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   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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