Brioche Croissants

Brioche Croissants. Man these were good but a completely frustrating recipe. It is THIS attempt at homemade croissants that set me on a NO BAKING binge last year. I don't know what it is about kneading dough that makes me so mad, it's never the right consistency and I have no patience for such things.

I actually started making these croissants Sept. 15, 2008 and put the dough in the fridge after a long battle with the mixture. I then let it sit there for five days before I had the energy to pick it up again and finish out the recipe. Every time I logged on to post a recipe I saw this sad folder of pictures labeled Croissants. It was this nagging folder that reminded me weekly that I haven't really completed the recipe until I post the finished product. For five months I tried to forget, like a chore that I constantly overlook. Well, I am finally getting around to posting these dang brioche croissants.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups soft butter
1 1/4 cup lemon curd or pie filling
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Begin by adding milk to a saucepan and heat until lukewarm.

In a large bowl add sugar and warm milk. Add one cup of flour, mix until smooth.

Add lightly beaten eggs and mix completely.

Add in instant yeast and another cup of flour.

Continue to mix. Add in salt and a half a cup of flour.

Mix until the dough comes together.

Add a little flour on a flat surface and pour out the dough. I'm cringing as I look at this picture. Just look at how thin this "dough" is. I wish I would have added more flour and let it come together a little more. Back when I made this I didn't have a mixer, which would have made this recipe a lot easier.

Knead dough for three minutes adding a little bit of flour at a time.

Recipe says dough will be on the sticky side. Ummm... I'm pretty sure this is TOO sticky.

The recipe says the dough will become easier to handle as you knead. I didn't think so. This is the point I nearly gave up, I knew it was off but I didn't know how to fix it.

The next step is to add 1/4 of the soft butter to the bowl and mix together by hand. This was a big mess for sure.

Once the butter is completely incorporated add another 1/4 of softened butter, continue until all the butter is mixed in.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

My mixture of mess sat in the fridge for five days. I couldn't gather enough energy to deal with this for a while.

When I agreed to finish this recipe, I took the dough out of the fridge and put dough on top of some flour on the counter.

I cut the dough in half and began working with one ball of dough.

Roll out dough into a 15 inch diameter circle.

Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into eight slices. These steps are going much smoother than actually making the dough went.

Here is where I got CRAZY! I took some semi sweet chocolate chips and melted them in the microwave. Have you ever had a chocolate croissant - they are hands down the best variety I've ever had. Double yum!

Another CRAZY idea I had was to use the pineapple cream cheese that I got free at HEB. Simply spoon a tablespoon of whatever mixture you want onto the larger part of the triangle.

Okay, I obviously went overboard when I sprinkled some sweetened coconut flakes on top of the pineapple cream cheese. Aloha Croissants!!

Start from the base of the triangle and roll each one up and curve into crescent shape, pinch the ends closed. Place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap for 45 minutes.

After they rest, they will get puffy again. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-17 minutes.

Allow to cool on a wire rack, then sift a little powdered sugar on top.

The Hawaiian croissants were good, but oh-my-goodness...the chocolate croissants were out of this world! I melted a little more chocolate and drizzled on top.

If I had added a scoop of blue bell this could have been DESSERT! Now for the second half of the brioche dough.

I rolled it out into a 15 inch diameter circle and put a dollop of homemade lemon curd at the end of each croissant. If you like lemon, be sure to check out my lemon curd recipe.

Roll each on up and curve into a crescent shape.

Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes. When I made this second batch I brushed each with egg wash before putting in the oven, it made a great difference.

I must not have pinched the sides closed enough because some lemon oozed out. No big deal, they still tasted GREAT.

Even though this recipe gave me trouble in the beginning I thought it was a great learning oportunity and in the end the croissants were great. I would only make these again for guests - maybe for a brunch with friends or family. If you feel like you have a knack for homemade pastries then by all means, give this recipe a try. I'd love to hear what creative fillings you come up with too.