Croissants Recipes like you are in Paris

[nbermas]

Is it hard, not the best baker but want to make them for Holiday gifts and make some jam too! Tell me how please

[maria lorraine]

I think the recipe from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is the best for details, the what and the why.

I'm confused why you would want to give croissants as gifts -- they have to be baked and consumed within a few hours.

[SpanLynn]

If there isn't a fabulous pastry-type bakery near you, making croissants isn't out of the question, but I'd practice a few times first, before making ones for gifts. alternatively, homemade English muffins are TDF, and are very easy to make. Perhaps with some homemade jam (also reasonably easy, and unusual ones, like tomato-clove, or something with apples or pears, will be very well received). If I remember correctly, the reason croissants and such take so long is that they have to rise in the fridge.

[todao]

Is it hard? No. Is it time consuming? OMG yes

http://www.ochef.com/r203.htm

[emilief]

I took a class in how to make croissant. This is probably the most annoying, time consuming thing I ever made. That is why they cost so much. Forgetabout! Buy some good ones. I understand that Williams Sonoma has good ones that you but frozen and unbaked and you let them proof overnight then pop them in the oven and you have -tada- just like homemade croissant.

[leanneabe]

So time consuming. I made a batch once, to see if it was worth all the work to get homemade, fresh croissants. They were delicious and so awesome straight from the oven, but it took me something like 3 days with all the folding and resting and rising. Plus, it uses a lot of butter, which isn't exactly cheap.

There are plenty of good homemade bread items you could give instead, and with your homemade jam. Do a simple cinnamon swirl loaf, mini baguettes, scones, braided challah... any of those will be great and will take you less time.

The WS croissants are really good, but expensive if you're looking to give them as gifts. I don't know if they're gift-worthy, but Trader Joe's also sells frozen mini croissants and chocolate croissants that your defrost and then bake. Delicious. It's what I keep in my freezer instead of making my own.

[emily]

The TJ's croissants and WS croissants are made by the SAME baker and they are a LOT cheaper at TJ's.

[leanneabe]

One more reason I love TJ.

A note on the frozen croissants. I tend to defrost them in the oven (turned off) overnight with a tent of foil over them. It may just be me, but it seems to keep them from drying out and rising a bit larger.

[VTtoMAtoCAfoodie]

I love the croissant recipe from Baking with Julia.

[Sooeygun]

I used that one last Christmas. The croissant were lovely. But it was a lot of work!!! And I had to get up far too early on Christmas morning to have them done for breakfast.

[wolfe]

Parisian croissants recipe by way of Cape Town South Africa.
http://blog.winecountry.co.za/recipe-...