Tartine Croissant Recipes

CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Combine yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Allow to stand until creamy and frothy.
• Measure flour into a mixing bowl. Dissolve 2 teaspoons sugar and salt in warm milk. Blend into flour along with yeast and oil. Mix well; knead until smooth. Cover, and let rise until over triple in volume, about 3 hours. Deflate gently, and let rise again until doubled, about another 3 hours. Deflate and chill 20 minutes.
• Massage butter until pliable, but not soft and oily. Pat dough into a 14x8-inch rectangle. Smear butter over top two thirds, leaving 1/4-inch margin all around. Fold unbuttered third over middle third, and buttered top third down over that. Turn 90 degrees, so that folds are to left and right. Roll out to a 14x6-inch rectangle. Fold in three again. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and put dough in a plastic bag. Refrigerate 2 hours. Unwrap, sprinkle with flour, and deflate gently. Roll to a 14x6-inch rectangle, and fold again. Turn 90 degrees, and repeat. Wrap, and chill 2 hours.
• To shape, roll dough out to a 20x5-inch rectangle. Cut in half crosswise, and chill half while shaping the other half. Roll out to a 15 x 5 inch rectangle. Cut into three 5 x 5 inch squares. Cut each square in half diagonally. Roll each triangle lightly to elongate the point, and make it 7 inches long. Grab the other 2 points, and stretch them out slightly as you roll it up. Place on a baking sheet, curving slightly. Let shaped croissants rise until puffy and light. In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Glaze croissants with egg wash.
• Bake in a preheated 475 degrees F (245 degrees C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

TARTINE'S COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• Make the starter: Combine 1,000 grams white-bread flour with 1,000 grams whole-wheat flour. Put 100 grams of warm water (about 80 degrees) in a small jar or container and add 100 grams of the flour mix. Use your fingers to mix until thoroughly combined and the mixture is the consistency of thick batter. Cover with a towel and let sit at room temperature until mixture begins to bubble and puff, 2 to 3 days.
• When starter begins to show signs of activity, begin regular feedings. Keep the starter at room temperature, and at the same time each day discard 80 percent of the starter and feed remaining starter with equal parts warm water and white-wheat flour mix (50 grams of each is fine). When starter begins to rise and fall predictably and takes on a slightly sour smell, it's ready; this should take about 1 week.(Reserve remaining flour mix for leaven.)
• Make the leaven: The night before baking, discard all but 1 tablespoon of the mature starter. Mix the remaining starter with 200 grams of warm water and stir with your hand to disperse. Add 200 grams of the white-wheat flour mix and combine well. Cover with a towel and let rest at room temperature for 12 hours or until aerated and puffed in appearance. To test for readiness, drop a tablespoon of leaven into a bowl of room-temperature water; if it floats it's ready to use. If it doesn't, allow more time to ferment.
• Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine 200 grams of leaven with 700 grams of warm water and stir to disperse. (Reserve remaining leaven for future loaves; see note below.)
• Add 900 grams of white-bread flour and 100 grams of whole-wheat flour to bowl and use your hands to mix until no traces of dry flour remain. The dough will be sticky and ragged. Cover bowl with a towel and let dough rest for 25 to 40 minutes at room temperature.
• Add 20 grams fine sea salt and 50 grams warm water. Use hands to integrate salt and water into dough thoroughly. The dough will begin to pull apart, but continue mixing; it will come back together.
• Cover dough with a towel and transfer to a warm environment, 75 to 80 degrees ideally (like near a window in a sunny room, or inside a turned-off oven). Let dough rise for 30 minutes. Fold dough by dipping hand in water, taking hold of the underside of the dough at one quadrant and stretching it up over the rest of the dough. Repeat this action 3 more times, rotating bowl a quarter turn for each fold. Do this every half-hour for 2 1/2 hours more (3 hours total). The dough should be billowy and increase in volume 20 to 30 percent. If not, continue to let rise and fold for up to an hour more.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and dust top with flour. Use a dough scraper to cut dough into 2 equal pieces and flip them over so floured sides are face down. Fold the cut side of each piece up onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf; this will become the crust. Work dough into taut rounds. Place the dough rounds on a work surface, cover with a towel, and let rest 30 minutes.
• Mix 100 grams whole-wheat flour and 100 grams rice flours. Line two 10- to 12-inch bread-proofing baskets or mixing bowls with towels. Use some of the flour mixture to generously flour towels (reserve remaining mixture).
• Dust rounds with whole-wheat flour. Use a dough scraper to flip them over onto a work surface so floured sides are facing down. Take one round, and starting at the side closest to you, pull the bottom 2 corners of the dough down toward you, then fold them up into the middle third of the dough. Repeat this action on the right and left sides, pulling the edges out and folding them in over the center. Finally, lift the top corners up and fold down over previous folds. (Imagine folding a piece of paper in on itself from all 4 sides.) Roll dough over so the folded side becomes the bottom of the loaf. Shape into a smooth, taut ball. Repeat with other round.
• Transfer rounds, seam-side up, to prepared baskets. Cover with a towel and return dough to the 75- to 80-degree environment for 3 to 4 hours. (Or let dough rise for 10 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Bring back to room temperature before baking.)
• About 30 minutes before baking, place a Dutch oven or lidded cast-iron pot in the oven and heat it to 500 degrees. Dust tops of dough, still in their baskets, with whole-wheat/rice-flour mixture. Very carefully remove heated pot from oven and gently turn 1 loaf into pan seam-side down. Use a lame (a baker's blade) or razor blade to score the top of the bread a few times to allow for expansion, cover and transfer to oven. Reduce temperature to 450 degrees and cook for 20 minutes. Carefully remove lid (steam may release) and cook for 20 more minutes or until crust is a rich, golden brown color.
• Transfer bread to a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. The bottom of the loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, clean out pot and repeat this process with the second loaf.

TARTINE CROISSANT

Steps:

• Transfer the dough into a plastic bag, flatten it into a rectangle, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours Mold the butter and ½ cup of flour into a 8 x 12 inches rectangle. Do it quickly not letting the butter warm up. I use a pre-shaped envelope made from parchment paper for this task. I cut butter into small cubes, mix with flour, and place into the parchment paper envelope. Then, using a rolling pin, I pound, press and roll it to mold it into a rectangle. Put in the fridge Take out the dough from the fridge and roll out into a 12 x 20 inches rectangle Take out the block of butter from the fridge and lay it horizontally on the dough. It should cover about ⅔ of the length of the dough Fold the left and the right side of the dough as you would fold a letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll it out into a rectangle measuring about 12 x 20 inches. Do the fold again, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour Take the dough out of the fridge, roll out to a 12 x 20 inch rectangle and fold. This is the second turn Refrigerate for 1 hour and do a third turn. If you want to use the dough later, place it into a freezer proof bag and freeze for up to three days. The night before using the dough, transfer it into refrigerator After the third turn, if using immediately, let the dough relax in the fridge for half an hour, then take out and roll out to 12 x 24 inches rectangle. The dough should be about ½ inch thick Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough in half, horizontally. Then cut vertically into about

HAM AND CHEESE CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Arrange racks in the upper third 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 for the pastries.) Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Let the dough sit for 5 minutes at room temperature. Unwrap (save the plastic wrap for proofing) and place on a very lightly floured surface. If the dough has shrunk during chilling, roll it out again to a slab that's 16 inches long and 15 inches wide. Dust off any excess flour.
• Use a wheel cutter to trim 1/2 inch of dough from all four sides, straightening and squaring them off, creating a slab that's 15 inches long by 14 inches wide. Using a ruler, cut the slab lengthwise into 5 equal strips each measuring 3 inches wide. Cut each strip in half crosswise, creating 10 rectangles.
• Working with one rectangle of dough at a time, cover one half with a slice of ham, folding it as needed to leave a 1/2-inch border along the short side. Then, top with 1/2 ounce (2 tablespoons) of the cheese. Roll the dough into a snug spiral, starting at the end with the ham and cheese, then transfer the spiral to one of the prepared baking sheets, resting it on the seam. Repeat with the remaining dough, ham and cheese, dividing between the sheets and spacing evenly. Very loosely cover with plastic wrap so the pastries have some room to expand.
• Open the oven and stick your hand inside: It should be humid but not hot, as the water in the skillet will have cooled. You want the pastries to proof at 70 to 75 degrees (any hotter and the butter will melt, leading to a denser pastry). Gently place the baking sheets inside the oven on the two racks and let the pastries proof until they're doubled in size, extremely puffy and jiggle delicately on the baking sheet, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• When the pastries are proofed, remove the baking sheets from the oven and carefully uncover them. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes while you heat the oven. Remove the skillet from the oven and heat to 375 degrees.
• In a small bowl, stir the yolks and heavy cream until streak-free. Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator and use a pastry brush to gently brush the surfaces of each pastry with the yolk mixture. Transfer the sheets to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets and switch racks and continue to bake until the pastries are deeply browned, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.

SOURDOUGH CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Levain: On day 1 at night, mix together starter, flour, and water in a large bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or a large plate and let stand at room temperature 8 to 10 hours.
• Dough: On day 2 in the morning, make a sponge: Dissolve levain in warmed milk, stirring or whisking to combine. Add 300 grams flour (2 1/4 cups) and mix to combine; sponge should feel like a thick batter. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Stir sugar and salt into sponge, then add remaining 275 grams flour (2 cups); stir to combine. Knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface about 4 minutes. Wash and lightly oil bowl and return dough to it. Cover with a large plate or a damp kitchen towel. Let stand 30 minutes.
• With dampened hands, grab underside of dough, stretch it out, and fold it back over itself. Rotate bowl one quarter-turn. Repeat 6 times. Cover with cloth and let stand 30 minutes. Repeat folding process every 30 minutes until dough feels pillowy and elastic, and has increased in volume about 50 percent-a total of 6 to 8 times, 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. Cover and let stand 1 hour, then refrigerate 30 minutes along with butter package (see step 5; this is so they have the same temperature and a similar texture, which makes them much easier to work with).
• Butter package: During last resting of dough, combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium speed to combine. Transfer to a piece of parchment, top with a second piece of parchment, and roll out to a 7-by-7-inch square. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes (when ready, package should be waxy and pliable, not rock-solid).
• Turn rested and chilled dough onto a floured surface; let stand 10 minutes. Roll out to a 10-by-10-inch square. Place butter package in center of dough. Roll corners of dough out another 5 inches. Lift one side at a time over butter package, enclosing it in dough; pinch seams to seal. Give dough a few firm knocks along its seams with side of rolling pin.
• Roll dough out to an 8-by-24-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds like a letter (bottom 8 inches of dough up, then top 8 inches down over that). Turn so seam faces side; repeat this rolling and folding process once more. (If butter starts to ooze out, put dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling out further.) Place folded dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Repeat rolling-and-folding process once more (the third turn). If time permits and you have energy, repeat one more time after another 30-minute rest in refrigerator. Roll dough out until it begins to spring back (this is just to get a jump-start on the final rolling), then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. (It is possible to roll and shape after a shorter rest of about 4 hours, but the longer rest makes the dough easier to work with.)
• On day 3 in the morning, line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Place chilled dough on a floured surface and roll into a 23-by-16 1/2-inch rectangle. (If you find that it is springing back, or a lot of butter is oozing out, transfer to refrigerator for a few minutes. If small patches of dough break, exposing butter, sprinkle with some flour to cover and refrigerate briefly.) Trim edges straight. Starting at one short end, use a pizza or pastry wheel to cut dough in half lengthwise, so you have two 22 1/2-by-8-inch strips. (If your dough feels unwieldy, briefly refrigerate.) Cut each strip into 5 rectangles, each about 4 1/2-by-8 inches. Cut from one bottom corner to opposite top corner of each rectangle, creating two triangles.
• Arrange triangles on work surface, with shortest sides nearest you and long, pointed ends farthest from you. Gently stretch width of short ends slightly. Then roll croissants toward pointed ends, holding onto the points and gently tugging to elongate as you roll. Bend either end of croissants toward middle slightly to form crescent shapes. Place croissants on prepared baking sheets, spaced about 3 inches apart, tucking points under shaped crescents so they don't unfurl in the oven. (You should be able to fit 10 on each half sheet pan.)
• Drape with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until puffed, expanded by about 60 percent, and very soft, 2 to 3 hours. (Or, if you are shaping the night before baking, place all the croissants on a single baking sheet and refrigerate overnight, as they won't really expand much. Remove about 3 hours before you want to bake, divide them between 2 sheets, and allow to proof as above; it could take slightly longer, given that they are cold.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk together egg yolks and cream. Brush proofed croissants evenly with egg wash and bake, rotating pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through, until puffed, golden brown, and baked through, 25 to 28 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 15 minutes, then transfer directly to racks and let cool completely. (Croissants are excellent the day they're made, but if making ahead, let cool completely, then freeze in resealable plastic bags. To serve, wrap in parchment-lined foil and reheat from frozen in a 350°F oven until just heated through, about 10 minutes.)

