther McManus). The recipe for the
dough is on Page 52 and the procedure for final rolling and shaping
the croissants is on Page 185, (with pictures on Page 178) for plain,
almond, pate' and chocolate croissants.
This is a "no-short-cut" recipe, real layers of butter separated by
"window panes" of yeasted dough. I make it about once a year. It
takes that long for the memory of how good they taste to overpower
the memory of how much work it is. I tried to cheat the system a few
times by doing more than one rollout and fold at a time but if the
butter melts into the dough you get brioche, not croissants so it is
not worth the risk. Take the time and let the folded dough rest in
the fridge after each fold. The dough is mixed in the evening,
refrigerated overnight, and the rolling, folding and shaping and
baking take up most of the next day in spurts of 15 minutes every 2 hours.
The book recommends using a French rolling pin (no handles) to
roll. The French pin does work better during the initial rollout but
I find that a French pin requires real skill to get the dough even in
thickness. I have a large (16") handled roller that I use to finish
the last few inches of the roll. It evens out the dough thickness
and by then the dough is pliable enough to respond to the big
roller. (Small rolling pins with handles don't work at all, they
leave creases and don't keep your knuckles high enough above the
dough to avoid creating knuckle grooves. Julia once called them
"toys" on one of her shows.) The final step before baking is to let
the shaped croissants over-rise to tripled, then add second coat of
egg wash and bake. The results is a flakey, buttery tapestry
suspended in air that just melts in the mouth.
They also freeze well. To thaw, wrap them in aluminum foil (one at a
time or several together) and put them in a toaster oven for one full
toast cycle. The foil protects them from burning and keeps moisture in.
Wait for 15 minutes after the toaster shuts off, remove the
croissants from the foil and let rest for 5 minutes. They well be as
good as fresh.