Today (or rather over the last 3 days), I made croissants. They are a little browner than they should be but, man, are they good.
The recipe is from Fine Cooking magazine - the Feb/Mar 2009 issue - and is quite easy, and despite 3 days of steps, not very time consuming. The first day is less than 20 minutes (other than the part where I had to make the dough twice because after kneading the first batch, I noticed the softened butter sitting on the stove ... kind of an important ingredient in a croissant. I did try to whirl it into the already kneaded dough but it wasn't accepting it. It turned out a big greasy mess and so with a curse, went into the compost pail and a new batch was made).
Like with all bread-type recipes, you just have to find a time when you can be around the house at key points over the 3 days to get the steps done. Day 2 was the most labour intensive and today had the longest total time. The most difficult part was the rolling out after the second 20 minute freeze on day 2. The dough was quite resistant to the rolling pin but perseverance paid off in the end.
The dough itself is fantastic to work with. I loved the texture on my hands as I was working with it. It's very smooth and doesn't stick to anything. The finished product is flaky and crumbly and oh so tasty. I made a salad for lunch (mainly so I wouldn't eat all 15 croissants) and enjoyed one on the side. Now I'm going to have one for dessert with homemade strawberry jam. Bliss awaits!
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