RECIPE OF THE DAY | Sandra Mejanie's croissants

HeraldLIVE invited readers to submit their favourite lockdown recipes.

Here is the second of the top five recipes to be featured this week, submitted by Sandra Mejanie:

Croissants

Ingredients:

4 ½ cups of cake flour

1 ½ cups of room temperature water

6 tablespoons of sugar

1 packet of instant dry yeast

1 ½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoon butter at room temperature

1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons of water for brushing

300g butter (Stork, Rama bake or real butter). This will be used to roll into dough after the first four hours in fridge

Method

(NB the folding and chilling dough can take up to 2-3 days)

• In big bowl add flour, water, milk, sugar and yeast (mix) then add salt (it's important to only add the salt once you have started mixing).
  
  
• Knead for four minutes adding the butter midway through kneading.
  
  
• The dough should clean the sides of the bowel. Then remove and place on a lightly flour dusted surface.
  
  
• Shape dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle (it will be soft) place it on baking paper on a tray and cover with a tea towel, then place piece of plastic wrap on top of the towel ( this will prevent from crust forming on top of the dough)
  
  
• Then let the dough sit out in room temperature for 1 hour, then put in fridge for up to 4-8 hours.
  
  
• Shape the butter into square shape ( I cut butter in big blocks with baking paper under and on top of butter then fold baking paper over it, I then roll the butter evenly )
  
  
• Place this butter in the fridge but take butter out 20 min before dough is taken out of fridge to give butter to be at room temperature.
  
  
• Take dough out of the fridge then on floured surface roll dough out to a square but it must be bigger than the square of butter.
  
  
• Place the square butter in the middle of the dough (with the corner of the butter being in the middle of each of the sides of the dough), bring the corners of the dough together, wrapping the butter like an envelope and gently pinch the edges.
  
  
• Roll the dough out into a rectangle and fold the dough into thirds (like folding the dough into three equal sized. Fold top side to the middle, then take the bottom over that)
  
  
• Return the dough to the baking tray cover with tea towel and plastic and chill for at least 4 -8 hours.
  
  
• Repeat the rolling and folding the dough into same fold for 2 more times rotating the dough 90° each time before rolling and chilling the dough for at least an hour and up to 8 hours before each fold.
  
  
• Let the dough rest for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours after the final fold best to leave overnight in fridge.

Rolling out the croissants

• Take the dough out of the fridge and put on floured surface, take the half of the dough and roll out in rectangle cut the dough in half horizontally and then cut 6 triangles from each, put the other half of the dough in the fridge.

• Make a small cut on the long side of each triangle and roll up the croissant the remaining point of the triangle should be placed under the croissant at the bottom of the tray.

• Place the croissants on a baking paper on a tray leaving at least 2 fingers space between each other then and cover with a tea towel and then plastic. Let the croissants rise for 2 hours.
  
  
• Pre heat the over at 190 degrees, brush the croissants with the egg-wash and the bake 10- 15 minutes depending on the hotness of your oven bake till golden brown.

The croissants are best enjoyed the day they are baked. If you wish to prepare ahead, you can make the dough, fold it and let it raise and then cut and shape the croissants.

Freeze the croissants on a baking paper on a try, then pack in a container once frozen