Salted croissants, poppy seed croissants (grandma's recipe)

To prepare these delicious croissants, we start by organizing all the necessary ingredients. In a large bowl, we add the freshly sifted flour, sugar, and salt. These dry ingredients are mixed well, ensuring that the sugar and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour. Then, we add two egg yolks, the soft butter, the dry yeast, and gradually begin to pour in the lukewarm milk. It is essential that the milk is not hot, as it could destroy the yeast.

The next phase is kneading the dough. Using our hands, we start mixing the ingredients until a homogeneous mass is formed. The dough will require about 10 minutes of kneading, during which we will add a little flour if necessary to prevent sticking. In the end, the dough should be smooth, fine, and easy to shape. Once we have achieved the desired consistency, we shape the dough into a ball and cover it with a bowl. We let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours until it doubles in volume.

After the dough has risen, we place it again on a lightly floured work surface. We gently knead it for a few seconds to release the accumulated air. Using a rolling pin, we roll out the dough until we obtain a disc about 0.6 cm thick. Then, with a cutter or a sharp knife, we cut the dough into 10 equal pieces, ensuring that each piece has the shape of a triangle with a rounded base.

Each piece of dough is carefully rolled starting from the base of the triangle towards the tip, thus forming our delicious croissants. Next, we line a large baking tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. We place the croissants on the tray, leaving enough space between them, as they will rise during baking. The tip of each croissant should be facing down, and the ends are slightly curved for a more elegant appearance.

After placing the croissants on the tray, we cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rise again for 1-1.5 hours in a warm place, away from drafts. During this time, we can prepare a mixture of beaten egg yolk, which we will use to brush the surface of the croissants, giving them a golden and appetizing color. We can also sprinkle poppy seeds, coarse salt, or sesame seeds on top, depending on our preferences.

Finally, we bake the croissants in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until they become golden and nicely browned. Once they are ready, we take them out of the oven and let them cool on a rack to maintain their crispy texture. These croissants are perfect for breakfast or as a snack, being delicious both warm and at room temperature. Enjoy them with jam, butter, or simply as they are, to savor every bite!

 Ingredients: - 525 g of freshly sifted white flour, at room temperature - I used a mixture made of 300 g of type 550 white flour and 225 g of type 000 white flour (in grandma's notebook I found written: "white flour as much as can be held four times in two cupped hands") - 3 egg yolks - two yolks are used in the dough consistency and one yolk is used to brush the dough before baking (in the notebook grandma noted: "2 yolks for kneading the dough and one yolk for the surface of the dough before putting it in the oven") - 8 g of superfine sugar (in grandma's notebook it is noted: "1/2 tablespoon of sugar") - 7 g of finely ground salt (in grandma's notebook it is noted: "a little salt") - 7 g of dry yeast (in the notebook, grandma noted "25 g of fresh yeast") - 35 g of butter at room temperature, very soft but not melted, cut into pieces (the recipe from grandma's notebook uses "1 tablespoon of margarine") - 310 - 320 ml of 1.5% UHT milk at 26 degrees C (in the notebook, grandma noted "a large cup of warm milk") - a little coarse salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds - to taste

 Tags:  eggs milk unt flour sugar crescent pastries margarine vegetarian recipes recipes for kids mac