Croissant Pockets with Apricots and Brie

I'm so very tired right now. We just got back from my cousin's wedding (yaey congratulations!) and we were taking care of my brother's dog this weekend (who I tried to get a good picture of but she wouldn't sit still for the camera), which resulted in us not getting much sleep. So it's a good thing I wrote this post yesterday because there's no way I could get anything too coherent out right now.

I made croissants for the first time a few months ago. I baked up half the dough into croissants, and saved the other half for future delicious adventures, like this one! I'm really glad I saved some of this dough as these croissant pockets, filled with apricots, brandy, brown sugar, walnuts and Brie cheese were extremely yummy. It's a good thing that I halved this recipe because I could've easily sat there eating one after another of these. My only complaint was that the apricot pieces were too big (when quartered) so I'd recommend dicing them. And I ended up with extra apricot/nut mixture, but maybe that's just me. If you're looking for motivation to try making croissants for the first time, these are it! And if you have some extra croissant dough, you really must try this out. I have a bit of extra croissant dough in the freezer which I should use up soon. I'm thinking of making cinnamon twists with it.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Caramelized Apple Danish Braid
Mushroom Crescents
Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins
Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

Croissant Pockets with Apricots and Brie
Adapted from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More

My adaptations were to not dust the pockets with powdered sugar after cooling, and to chop the apricots more finely.

9 ounces dried apricots, diced (1 full cup)
1 cup water
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp brandy
1/2 cup toasted broken walnuts
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 tbsp light brown sugar

1/2 recipe dough for Flaky Croissants
8 ounces ripe Brie cheese, cold, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices, 3 inches long
1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tsp water, for egg wash
1/4 cup milk, for brushing pockets

Make the filling:
1. In a small saucepan, combine the apricots and water. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a little liquid remains.

2. Return the liquid to the pan and add the granulated sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of brandy. Over medium-low heat, cook the liquid until the sugar is melted and the alcohol is evaporated. Remove from the heat and add the apricots to the pan. Stir gently to coat the fruit with the syrup. Set aside to cool. Combine the walnuts with the cooled apricot mixture.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the soft butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon, stirring until a smooth paste is formed. Set aside.

Shape the dough:
4. On a lightly floured, cold work surface, using a dough scraper, cut the dough in half. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into a 10 x 12 inch rectangle, keeping the 12 inch side parallel to the edge of the work surface. Pierce the surface of the dough several times with a fork to prevent shrinkage. Using a pastry cutter or a pizza wheel, cut the dough into eight pieces.

5. Working with one piece of dough at a time, gently reshape the dough into a 3 x 5 inch rectangle. Spread a generous teaspoon of the brown sugar/butter mixture in a strip down the center of the 3 inch side of the rectangle. Place a slightly full tablespoon of the apricot/nut mixture over the brown sugar/butter strip. Place a slice of cheese over the apricot mixture. Do not overfill.

6. Brush the far edge of the dough with egg wash. Bring the opposite edge over the filling to enclose it, then overlap it with the egg-washed edge. Gently pinch the seam, leaving the sides open, and place the pocket seam side down on a parchment lined baking pan. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush the tops and sides of the croissants lightly with milk and place in a warmish spot to rise until almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes. Brush the croissants again with the milk 2 or 3 times during rising time.

Bake the pockets:
7. Fifteen minutes before baking, position the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 400F. Gently brush the tops of the pastries with the egg wash, working from the bottom of the pocket upward. Do not drip the egg wash onto the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue to bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. To ensure even browning, toward the end of baking time, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back.

8. Remove from the oven and place on racks to cool. Loosen the pastries on the pan and cool for 20 minutes. Note: If any of the filling has run out of the ends of the pockets, take a small spatula and slide it back into the pockets.

Storage: Store in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 3 days. Reheat before serving. These pastries may be frozen.

Flaky Croissants & My 201st Post!

I just finished putting together a massive 50 something page report from my term long project at school. So incredibly happy that's complete! I was thinking my reward should be some new cookbooks, don't you agree? Anyway, now I finally have time to post about these amazing croissants! I meant to post them as my 200th post but then lost track so now this is my 201st post! Croissants seemed like something big enough for such an occasion. They're something I've wanted to make for a long long time. Well I think they're something that most bakers want to make at some point, if they haven't already.

I'm so happy with how mine turned out. I thought they'd be really difficult to make, but they're actually not - it's just time consuming. And they're not even that time consuming. You just have to be around to do the turns every hour or so for a few hours once the dough is made. The thing I was most scared about was preparing the butter. I thought it would be impossible to roll out butter but it actually went okay. I used half the dough to make 16 little croissants (and ate at least half of them!) and have the rest of the dough in my freezer. I want to try out some of the recipes in Carole Walter's book that use the croissant dough.

