Recipes

• 125g ‘type 45’ flour
• 125g ‘type 55’ flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 30g sugar
• 1 tsp honey
• 5-10g fresh yeast or one tbsp of dry yeast powder
• 125g cold water
• 30g already fermented pastry dough if possible

• 125g unsalted butter

Croissant dough ingredients
Mix all of the ingredients except the butter in a food processor at a slow speed. Form the pastry into a ball and wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Sandwich the butter between two sheets of greaseproof paper and tap with a rolling pin to soften. Form the butter into a rectangle of 10cm x 15cm.

Place the pastry on a lightly floured surface and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.

Press the rolling pin into the top edge of the pastry and roll out an "arm". Give the dough a quarter turn and roll out another "arm". Continue to turn and roll twice more until the pastry is in the shape of a cross. It should be mounded in the centre, tapering out the four arms.

Place the butter on the mounded centre of the pastry and fold in the arms, stretching the pastry slightly to seal in the butter.

Lightly tap the top of the pastry with a rolling pin to seal the edges. Then roll out the pastry to a long rectangle about 10cm x 20cm. The edges of the rectangle should be even and straight.

Fold the bottom third of the rectangle up toward the centre, care fully aligning the edges. Brush off any flour.

Fold the top third down to make a neat square and brush off any flour.

You will have a neat square of pastry with the fold on the bottom.

Give the square a quarter turn to the left.

For maximum rising it is important that you always rotate the pastry in the same direction so that the seam is always on the same side.

The fold should then be at the side.

Roll out the pastry into a long rectangle.

Again fold into thirds.

Gently press two fingertips into the pastry to indicate that two turns have been completed.

Wrap the pastry in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Give the pastry two more turns and roll out into a rectangle of approximately 10cm x 30cm.

Cut ten even triangles and roll them into a croissant shape.

Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Cover with plastic or a towel and let the pastry rise for approximately two hours.

The croissants need to double in size.

If your room is too cold, place them in a very low oven.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

Brush the croissants with a beaten egg and bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes.