Three Cheese Croissants Recipes

THREE-CHEESE CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Make the Basic Dinner-Roll Dough, using the Parmesan as the mix-in. Let rise as directed.
• Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll or stretch each half into a 12-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Brush each round with some of the beaten egg and sprinkle with the Havarti and Cheddar, leaving a 1-inch border. Lightly press on the cheese to ensure it sticks.
• Cut each round into 12 wedges with a pizza cutter or chef's knife. Starting from the wide ends, roll up each wedge. Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheets, bending the ends slightly to create a crescent. Loosely cover with plastic wrap; let stand until puffy, about 45 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Combine the sesame seeds, poppy seeds and salt in a small bowl. Brush the crescents with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with the seed mixture. Bake, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the rolls are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Warm the milk and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan or in the microwave until very warm (110 degrees F). Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; mix in the sugar, yeast and 1 cup flour until combined but still lumpy. Let stand until the mixture is very bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Add the butter, salt and 2 cups flour; mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs until combined, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl as needed. Add 1 1/4 cups flour and the mix-ins, if using; mix until the dough is smooth and starts to gather into a loose ball, about 4 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky; if it's too wet, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour.
• Lightly oil a large bowl; scrape the dough into the bowl and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

THREE-CHEESE CRESCENT SLICES

Steps:

• Separate or cut dough into 2 long rectangles (if using crescent rolls, press perforations to seal). Place on ungreased cookie sheet; press into 12x8-inch rectangle.
• Place Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese down one side of dough. Fold dough over cheese; pinch edges to seal. In bowl, mix Italian cheese and seasoning; sprinkle on top of dough.
• Bake at 375°F 12 to 15 minutes.

THREE CHEESE CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Butter four au gratin dishes.
• Place the bottom half of each croissant in a dish, cut side up.
• Spread Swiss cheese on each, saving about 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top. Follow with all of the Parmesan and Monterey Jack, dividing each cheese equally among the croissants.
• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and seasonings until they are frothy.
• Pour 2/3 cup of the egg mixture over each croissant and replace the tops.
• Sprinkle the remaining Swiss cheese evenly over the tops. Bake 20 minutes or until the eggs are set and the croissants are a golden brown.

GLAZED CHEESE CROISSANTS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine butter, cottage cheese, flour, and salt. Shape into a disk, and wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll dough out to a 14-inch circle. Cut circle evenly into 8 triangles. Roll each triangle up, from wide end to tip, turning ends of roll in to form a crescent shape. Place croissants 3 inches apart on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any drips); bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack. Cool 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make Sugar Glaze: In a glass measuring cup, add 2 teaspoons milk by 1/2 teaspoonfuls to 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, stirring until glaze is of a drizzling consistency. It should be thin enough to pour while still thick enough to coat croissants. Drizzle over croissants. Serve warm, or let cool to room temperature. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

CREAM CHEESE FILLED CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a baking dish.
• Stir cream cheese, yogurt, and sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Fold strawberries into cheese mixture.
• Separate crescent roll dough into 8 triangles. Spoon cream cheese mixture into the middle of each triangle and roll dough around the filling, starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden-brown, 13 to 15 minutes.

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.