Homemade Croissants

Oh boy!  Just let me say this.....making homemade croissants is a huge process....but SOOO worth it!!

I've wanted to try and make them for a long time, and Saturday when Dave and I went to this little bakery I ate daintily gobbled up a pain au chocolat {aka chocolate croissant}.  All the way on the drive home I must have mentioned a zillion times I am going to make these.  

So when we got home I hooked up with the internet and scoured for recipes; finally deciding to use this one.  I also watched this Gordon Ramsay video {because he is my secret crush} to see what he did with them.  

Needless to say he makes it look much easier.  And truthfully the process would be if you had a dough press and a proofing oven.  But going for it the good old fashioned way with sweat and tears you use a rolling pin and your muscles and a whole lotta of patience.  

Step 1 is to set your butter, which also takes some grit and muscle.

Step 2 - mix up your dough and wait 2 hours for everything to chill.

Step 3, 4, & 5  - rolling, folding, waiting, rolling, folding, waiting....see the pattern here.

...and then you wait overnight.

Next step in the morning you actually get to finish up!  

Step 7 - rolling out the dough to a 10" x 38" rectangle.  And then measure your cuts 5" apart oh and cut the dough down the middle so you have two strips.  

***note here:  When I do this next time I am going to leave it 10" to make bigger croissants.  When you use a 5" strip you get smaller ones...I want larger big manly ones.

Step 8 - cutting

see what I mean these are tiny triangles, I want larger ones.  You could probably roll out your rectangle to fit the size you need.  A lesson learned.  

Step 9 - rolling

Carefully with tender loving care roll them up into the crescent shape.  Also in this process you can add fillings to your croissants.  I added dark chocolate to a lot of mine because I love them so.  You can order the chocolate batons to go in them here, or you can use chocolate chunks.  

Step 10 - proofing

Waiting for these babies to rise is like waiting for an expected birth!!  I have no patience, seriously. 

**Another lesson learned here....make sure you proof them in a warm, but not TOO WARM place, because if it too warm the butter in the croissants will start to melt.  Remember you rolled a whole truck load of butter in these things, and they are chilled so when it starts to proof you don't want to get them too hot or your rising process will fail.  **Yep, I did it to a batch and they did not rise at all.....careful with this process.

Step 10 & 11 - sorry no photo, I forgot...but you brush your proof ready croissants with the egg wash and bake, and smell the best aroma you have ever smelled in  your entire life!!!!

Final Step!!

EAT

I do hope you try making them; it is an experience for sure, but trust me you will be completely hooked.  Much better than cinnamon rolls!!!  This recipe has a great flavor it's a keeper.