While I'm really happy I made croissants and really happy with how they turned out - so flakey and buttery - I'm not sure that I'd make them again. Most baked goods are so much better when baked at home, and these croissants were really good, but I think I'd rather buy 1 or 2 when I'm craving one. I meant to take more process photos but kept bringing the camera over and forgetting to actually take a picture. There's a couple of pictures below in the recipe though of the sponge and the finished dough.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Golden Cinnamon Loaf
Soft Pretzels
Honey Pecan Sticky Buns
Caramelized Apple Danish Braid

Flaky Croissants
Adapted from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More

Makes 3 pounds dough, enough for 32 small/mini croissants

Sponge
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour, spooned in and leveled

Butter
1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm (I used European butter.)

Dough
4 cups unbleached flour, spooned in and leveled (I used 540 g.)
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
1/3 cup milk, for brushing croissants
1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of water, for egg wash

The sponge.

Make the sponge:
1. In a 2 quart saucepan, warm the milk to 110F to 115F. Stir in the sugar and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Do not stir. Cover the pot and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. Stir it briefly with a fork, cover again, and let it stand for 5 minutes longer, or until the yeast is bubbly and dissolved. Using a small whisk, stir in the flour. It's okay if the mixture is somewhat lumpy. Cover and let stand until the sponge has doubled in size, 25 to 30 minutes or more as needed.

Prepare the butter:
2. Sprinkle a cool work surface with 1 tablespoon of flour. Unwrap the butter and lay the bars side by side on the work surface. With floured hands, push the bars of butter firmly together to form a solid mass. Sprinkle the top of the butter with one more tablespoon of flour, patting it over the surface with your hand. With a floured rolling pin, roll the butter into an 8 inch square, using the additional 2 tablespoons of flour as needed. Cover the butter with plastic wrap and place it on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate while you prepare the dough.

Make the dough:
3. Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On low speed, mix briefly to combine. Add the 2 tablespoons of soft butter and mix for 30 seconds. With the mixer off, add the sponge to the bowl, then mix on low speed until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is fairly smooth, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Do not over mix.

Encase the butter:
Note: For the butter to be rolled through dough, ti is essential that it be pliable. It is ready when it has reached the same degree of softness as the dough. Then it will roll smoothly through the dough.

4. Place the dough on a lightly floured, cool work surface and gently knead for six to eight turns, or just until smooth. Pat the dough into a 6 to 8 inch rectangle and let it rest for 2 minutes.

5. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x16 inch rectangle with the 12 inch side parallel to the edge of the counter. Center the block of butter on the dough. Bring the lower portion of dough up and over to the middle of the butter, then fold the upper portion over to cover the remaining butter, firmly pinching the seam together. You will have a 1 to 2 inch margin of dough on the right and left side. With your thumb, press these edges thoroughly together to seal them.

Make the turns:
6. Give the dough a quarter-turn clockwise. Roll the dough lengthwise into a rectangle measuring about 21x12 inches. Flip the dough over, brushing off the excess flour as needed. If the butter seeps through, seal it by brushing the exposed butter with a light coating of flour. When the desired size is reached, fold the dough into thirds, letter style, making sure all the edges are even. It's okay to gently stretch the corners to even the block. Enclose the dough in plastic wrap, place it on a cookie sheet, and chill for about 1 hour. You have now completed the first turn.

7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn it so the open seam is to your right. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 21x12 inch rectangle. Fold into thirds, stretching the corners as needed. You have now completed two turns. Wrap and chill again for 20 (or 60) minutes.

8. Repeat the procedure two more times, giving the dough a total of four turns. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, making the package airtight. Chill for at least 6 hours, or up to 3 days. If you wish to freeze the dough, be sure to deflate it first.

Shape the croissants:
9. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Line the baking sheets with parchment.

The finished dough before being rolled out.

10. On a cold, lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters using a dough scraper. Working with one quarter at a time, roll the dough into a 16x8 inch strip. Turn the dough so the 16 inch side is parallel to the edge of the counter. Angle the bottom right hand corner outwards and the upper left hand corner outwards to form a parallelologram. This will enable you to shape the croissants without wasting the ends. Pierce the dough with a fork at 1 inch intervals to prevent it from shrinking.

11. Lay a ruler against the long side of the dough closest to you. Make three light indentations in the dough, spacing them every 4 inches. Lay the ruler against the opposite side and repeat, starting at the left side. With the indentations as a guide, cut the dough into eight triangles, using a pizza cutter or a dough scraper. At the wide end of each triangle, cut a 1/2 inch knick using the pizza cutter or dough scraper.

