INGREDIENTS:

520 gr. of flour W280/300

1 egg (bitten)

20 gr. fresh yeast

10 gr. of salt

30 gr. of unsalted butter

90 gr. of sugar

120 gr. of whole milk and 120 gr. of water mixed together

grated orange zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

90 gr. of butter for the puff pastry

First of all prepare an aromatic butter a few hours before preparing the croissants.

Melt the butter (30 gr.) at a low heat with the grated orange zest. When it’s all melted and is starting to boil, turn off the heat, cover with foil and let it rest at room temperature.

Sift the flour and make a well, crumble the yeast in the centre. Add slowly the milk and water and mix with a spatula bringing some of the flour to the centre. Add half of the bitten egg, 45 gr. of sugar (on top of the egg) mix the ingredients always bringing a bit of flour to the centre. Avoid to use all the flour at this time!!!

Add the rest of the egg, in the moist part add the other 45 gr. of sugar and the salt. Mix well all the ingredients with the spatula , as if you were cutting the dough, this will help to better incorporate the ingredients. Add the rest of the flour and when the dough is compact knead it by hands in a diagonal movement.

When the dough is soft and smooth roll it and form a rectangle, spread the aromatic butter on top, fold the rectangle in three (see pictures) and then fold it again in three and knead the dough until the butter is well absorbed,wrap it with cling film and chill for an hour.

Take the dough out of the fridge,on a floured surface roll out, dusting with flour as necessary,and lifting and stretching the dough into a 38x22 cm rectangle.

1. Prepare and shape butter (90 gr.): After dough has chilled, arrange butter horizontally between 2 pieces of oven paper well floured. Pound butter with a rolling pin to soften slightly (butter should be malleable but still cold).Pound and roll out on both sides until butter forms a large rectangle, but about 1 cm smaller per side than the pastry one.
2. Arrange dough with the short side nearest you. Put butter in the centre of the dough,so that long sides of butter are parallel to short sides of dough.
3. Fold as you would a letter:Top third first
4. and then cover with the bottom third.
5. Pound and roll with a rolling pin from the centre to the top and from centre to the bottom to distribute equally the butter and at the same time form a rectangle about 7/8 mm thick.
6. Fold the bottom third of dough first
7. then top third down over dough.
8. Turn it to 90º, always with the open side to your right hand!

Thats the first “fold”.... Wrap it in cling film and chill for about 40 minutes.

Make two or 3 more folds in the same manner from step 5 to step 8. On the last fold keep it in the fridge for an hour or longer, you could even leave it overnight, as I did!

Remove it from the fridge roll it out on a lightly floured surface,dusting with flour as necessary and stretching corners to maintain shape into a long and narrow rectangle, 7 mm thick and trim edges with a sharp knife.

With a sharp knife form triangles about 15 cm high and 9 cm long, isn’t really important measuring, just keep the proportion!

To shape the croissants hold the base of the triangle in one hand, stretch it tugging and sliding with the other hand toward the tip to elongate by about 50%.

Return it to the work top, slightly stretch the triangle’s base, then cut a slit about 1,5 cm long. Roll tight a the beginning, more turns you make the better the croissant looks.

Put the croissant on a baking sheet tip side down, curve ends inward to make the proper croissant shape.

Let them rest for 2 or 3 hours. Bit one egg with some milk, brush the mixture on top of the croissant, sprinkle with some caster sugar and bake in a warm oven at 220º for 5 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 180º and cook until golden brown!!!!

When you finish to form the croissants you can also freeze them immediately (they don’t need to rest). Leave them on a tray and once they are frozen you can transfer them in a freezer bag. Defrost them 6 or 7 hours before at a room temperature of 22º and proceed as above mentioned.