Croissants

When I made the galette des rois earlier this month, I had some pâte feuilletée (flaky pastry) left over. I froze it to use another time, and that time was Sunday. I decided to thaw the dough and roll it out to make some croissants.

Six little croissants fresh out of the oven.

I was able to make six croissants, but they were small. I probably should have made only four, but no matter. I also wonder if I didn't roll them too tightly, since the insides weren't as flaky as they might have been. Still, they tasted good.

Cut and rolled croissants, before getting brushed with an egg wash.

Over the years I've learned to make a decent flaky pastry dough. I've also learned that it needs to be baked in a hot oven, about 220ºC or 425ºF. That way the butter cooks the flour and doesn't melt out of the dough. I've made soggy messes with flaky pastry in the past because the oven wasn't hot enough. No more!

During baking, the points detached a little and puffed up to look like scorpion tales. Oops.

Once the dough was rolled out into a rectangle, I used a pizza wheel to cut the rectangle in two lengthwise, then into six triangle shapes. I rolled the triangles from the wide end to the point and used a little water to seal the point to the rest of the croissant. Finally, I brushed them all lightly with an egg wash before putting them into the oven for about ten to fifteen minutes.