First thing to do:
STEP 1: Put 250 g of butter in the freezer.
STEP 2: Hot water is roughly 1/3 or 1/4 of boiling water, the rest should be fresh tap water. Using a quarter or a third of the water depends on the temperature of the tap water. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. It’s up to you! n
STEP 3: Pre-incubate the yeast at room temperature for about 5-8 minutes in 50g of hot water containing 10g of sugar. Stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar and disperse the yeast. This gives the yeast an easily available food source and it can “relive” in a relatively undisturbed environment. After the allotted time, the surface of the yeast mixture should be slightly foamy. This indicates that the yeasts are viable.
-> If the yeast mixture is frothy or you can see bubbles, make croissants.
At the Mixer booth:
STEP 1: Put all the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.
STEP 2: Mix at low speed to ensure all ingredients are well dispersed.
STEP 3: Add 50 g of finely chopped butter.
STEP 4: Add the milk and yeast mixture.
STEP 5: Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
STEP 6: Let stand for about 10 minutes. The mixture will become less sticky.
Thermomix:
STEP 1: Put all the dry ingredients in the TM bowl.
STEP 2: Mix for 10 seconds at speed 9.
STEP 3: Add 50 g of chopped butter.
STEP 4: Mix for 20 seconds at speed 4.
STEP 5: Transfer the mixture to another bowl (I tried mixing it slowly in the Thermomix – it’s easier for me to mix it by hand)
STEP 6: Add the yeast mixture and milk.
STEP 7: Stir until all ingredients are incorporated.
STEP 8: Let stand for about 10 minutes. The mixture will become less sticky.
For the preparation of croissants, do not be afraid of the number of steps, it goes fast 🙂:
STEP 1: Prepare a clean work surface (parchment paper/baking mat) and add some extra Bakers’ Magic gluten-free flour.
STEP 2: Transfer the dough to the worktop and use a little extra gluten-free flour if necessary to knead the dough until it has a uniform texture.
STEP 3: Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape, about 40 cm x 30 cm.
STEP 4: Take the butter out of the freezer and grate it on the dough.
STEP 5: Fold a little 3 sides of the dough to cover part of the grated butter.
STEP 6: Roll the dough starting with the tip that has not been bent.
STEP 7: With your hands, gently press the roller to make it flatter.
STEP 8: Roll out the dough to a size similar to the previous one (40 30 cm). Use a little extra Bakers’ Magic gluten-free flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the baking paper/mat and rolling pin.
STEP 9: Fold the sides of the dough towards the middle.
STEP 10: Fold the ends towards the middle.
STEP 11: Fold one side on the other.
STEP 12: Turn the dough so that the opening of the dough book faces you.
STEP 13: Put a little more Bakers’ Magic gluten-free flour on your countertop as you will roll the dough and fold it. Raise the sides of the dough from time to time to see if it sticks. At this point, large pieces of butter are visible.
STEP 14: Fold the dough to look like a book.
STEP 15: Turn the book opening to face yourself. Repeat rolling and folding the dough once more for rustic croissants or twice more. After testing many of the croissants I made, I prefer those that were rolled twice more. The pieces of butter in the dough become less visible after each rolling and folding.
STEP 16: Roll out the dough to a thickness of 4 mm and a width of > 25 cm. To make the dough uniform, follow this trick. Find 2 placemats (cutlery – my sets are about 4mm thick) and place one on each side of the dough. When rolling out the dough, make sure the rolling pin is wide enough to cover the dough and part of the top of the placemats. My rolling pin is wide – 61 cm from handle to handle. If your rolling pin is smaller, it may be easier to make half the dough. At first, the rolling pin does not necessarily rest on the placemats, but when the dough is the same thickness as the placemats, it will. At this point, the dough should be the same thickness.
STEP 17: The 4 mm thick dough is larger than my 50 cm doily. Cut the long edges of the dough but keep the width of the rolled dough > 25 cm. Keep the cuts. Don’t worry too much about trying to make the long pieces of dough 4 mm thick. When you cut the croissants, the edges are cut.
STEP 18: Use a knife to make marks every 5.5 cm along both long sides.
STEP 19: Cut the dough into triangles from one notch on one long side of the dough to the next notch on the other side.
STEP 20: Each triangle will have ~11 cm at the base and ~25 cm in length. There must be enough dough to make 8 triangles of croissants.
STEP 21: There will be a notch in the middle of the base of the triangle. Use a knife to slightly enlarge this notch.
STEP 22: Lift one of the triangles to separate it from the other dough. Separate the notch at the base of the dough triangle and roll the dough. The notch gives the shape of a crescent. Fold the tip of the triangle under the base of the crescent to prevent it from fraying.
STEP 23: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 24: Transfer the uncooked croissants to the baking sheet.
STEP 25: Gently lay the pieces of dough on top of each other and roll this dough to 4 mm thick. Cut out either other triangles or rectangles to make chocolate croissants. At this point, I find it easier to cut rectangles.
STEP 26: Let the uncooked croissants in the oven for about 1 hour. The fermentation temperature should not exceed 30°C, otherwise the butter will begin to melt and you will lose some of the layers of the finished product. I put the raw croissants in the oven with a roasting dish containing hot water (but not too hot) (I also put a thermometer to check the temperature).
STEP 27: If you put the croissants in the oven, take out the dish and put the oven at 180 °C.
STEP 28: After cooking, the uncooked croissants will not appear to have risen much. If the croissants are steamed longer, the layers may disappear in the cooked product. If the croissants are fermented for less time, the taste of the yeast is not as pronounced.
STEP 29: Brush the top of the uncooked croissants with a little extra milk.
STEP 30: Cook the croissants for about 25 minutes at 180 °C, turning the baking sheet halfway through cooking. The time will depend on your oven and the size of the croissants (and their contents).
Well, long but not that complicated. You have to stay focused and it will be fine 🙂
Good luck making these gluten-free croissants!
Chloé
