I haven't written much on here lately, but that is changing. This is my space, my ideas, my loves and my recipes. Some of you know that this was once a shared space, but that's no longer, and since it was my idea and I was the one who always posted, well, I'm keeping it. It's mine.
I get a little OCD sometimes. Like last night when I decided that I simply had to make this recipe that I found on Gluten Free on a Shoestring. For some reason I was starving for crescent rolls, you know, the pop 'em outta a can kind. This totally worked flavor and texture wise, but I had no idea what I had begun when I started mixing things up about 8:30 pm on a Sunday night. Silly Lauren.
I ended up making some not very pretty at ALL croissants, but then I remembered I had FIGS to use! FIGS! PASTRY DOUGH! YUM! So I cut some of those babies up and mixed them with a little raw sugar and made god knows what they're called and they looked like hell but they were AWESOME.
Totally not my pic, btw. These are pretty ones and I am going to need to start working on my form so they don't look like lumps of play dough. I'm pretty sure Lucas could have made nicer ones than mine last night.
Recipe originated at Gluten Free on a Shoestring, but I have a problem with not tinkering with ingredients and amounts, so what's below is what I did. :)
- 2¼ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour and have a TON on hand for dusting!
- 1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
- 2¼ teaspoons instant (rapid-rise) yeast
- 8 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup milk, warmed to about 100 degrees F
- 2 extra-large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, divided
- In
the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine
the flour, xanthan gum, yeast, 6 tablespoons sugar, salt and 4
tablespoons butter (divided into tablespoons). Beat on low for about 1
minute, until the butter is incorporated into the dry ingredients. Add
the ¾ cup warm milk, the whole egg and 1 yolk, and mix until the dough
just begins to come together. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a
flat surface, and dump the dough out onto the plastic wrap. Press the
dough together, and cover tightly with the plastic wrap. Place in the
freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Once
the dough has chilled, roll it out between two pieces of parchment
paper into a rectangle that is about 10-by-15 inches, and about ¼ inch
thick, no thinner. Dust with additional flour as necessary
to prevent the dough from sticking to the parchment paper. Take the
remaining 12 tablespoons (chilled) butter and divide into individual
tablespoons, and then space evenly over ⅔ of the dough, leaving one
short side bare. With the bare short side facing you, fold
it over the middle third of the butter (as you would a business letter),
then fold the remaining third over to seal in the tablespoons of butter . Note: The chilled butter was a pain in the ass to work with and I'm not sure I would use completely chilled butter again. I think I will break it outta the fridge about 30 minutes before I add it. But that's just me.
- Roll
the dough out again into a rectangle about 10-by-5 inches, and fold
again in thirds. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the
freezer for 15 minutes or until firm. Congratulations. You have just
completed the first ‘turn.’
- Remove
the dough from the refrigerator, uncover it, and place it horizontally
on a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of
parchment paper, and roll out again into a rectangle about 10-by-5
inches. Fold once more, business letter style, and return to the freezer
for another 15 minutes or until firm. Repeat the process once more.
After 3 turns, cover and place the dough in the freezer for about 30
minutes (or in the refrigerator for at least an hour), until firm.
- Once
the dough has chilled once more, roll it out between two pieces of
parchment paper into a smaller rectangle, this time about ⅜ inch thick.
Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, slice the dough in half, into two
equal rectangles. Stack the rectangles on top of one another, with the
edges squared. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into
triangles that alternate top to bottom.
- On
a large piece of parchment paper, separate and line up all the
triangles in rows. For each triangle, with the base of the triangle
facing you, slice a 1-inch slit vertically. Then, fold the
two new points toward the outside edge of the triangle, away from one
another. Press down gently to seal. Rolling away from you, roll up the
dough toward the tip of the triangle until it is shaped like a coiled
cylinder. Create a “U” shape by turning the edges toward one another. Repeat with the remaining triangles.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and prepare a lined or nonstick baking sheet.
- Arrange
the shaped croissants about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Place in a warm, draft-free area to rise a bit (about 15 minutes). If
they don’t rise much, don’t worry. Don’t bother waiting much longer.
They will spring up in the oven.
- Brush
liberally with the remaining egg, beaten with a splash of milk. Place
in the center of the preheated oven and bake, rotating once during
baking, until golden brown (about 15 minutes).
