I always know it's going to be a good day when I wake up wanting to play with bread dough. And, when I ventured into the kitchen this morning, I discovered that my husband did some serious cleaning before I woke up. A clean kitchen ALWAYS makes me want to cook something especially time-consuming.
So, I whipped out my mixer and rolling pin and got to work.
Here's a delicious teaser....Look at all of those beautiful layers!
The full recipe for the dough is offered at the very end of this post.
Once your dough has risen for one full hour, roll the dough into a 16" x 16" rectangle, approximately 1/8" thick:
Place a few slices of butter in the center of the dough (I used 6 pieces at approximately 1/8" thickness). I use way less butter than most croissant recipes call for because I feel the dough is already quite rich and I like to let the bread speak for itself. This is totally your call.
Now, fold your butter into your dough by folding one third of the dough:
Then the remaining third:
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll flat...I go until I fear the butter is about to burst out of it, then I fold it into thirds and roll it out again. Fold your dough into thirds one more time, then place back in the fridge for one hour. When you remove the dough from the fridge for the second time, you can begin to shape your rolls!
I rolled my dough to 1/8' thickness and then divided it in half (to eat half now and freeze the rest).
With the first half, I made jam filled pastries to share with my husband for dessert. For each roll, I smeared the dough with some homemade jam, then rolled it much like you would for cinnamon rolls. Then I sliced the roll in half lengthwise and twisted the two halves around one another, pinching them into a neat ring. I allowed it to rise for 40 minutes and then placed it in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.
These jam pastries look incredibly complex, but were actually a super quick dessert. I suggest a Tart Cherry or Balsamic Strawberry jam because it's a lovely contrast to the mellow buttery dough.
I smeared the remaining half with the leftover jam and a few tablespoons of Nutella. I rolled it into a large log and sliced of a few rolls (about 2" width). I placed upright in a greased pan, allowed to rise for 40 minutes and baked until set but not cooked (10 minutes). Once cooled, I covered the rolls and placed them in the freezer. When I'm ready to cook them, I'll take out of the oven and allow them to thaw and will heat them up at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, until properly heated and cooking is completed.
Cinnamon Roll Croissant Dough: 
Ingredients:- 1 cup warm water
- 3 cups bread flour
- 3 Tablespoons dry milk, blended until a fine powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon yeast
- 2-3 Tablespoons softened butter
(Optional: If making croissant dough, you'll want an additional 3 tablespoons butter, 2 teaspoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon to be folded into the finished dough)
Method:
- Proof the yeast by placing it in the warm water, mixing lightly and allowing to activate (approximately 5-10 minutes).
- Add the dry ingredients and knead until smooth (real bakers will place the ingredients in a mound with a well and add the water to the well. I'm just not that fancy).
- Place the smooth dough in a floured bowl, cover lightly with a cotton towel and allow it to rise until doubled in size (1 hour). I like to put my bowl in the oven with the oven light on to give it a little warmth.
Alternatively, you can skip all the heavy labor and throw this all in the bread maker on the dough setting. Waaaay easier (and, no fail!).
- Allow your shaped rolls to rise an additional 40 minutes.
- Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned.
Get ready for the most delicious smelling kitchen you'll ever have!
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