Bake Club: Stuffing Thanksgiving Croissants

Bake Club: Stuffing Thanksgiving Croissants

Week 163 day 310 Bake Club: Stuffing (Thanksgiving) Croissants

Yields: Makes about 12

INGREDIENTS:

Croissant Dough:

½ cup water, warm

One ¼ oz pack (1 tablespoon) instant yeast

½ cup milk, warm

3 cups flour + more for dusting

¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg + 1 tsp water whisked together for egg wash

Stuffing Butter:

2 sticks + 4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons onion spice, pulverized

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoons black pepper, pulverized

1 ½ teaspoons thyme spice, pulverized

1 ½ teaspoon celery salt

1 ¼ teaspoons sage spice, pulverized

Optional:

+Shredded turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce (portioned and frozen into 12 small mounds), optional

STEPS:

In a large bowl, whisk together warm water and instant yeast until foamy and fully dissolved. Whisk in warm milk.

Ditch the whisk for a spatula and mix in flour, sugar, melted butter and salt until it comes together into a ball, about 2-3 minutes. Ditch the spatula this time, scraping any doughy remains into the bowl first, and roll up your sleeves.

Either in the bowl or on a clean kitchen counter, knead the dough for an additional 4-5 minutes to fully develop the gluten, where your dough will become a smooth, round mass. Flatten into a rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, make the Stuffing Butter: In a small bowl with a sturdy spatula, mix softened butter with all dry ingredients (sugar, pepper, salt, ground spices) until combined.

Between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or parchment, roll the stuffing butter into a rectangle, a little less than 6” x 12”.

On a floured surface, roll the rectangle out to 2x the size of the stuffing butter rectangle 6” x 24”, place butter rectangle in the middle and fold dough over to cover completely. Turn this dough packet 90-degrees then out to the original size of the rectangle (double its current size), dusting the surface and rolling pin, as needed.

Visually divide the rectangle into quarters, then literally fold the half of the right half into the right center, then half of the left half into the left center. Then fold the dough at that center line. This is called a double book fold.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 mins.

Repeat this rolling out to 6” x 24” and double book folding process 2 more times, rotating the right edges of the dough 90-degrees each time.

After the third go and 30 min refrigeration, on a floured surface, roll out the dough one last time, 6” x 40”, nearly two times its standard rolling length. Cut in 12 back-to-back triangles, then roll each up tight into crescents.

** If you want to go the Thanksgiving croissant route, before rolling into a crescent, place the the frozen turkey/gravy/cranberry mounds in the middle of the widest part of the triangle, then roll into crescent form around.

Place on 2 greased baking sheets, about 4 inches apart and cover loosely in plastic to proof for 60 minutes.

At 45 minutes, heat the oven to 375F.

Just before putting your croissants in the oven, use a brush or your fingers and gently coat the tops in the egg wash mixture.

Bake the croissants at 375F for 18-20 minutes or until a deep golden brown all around and your kitchen smells like a savory fall spiced heaven.

Cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before digging in while warm or wait until they cool to room temperature. BE INSANELY PROUD OF YOURSELF!