Homemade Chocolate Cronuts Food

HOMEMADE CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, milk, sugar, yeast, salt, 3 tablespoons room-temperature butter and 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and continue to mix until completely combined and gathered into a ball that is no longer sticky to the touch, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured baking sheet, dust the top with flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
• The following day, put the remaining cold butter pieces (2 1/2 sticks) in the middle of a piece of parchment and dust with a generous pinch of flour. Top with another piece of parchment. With a rolling pin, pound the butter to form a 7-inch square, using a bench scraper or ruler to help even out the sides. Refrigerate while you roll out the dough.
• To roll and fold the dough: Unwrap the dough and lay it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 12-inch square, dusting with flour as needed. Peel the parchment off the butter square and position the butter in the middle of the dough. Fold the top flap of dough over the butter towards you, stretching it slightly so that it reaches just past the center of the butter. Repeat with the opposite flap so they overlap by a couple inches. Turn the dough so that one of the open ends is closest to you.
• Using the rolling pin, gently pound the dough so the butter is spread out evenly in the middle of the dough. Then, roll the dough to an 8-by-24-inch rectangle. Pick up one short end of the dough and fold it back over the dough, leaving one-third of the other end of dough exposed. Then fold the exposed dough over the folded side (like folding a letter). Put the dough back on the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill so the dough relaxes and the butter firms slightly, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Lay the dough on a lightly floured work surface folded-side down. Roll in the direction of the 2 open ends, until the dough is about an 8-by-24-inch rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds again like a letter, put back on the baking sheet, cover and chill for another 20 minutes.
• Give the dough a third rolling, then fold one side to the middle of the dough and fold the other side to meet it in the middle. Fold the dough in half so it resembles a book. Put the dough on the baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap, tucking the plastic under all sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours and up to overnight.
• To divide the dough: Unwrap the dough and lightly flour the top and bottom. Roll the dough into a 10-by-35-inch rectangle. Lay the dough in front of you so the long sides are horizontal. Position a ruler lengthwise along the bottom side of the dough (the side closest to you) and mark with a paring knife every 5 inches along the length of the dough. Move the ruler to the top side of the dough (the side farthest from you) and make a mark on the dough at 2 1/2 inches. Move the ruler to the 2 1/2-inch mark, then make marks every 5 inches along the length of the dough from that point.
• Using a pizza cutter or long sharp knife, make a diagonal cut from the bottom left corner to the first mark on the top edge (at 2 1/2 inches), then cut diagonally down from that mark to the first 5-inch mark on the bottom edge of the dough, to make a triangle. Continue cutting diagonally from bottom mark to top mark and back again to create 15 triangles total (2 will be from the ends and a little smaller but still useable).
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Lay one triangle on the work surface with the short side closest to you. Gently pull to extend the tip at the top. With one hand on each side of the short end of the triangle, start to roll the dough away from you towards the pointed end. Press down on the dough with enough force to make the layers stick together. Arrange the croissant on one of the lined baking sheets with the tip of the dough on the bottom. Repeat with the remaining dough triangles.
• Whisk the egg with a splash of water in a small bowl until combined. Lightly brush some of the egg wash on each croissant. (Refrigerate the remaining egg wash for later.) Put the croissants in a warm spot to proof, until puffy looking and about 1 1/2 times larger, about 2 hours.
• Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Brush the croissants again with the egg wash. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until dark golden, another 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets on wire racks.

CRONUTS

Steps:

• In deep fryer or 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat to 350°F.
• Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. Stack 2 rectangles on top of one another. Fold in half widthwise to make tall stack. Repeat with remaining 2 rectangles.
• To make 2 doughnuts, use 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut 1 round from each stack; use 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut small hole in center of each round. Reroll remaining dough to cut third doughnut.
• Fry doughnuts in hot oil 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Cool 5 minutes.
• Carefully split doughnuts in half. Place pudding in decorating bag fitted with tip, and pipe some of the pudding onto bottom half of each doughnut. Top each with some of the caramel sauce; sprinkle with salt. Cover each with top of doughnut.
• In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and enough milk for spreading consistency. Spread on tops of doughnuts. Drizzle with additional caramel sauce.

HOMEMADE CRONUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together milk and yeast, then sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add 1 cup flour and salt. Gradually add 2-1/4 cups more flour, stirring, then kneading, until dough is smooth. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Beat butter and 1/4 cup flour with a mixer until smooth. Place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 1-4/-inch rectangle about 13x8 inches. Spread butter mixture evenly over dough. Fold dough in thirds, like a letter; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes more.
• Remove dough, roll it into a rectangle again, then fold both edges ot to the middle. Refrigerate 30 minutes, then repeat folding and chilling sequence twice more, finally chilling the dough at least an hour.
• In a heavy pot, heat 2 or 3 inches oil to 350°. Roll out dough to 1- to 2-inch thickness and cut into rings. Cook cronuts in batches, flipping as needed, until golden. Transfer to a paper towel.
• Whisk together powdered sugar, syrup, and whipping cream to make a glaze. Drizzle glaze over the cronuts while they're still warm.

CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS

Steps:

• For the croissant dough: In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then whisk together. Add 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter and beat with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined and the butter is no longer visible. Add the milk. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together, then switch to the dough hook. Knead on medium-high until the dough comes together into a smooth but still slightly loose ball, about 5 minutes. Remove from the mixer, then pat into a rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• When the dough is almost done resting, make a rectangle of butter! Smush the remaining 2 1/2 sticks butter together into a rustic rectangle and dust all over with flour. Place it between two pieces of parchment paper (or butter wrappers) and press or roll it into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle. Roll the dough on a floured work surface to about 10 by 20 inches. Lay the butter rectangle in the center and fold one end over the butter. Fold the second end over the top, like folding a letter. This is the first turn. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.
• For the chocolate croissants: Unwrap the dough and set one straight edge closest to you. Roll to about 10 by 20 inches and fold the short ends in to meet in the center, then fold closed, like a book. (This is the second turn.) Wrap and chill 30 minutes, then complete another book turn. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes after the third turn. Complete one more book turn. Wrap and chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Beat the egg. Unwrap the dough and cut in half. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with half of the dough at a time, roll into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle and trim the edges with a pizza wheel to even it out. Cut into 6 rectangles by cutting it in half vertically, and then in thirds horizontally. Brush the rectangles with the egg wash. Lay a 1/2-ounce chocolate bar in the center of each rectangle, arranging it parallel to the short ends of the rectangle. Fold one end over the chocolate, and then the other end over that, again like a letter. Place seam-side down on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough and chocolate. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the croissants loosely. Let rise at room temperature until light, puffy and increased in size by about half, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush the croissants generously with the egg wash. Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through, until puffed and deep golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly on a rack.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CRONUTS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Spread out an 8-ounce container of refrigerated crescent dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pinch the perforated edges together and fold 1/3 of the dough over the center third; fold opposite 1/3 of dough over first third. Lightly sprinkle the dough with flour and roll it out, pressing firmly together so that the layers don't separate completely during frying.
• Fold the dough into thirds again in the opposite direction; sprinkle dough with flour and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle measuring about 4x7 inches.
• Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut 2 circles from the dough. Then use a 1-inch cookie cutter to cut holes from the centers of the 3-inch rounds to make flat doughnut-like shapes.
• Repeat the steps with the remaining 8-ounce container of refrigerated crescent dough. You will now have 4 cronuts to fry. Reserve the holes and the dough scraps for frying as well, if you wish.
• Carefully lower cronuts into the heated oil, working in batches if necessary, and fry on one side until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip cronuts and fry until other sides are golden brown, 2 to 3 more minutes. Cronuts will puff up during frying. Remove the cronuts to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Fill a plastic squeeze bottle with a long, pointed tip or a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip with vanilla pudding. Push the bottle tip into the side of a cronut and squeeze 1 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla pudding into the pastry; continue filling pastry from the side with several more holes spaced around the edge of the cronut. Repeat, filling remaining cronuts with pudding.
• Place chopped bittersweet chocolate into a heatproof mixing bowl. Pour cream into a small saucepan over low heat. Heat cream almost to a boil, stirring constantly; pour hot cream over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate has melted and mixture is warm and smooth. Dip tops of cronuts in warm ganache, place on a serving platter, and let cool until ganache has set, about 5 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE CRONUTS, PART I (THE DOUGH)

Steps:

• Place yeast into the mixing bowl of a large stand mixer. Whisk in warm water and let stand until a creamy foam forms on top, about 5 minutes. Add salt, sugar, milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, vanilla extract, egg, and nutmeg. Whisk mixture thoroughly. Pour flour on top of liquid ingredients. Place mixing bowl onto mixer.
• Attach dough hook to mixer and knead on low speed until dough comes together in a ball and becomes soft and sticky, about 3 minutes. Dough will stick to the hook and pull away from the side of the bowl.
• Transfer dough to a floured work surface, knead 2 or 3 times, and shape into a ball. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes to let gluten relax.
• Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap, and dust lightly with flour. Roll out into a 9x18-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Evenly spread 1/2 of the softened butter onto the middle third of the dough. Fold one unbuttered third over the buttered third and press lightly; spread remaining butter on top of that third. Fold remaining third over the first (buttered) third. Transfer dough onto a sheet pan, cover lightly with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and refrigerate 20 to 30 more minutes for butter to become firm. Sprinkle dough lightly with flour as you work if it becomes sticky.
• Return dough to floured work surface and pat very gently into an 8x14-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Fold outer thirds over center third as before; roll out into an 8x14-inch rectangle again, keeping the edges as straight as possible. Fold in thirds as before. Cover dough lightly with a kitchen towel, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Roll the dough out to about 3/8-inch thick. Cut dough in half crosswise. Leave half on a lightly floured work surface; refrigerate other half of dough until needed.
• Use a sharp 3-inch round cutter to cut 8 circles of dough from the piece on the work surface. Use a 1-inch round cutter to cut the donut holes out of the dough circles.
• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and sprinkle lightly with flour. Arrange cronuts and holes onto the prepared baking sheet. Let rise in a draft-free, warm place (such as an unheated oven) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• See part II of this recipe to make the cronuts.