home > article > How To Make Chocolate Croissants Without Taking An Entire Day - Day 3

Masher

How To Make Chocolate Croissants Without Taking An Entire Day - Day 3

• by Nancy, February 12, 2010

Welcome to day three of “How to Make Chocolate Croissant Without Taking An Entire Day.” Wondering what this is all about? Click the link in the box above this post, then click on Day 1 and Day 2 to get up to speed and join us if you like.

Take the croissant dough you refrigerated yesterday out of the fridge. It should look like the picture above, puffed up from its overnight rise. Unwrap it.

Place it on a floured surface and sprinkle a little flour onto it so it does not stick while rolling.

Roll it into a rectangle 15” x 20”. Use a ruler if you have one. You want to be able to cut out the croissant easily and evenly. Check to be sure as you roll that the dough is not sticking to the surface by lifting the edges and adding a little flour underneath it if needed.

The dough may resist rolling or spring back smaller as you roll since it is now risen from the yeast and quite elastic. Just gently roll it out again and again until it stretches to the desired size.

Cut five four-inch wide strips across the length of the dough that measures 20”.

Cut three five-inch wide strips across the width of the dough measuring 15”. You should have 15 rectangles.

Mix the egg with 1 teaspoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush the rectangles all over.

Cut up your semi-sweet chocolate into long flat bars. If you have thick chocolate, chop it into smaller pieces to add to the croissant. You can use chips too if you have them.

Place the desired amount of chocolate in the center of each rectangle. Here you see about 10 ounces of chocolate all together divided among the croissant.

Fold the top of the rectangle down about 2/3 of its length, as pictured.

Fold the bottom of the rectangle up to form the croissant. Pinch all edges to seal the dough, using more egg wash for a good seal as needed. Do this well; you do not want your croissant to leak while baking.

Place the croissant on a parchment-paper covered, greased, or nonstick pad-covered sheetpan, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it again.

Now here’s the exception: If you have time to bake your croissant today, at this point in the recipe you can. Simply leave the croissant out of the fridge on sheetpans with about 2 inches space between them and let them rise until double in size, approximately 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Then you can egg wash them again before putting them in the oven and bake them at 375 degrees F. for 15 minutes until golden. Cool them on a rack and serve warm.

Note: Croissant are best eaten the same day, but you can store them in an airtight container. Day-old, they will not have the same texture.

You can also freeze some of the croissant to bake off whenever you wish by placing them, unbaked, on a pan in a single layer in the freezer. When they are frozen through, wrap them in aluminum foil and place them in zip-loc bags. Take them out about an hour or two before you want to bake them off to let them thaw and puff a bit. Then bake as directed above.

I have a small family, so I froze half a dozen of my fifteen, baked off two immediately (my son couldn’t wait!) and refrigerated the other seven. You can divide your unbaked croissant this way too if it suits your lifestyle to do so.

If you are going to wait to bake all your croissant on Valentine’s morning with me, however, then refrigerate them as directed above to let them have their last rise in the refrigerator overnight. See you tomorrow!

see also: How To Make Chocolate Croissants Without Taking An Entire Day - Day 2

Tell a friend about this article: