Granary Croissants
By: Helen Pitlick
Published: Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 10:10pm

Ingredients




150 ml lukewarm water ( 1/2 cup)
200 grams unsweetened partly-skimmed evaporated milk warmed (7oz)
25 grams  (1oz) Fresh yeast or 15g ( ½  oz) dried yeast
50 grams unsalted butter, melted (2oz)
500 grams granary flour (1lb)
a pinch of salt
75 grams margaine (3oz)
milk, to glaze

Preparation

1 Combine the water with the evaporated milk, and then crumble in the fresh yeast, or stir in the dried yeast. Add the butter. Sift the flour with the salt in a large bowl, returning the grains from the sieve to the flour in the bowl. Rub the margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 2 Make a well in the center of the flour, pour in the yeast mixture and mix thoroughly. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes until doubled in size. 3 Turn half of the risen dough on to a lightly floured surface and roll into a circle about 5mm ( 1/4 inch) thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into eight triangular segments. Working from the outside edge, roll each segment into the middle. Bend each piece into a crescent and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and leave to double in size. 4 Meanwhile preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190 C/375 F. Repeat the shaping process with the other half of the dough. Alternatively, leave the remaining dough covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and use when fresh croissants are required. 5 When the croissants have doubled in size, glaze them with the milk and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden.

About


If the room temperature is cold, the rising stage may be expedited by using a microwave oven: microwave the covered dough in a microwave-safe container on full power for 10 seconds. Leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes, and then repeat the process twice.