HOW TO MAKE CLASSIC CROISSANTS AT HOME RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the milk and water. Add the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, malt and butter and use your hands to combine until the dough resembles a shaggy mass, then bring together into a rough ball (we do not want to develop gluten here, we just want to hydrate the flour and create a unified dough). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises to 1½ times its original size and has a slightly puffy texture, about 1 hour depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
• Punch down the dough, then turn the dough from the bowl onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Gently press the dough into a rough 8-inch square. Wrap the dough tightly with the plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
• Make the butter block: Place a 12 x 15-inch (30 x 38 cm) sheet of parchment paper on a work surface with a long side nearest to you. Slice the butter lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick (6 mm) pieces, then arrange the slices in a single layer like tiles in the center of the parchment. Fold the edges of the parchment over to encase the butter, then flip the packet over so the seam is facing down. Let the butter packet rest at room temperature until it is pliable, but not greasy, about 30 minutes depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
• Roll a rolling pin over the packet to distribute the butter in an even layer all the way to the edges and corners with no spaces between tiles. Place the butter packet in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
• Laminate the dough: Remove the butter block from the refrigerator and let it soften at room temperature until bendy, but still cool, 10-20 minutes depending on the temperature of your kitchen (the butter and dough should be about the same temperature and have the same texture when you hold them in your hands).
• Lightly dust a clean surface with flour and place the refrigerated dough on top. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, then roll the dough out to a rectangle about 20 inches (50 cm) by 6 inches (15 cm), roughly 1 inch (2.54 cm) wider and twice the length of the butter block. Orient the dough so a short side is nearest to you.
• Open the butter packet and flip the parchment over to place the butter at the bottom of the dough rectangle, with about ½ inch (1.24 cm) of dough exposed around the sides and bottom of the butter block. Gently peel back the parchment paper from the butter and discard.
• Fold the top half of dough over the butter, stretching gently so that the edge of the dough reaches the exposed edges beneath the butter. Use the palm of your hand to gently press the side and bottom edges of the dough together to seal the packet closed and lock in the butter. Turn the dough 90°; it should look like a closed book with the left edge the "spine" side and the right edge the "page" side. Use the rolling pin to firmly (but not aggressively) press the dough, creating indents to help spread the butter between the layers. Use a serrated knife to cut down the middle of the spine to expose the butter and release the tension from folding the dough. Turn the dough 90° again so the split spine is nearest to you. Gently begin to roll the dough away from you, stretching the dough vertically and moving the dough frequently to prevent sticking, until it is about 12 inches (30 cm) long, then continue until the dough is about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick; the dimensions of the dough should be about 24 inches (60 cm) x 12 inches (30 cm).
• Fold the bottom third of the dough up and the top third down, similar to folding a letter. Make sure that all of the corners of the dough meet to make a uniform block. (If the dough feels like it has become too elastic and bounces back when you try to roll it, or if the dough and butter feel like they are too warm and the butter might begin to melt and seep out from the block, cover the packet with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough has had time to relax and the butter has chilled slightly, 10-20 minutes.) Making sure the opening of the "letter" is nearest to you, roll the dough out again to about ¼ inch thick, 24 inches (60 cm) long, and 12 inches (30 cm) wide. Use the serrated knife or pastry wheel as needed to trim about ½ inch (1.24 cm) from the edges of the dough to create an even rectangle.
• Rotate the dough 90° so a long edge is nearest to you. Fold the left two-thirds of dough over to just past the center of the dough. Then, fold the right third of the dough over towards the left so the edges meet. Gently press the two ends together to make a seam that resembles an offset book spine. Fold the left side of the dough over to meet the right edge of the dough (this is called a four-fold). Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate to let the gluten relax and butter chill, 30-40 minutes.
• Shape the croissants: Line 2 18 x 13-inch (45 x 33 cm) baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place the rested dough on a very lightly floured surface with a long edge nearest to you. Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, 24 inches (60 cm) long, and 12 inches wide (30 cm). Use the serrated knife or pastry wheel to trim about ¼ inch (6 mm) of the dough on all sides to make a clean and straight-edged rectangle.
• Use a ruler to measure 3 inches (7 cm) to the right from the top left corner. Use a pastry wheel to cut from this point to the bottom left corner to create a triangle. Measure 3 inches (7 cm) to the right from the bottom left corner and cut straight up to create another triangle. Continue cutting the rest of the dough; you should have 10-12 dough triangles total.
• Use the pastry wheel or a paring knife to cut a ½-inch (1.24 cm) slit at the center of the base of each triangle, then tightly roll the dough up from the base to the tip, without applying too much pressure. Place the croissants on a prepared baking sheet with the tips tucked underneath, spacing evenly on the pans, 5-6 per sheet.
• Pour boiling water into 2 small ramekins or bowls. Place a ramekin on each sheet pan, then lightly cover the pans completely with plastic wrap (this will create a humid environment for the croissants to proof). Let the croissants proof until the dough is soft and puffed and slightly wobbles when you shake the pans, 2-3 hours.
• Position the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place a pan of boiling water at the bottom of the oven; this will help create steam as the croissants bake.
• Brush the croissants with the beaten egg, then place in the oven. Bake, swapping the pans from the top to bottom rack and rotating 180° halfway through, until the tops are a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer the croissants to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving, about 20 minutes.
• Enjoy!