Croissants. Sawsan over at Chef in Disguise inspired me to take on the lofty croissant. Usually I don’t feel intimidated by a recipe, but come on, these are like the French National Treasure! Could I possibly do them justice? Sawsan also posted a Julia Child video outlining each step. OK, I thought, I think I can do this! Well, I also thought, I don’t HAVE to blog about it if it failed (HA!)! So, I started the recipe on Thursday night, letting the dough rest in the fridge at each interval. I didn’t document the steps, there are too many more accomplished croissant makers out there, including Sawsan whom you can reference in the link above. I’ll just present the final photos.
They didn’t actually turn out too bad. I think they could have been a bit flakier but all in all, 3.5/5.
Needless to say, I’ve got another batch going for a second trial (don’t fret, they don’t go to waste!). I found this recipe at The Fresh Loaf where the author overhauls Julia Child’s recipe. I preferred the baking times a bit better than the first batch, the author recommends to Bake at 425°F for 10min, 375° for 15min. The recipe is also made for an electric mixer version, which I also prefer (I am having shoulder issues and the kneading really kills it!) We baked them off last night, but I made the mistake of proofing the last proofing on the kitchen counter and sadly the butter had started to melt within the croissants (we had been using both ovens for dinner and the kitchen was a little warm!). The overall texture is more flaky on this batch, but they looked awful (my tummy doesn’t care, though). We had them for breakfast this morning and they were really good :).
I am going to try one more batch this week, and hopefully they will be good enough to take to my brother’s cottage for Thanksgiving Weekend (this weekend).
Hi Eva! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I love that you are inspiring everyone to try making croissants from scratch. The way you styled them with the gold-trimmed plate looks great too.
– Michael
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Thank you Michael. Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy it.
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Nice croissants! I just made an attempt a few weeks ago (at Zaatar croissants) and I want to keep working at it.
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Wecome to my blog. I have now made the croissants three times, and I must say, each time they get better and better. You should definitely try to make them from scratch, not as hard as you would think!
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Like so many other comment-ers, I have croissants on my “to do” list. Yours are an inspiration for sure. They look so perfectly formed. I am going to have to go watch a few instructional videos!!
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Welcome aboard Kristen. They are not that difficult as long as you stick to the rules!
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Goodness gracious! I applaud both you and Sawsan for making croissants. I wouldn’t dare. Well done!
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John, you are an accomplished baker, I’m sure you could do it! It just takes a little practice!
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These look awesome and look like they’ll just flake and crumble in your mouth. Yum!
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Thanks TBFN! I just saw your mummy dogs, so cool!
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Lovely. It is a very educational process to actually make some of the foods we love. When I decided to make croissants years ago I was shocked to discover it essentially is a stick of butter wrapped in some flour. I don’t believe I have ever touched one since for calorie and fat count. They look lovely, but that’s alot of miles to run to burn them off!
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So true, Pam! But it’s always been something I’ve wanted to master. I’ve one more batch going and I’m really hoping I can nail it this time. Mine are smaller croissants than what you would buy at Starbucks!
Looking forward to seeing you at Chris’ Pam. Are you coming for dinner too?
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Nicely done Eva! I won’t even attempt croissants…I’m having a fight with bread at the moment. 😉 And I feel your shoulder pain – literally. Mine has been acting up for a few weeks now and kneading dough was not fun! Congrats again – anytime homemade bread turns out well I think it’s a major accomplishment. Gold star worthy. 🙂
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Thanks Kristy, take care of the shoulder, mine is so aggravated, everything hurts! I should have done something months ago.
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Eva – you’re amazing! Croissants are on my lifetime list of foods to make – I agree they’re intimidating….but I’ve watched SO many videos and read so much on them. One day I’ll do it….however, I need to work on my healthy first! Beautifully done – and I bet they are delicious!
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Thank you so much, Ann. You are so generous! If it wasn’t for the video Sawsan posted, I likely wouldn’t have attempted it. No matter what, it just takes practice!
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They look like perfect golden deliciousness to me. Great job!
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Thanks Jed, sorry I won’t be able to comment on your blog when it’s just sports! Don’t want to embarrass myself!
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Oh Eva – I’m much too scared to try croissants, although it’s something I’ve been wanting to try for ages… they just seem so difficult. My local store sells a can of ready-made dough which you just split apart, form into two croissants and bake. Fun, but when I looked at the ingredients I found they had no butter. Really not tasty 😦
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Hi Charles, I’ve never bought store made dough before; those types of thing NEVER turn out for me. I one of those talented people who could buy a cake mix, follow the directions and make a total flop of it! Go figure!
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New follower, came over from Ann from Cooking Healthy for Me’s site. So glad I did. Fellow Ontario resident as well. We’re up near Windsor. Your renovations are stunning. This recipe is stunning as well. I did croissants awhile back and they were not this good. I have a batch on the go now for a late daring baker challenge. Sure hope they turn out as well as yours.
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Welcome Kim Bee. Nice to have you reading my blog. Thanks for all your kind words. Good luck with your baker challenge, the only advise (after having made only two mere batches) is to keep everything cool, you do not want that butter to start melting!
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Homemade crossants! I’m so impressed! There are some things I stay away from and this is one I’ve not been tempted to try! Yours look perfect and more important freshly made by you and for that they are awesome!!
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Welcome Spice Girl, thank you for your kind words. I was also intimidated, but I urge you to check out Sawsan’s lovely blog chef in disguise, she posted a great link to the Julia Child video. Quite manageable, indeed!
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Eva, your croissants look beautiful and I completely admire you for taking on the task – I understand that it’s one of those recipes that takes days to make 🙂 Congrats on a job well done. Love the first photo –
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Thank you Kelly. Although not one of the healthiest things I’ve made, but what do they say? Moderation is key. Having said that, I’ve likely had more butter these past two weeks than my entire life! I am going to try one more time, follow the rules to the T and see where it ends up. At the very least, I will have the photos from the first batch!
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They look great and this is something that would surely only get better with practice.
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Thanks Greg, it sure is one of those practice makes perfect recipes; as long as you stick to the rules (cold butter, cool dough) you should be OK.
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Hats off to you Eva for doing a great job and for your persistance..
I for one think your croissants look heavenly 🙂
love the pictures and your styling
I can’t wait to hear all about the new patch..I was actually looking for other croissant recipes to try..our daring bakers challenge had to be with Julia’s recipe but the ones you provided look out of this world..I was looking for an excuse to make croissant again..now I have my excuse..In the name of research 🙂
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Thanks Sawsan. There is so much we do in the ‘name of research’. Sadly, my hips are complaining endlessly, and I must head back to the gym to catch up with my test tasting!
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