12. Stretch the corners of the wide end of the dough outwards slightly and begin to roll the dough. After you roll about one third of the way up the triangle, begin to stretch the tip outwards with the opposite hand that you are rolling with. Continue to roll the triangle, making three complete turns. Place the croissant on the prepared pan, making sure that the tip of the croissant is on the bottom. Curve the ends of the croissant to form a crescent shape so the widest part of the arch is at the top and the tip is underneath. Continue working with one quarter of the dough at a time, making thirty-two croissants.

13. Brush the tops and sides of the croissants lightly with milk, and place in a warmish spot to rise until puffy and almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes. Brush the croissants again with the milk two or three times during this rising time.

Bake the croissants:
14. Fifteen minutes before baking, position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 400F. Gently brush the tops of the croissants with the egg wash, working from the bottom upward. Do not drip the wash onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake for 10 to 12 minutes longer, or until golden brown. Place on a rack to cool. To ensure even browning, toward the end of baking time, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back.

Mushroom Crescents

While I really love baking, I don't often bake savoury things - and I really should more often. At least I can eat the savoury things as part of a meal, plus savoury baked goods are often delicious. Like these mushroom crescents. And delicious doesn't begin to describe them. Unshareable would be a better description (and I'm sure that isn't actually a word) as it will be hard to part with even one of these yummy little things.

The mushroom/onion/herb filling is extremely addictive. It's yummy as the filling in these little pastries, and it's yummy just eaten with a spoon. The pastry is really easy to make and easy to work with, which was great for me because usually I hate rolling out dough. And the pastry was super tasty and slightly flakey and really good. Combine the filling and the dough, incredibly yummy as I've already said.

I know I'll be making these again, and I'll be making the filling again for other purposes and trying other fillings as well. So far the ones I want to try are brie & pears, roasted garlic & feta, and caramelized onions and aged cheddar. Let me know if you have any other suggestions! Sadly I forgot to take a picture of the inside of the crescents.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Wine Sauce
Portobello Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto, Roasted Peppers and Romano Cheese
French Barley Salad
Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins

Mushroom Crescents
Adapted from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book

Makes about 40 pieces.

Filling
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped portobello mushrooms
1 1/2 cups finely chopped button mushrooms
1/3 cup white wine

Pastry
4 oz (125 g) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten

In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; fry onion, garlic, thyme, sage, pepper and salt, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add portobello and button mushrooms; fry, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Cook until liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Pastry
In large bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy. Stir in flour until dough begins to form; knead in bowl until smooth. Divide dough in half; flatten into 2 discs. Wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

On lightly floured surface, roll out each disc into 10 inch (25 cm) circle. With 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out circles, rerolling scraps. Working with 6 circles at a time, brush edges lightly with egg. Place 1 tsp (5 mL) of the filling in centre of each; fold dough over filling, pinching edges to seal. Place, 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, on baking sheet. (Can be frozen at this point.) Brush tops with remaining egg.

Bake in centre of 400F oven until light golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Daring Bakers: Danish Braid

I was so excited to find out that Kelly of Sass & Veracity and Ben of What's Cookin'? chose this month's Daring Bakers' challenge to be a danish braid! I knew this would be a real challenge for me because I've never made anything like it before. But I've wanted to make a laminated dough for a while and I really want to try making my own croissants, so this was just perfect. And how awesome does the pastry look when it's braided??

I definitely had some butter oozing out the sides (due to the butter block) and air bubbles being formed when I was rolling out the dough, but overall it went well! I didn't add the cardamom, and I don't think I'd make it using so much orange next time. I dreamed about how delicious a lemon curd filling would be enveloped in this beautiful danish braid, but then went the easy route and did the caramelized apples. And my boyfriend loves apple pie so I thought I'd be nice.

Of course I tried it right out of the oven, and as gorgeous as it looked it didn't have the texture I was expecting. I think I expected a more flakey croissant type pastry (which I realize was probably a strange thing to expect), but it was a little bit chewy? I don't know if that's the way this dough is, or if it was me (quite possible). When I had it after it had been refrigerated though, the texture was just perfect.

Edit: I just realized that I was not paying attention and didn't realize that this was enough dough for TWO danish braids, so I used the entire dough to make one braid. My braid was twice as big as it should've been! Ah well - it still turned out okay and hopefully I learn to read recipes more carefully. ;)

Other Daring Bakers' challenges I've done:
Cheesecake Pops
Perfect Party Cake
Lemon Meringue Free Form Tarts
Yule Log

Caramelized Apple Danish Braid
The Secrets of Baking

Danish Dough

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Apple Filling
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

Danish Braid (putting it all together)
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.