Due to a family crisis, I was unable to attend my last Pro Baking 1 class, croissant and puff pastry. The makeup class won't be until the fall and I was feeling a little nervous about starting Pro 2 without those skills under my belt. I'd already learned to make the croissant dough in class so I took out my notebook and got to work. Initially I was sure I had failed because the dough was way stickier than I remembered but since I'd already invested half my household supply of flour I soldiered on. After adding more flour and a few minutes of kneading I felt I had something I could work with and ultimately I was happier with this dough than the one I had made previously. The butter didn't even squish out the sides when I rolled and turned it- very encouraging. I refrigerated the dough overnight and got an early start this morning in the hopes that they'd be done in time for breakfast. I formed my plain and chocolate croissants and let them rise for 1 1/2 hours, popped them in the oven and crossed my fingers. 20 minutes later...
Success! I couldn't believe it. They looked really great and tasted even better. 2 months ago I never would have attempted croissants at home and now I can't wait to make them again. Sweet, buttery, flaky victory!
For great croissant tutorials and recipes, go here and here.
