Croissant Rolls

I have wanted to make some croissants for a long time. So I decide to give myself a birthday present and make something I had never made before... I know that sounds crazy but I really had a fun birthday doing this. I think it was, what I call the Vera (grandma Egan) side of me coming out. When I get in these moods, my thoughts go back to my childhood of watching my Mom cooking new recipes in her black and pink kitchen with dishes and ingredients scattered everywhere. She always said that Grandma Page chided her about never cleaning up as she cooked. I don't care, I just love the memories...and there are many! Love you Mom.

I made this a tutorial of sorts because these are not hard to make.... they just have many steps and it takes extra time because of the refrigeration time.

One warning....these are not low calorie....but the buttery flavor is something you never taste in the store bought kind.

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup barely warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups cold unsalted butter (3 1/2 sticks)

In a bowl, mix 1 cup flour, water and yeast until the lumps of flour are broken up. Set the bowl aside and let rise for 1 hour
While this mixture is rising, place the butter between two sheets of plastic wrap and using a rolling pin, roll the butter into an 8-inch square. (I used my plastic pastry mat and marked an 8 inch square for a guide. I cut all the squares of butter in half to make it easier to roll the butter out.)


















The flour –yeast mixture will look something like this after 1 hour.











To the flour-yeast mixture, add the remaining flour, cream, and salt and knead the mixture for 1 minute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

Knead the mixture by hand for 10 minutes OR in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (on low speed) for about 20 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic by the time you finish kneading. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a 9 x 17-inch rectangle. Place the square of butter on the bottom half of the rectangle.









Fold the top half of the rectangle of dough down over the bottom half so the square of butter is now enclosed. Press together the edges of the square to seal in the butter.









Gently roll the dough with a rolling pin to stretch the dough and the butter in it. Roll the dough into a 9 x 18-inch rectangle. Next, you want to fold the rectangle into thirds like a letter - start with a narrow end facing you.



















Then fold the top third down... You've now completed one "turn!"

Turn the dough so the single fold (like the spine of a book) is on your left.

You're now ready to start the second turn. Repeat the process shown above ..rolling the dough into a 9 x 18-inch rectangle, then folding the rectangle into thirds.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Once the dough has been refrigerated, remove it and repeat the above two "turns" - that will make for a total of four turns in all.
At this point, the dough is ready to be rolled out and used.
OR you can wrap in plastic and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before you shape and proof.
(note, 12-24 hours in the fridge before proofing improves the flavor of the dough).

Before you begin to shape the dough, line two large baking sheets with parchment.

Cut the dough in half. Look at all the layers you have created when you turned and rolled the dough!











On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of the dough into a 6 1/2 x 20-inch rectangle. The dough should be about 1/8 - 1/4-inch thick and look something like this:




Transfer each large rectangle onto one of the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.


Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer it back to your work surface with one of the long ends facing you. The next step is to measure and cut the triangles from the dough that will be formed into individual croissants.

Start on the left side of the bottom edge of the rectangle, measure 5 inches from the end and make a tiny notch to mark the base of the first triangle. Measure another 5 inches from that notch and make a second notch to mark the base of the second triangle.
Finally, repeat one more time - measure another 5 inches and make a notch. You should now have marked off three 5-inch sections. There will be about a 2 inch waste piece on the right end. Turn the dough and repeat the process of measuring on the other side of the dough (note, that the 2 inch waste pieces are on opposite ends when you finish.)











Now you will cut the croissants triangles to form the rolls. Use a large knife to cut the triangles by connecting the notches on the near and far sides. Like this…










Repeat this measuring and cutting process with your second rectangle so you have a total of 12 triangles.

Make a small slit in the base of the center of each triangle. Begin to roll the triangles to form the croissants by curling the two sides of the triangle on each side of the slit away from each other. You want to roll tightly. Using both hands, continue to roll the base of the triangle - one hand working with the dough on each side of the slit. Point your hands away from each other - at about 45 degree angles from center - as you roll. Rolling in this manner will help make the classic croissant shape.































Roll each triangle so the tip is underneath and then bend the 2 ends toward each other to form a shape like a little crab. You can see 3 distinct layers as the dough curls to form the croissant.
Arrange the croissants on a sheet pan and cover them with plastic wrap to proof.

You have several options for proofing: overnight in the fridge,
~3 hours in a cool place or
~1 hour in a warm place. I
It is recommended that overnight proofing is best because the croissants develop more flavor due to the slow rising time. (I proofed by shaping the rolls and placing them on parchment lined cooking sheet and refrigerated them overnight. I then removed them from the refrigerator and let them set at room temperature for 3 hours, coated them with the egg mixture and then baked them at 375 F. for 35 minutes. (one pan at a time) They turned out perfect.)

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Combine 1 egg with a splash of cream to form an egg wash and brush the proofed croissants. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the croissants are puffed and golden brown. Remove them to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before serving.

These are rolls ready for the egg wash. (Sorry, I did not get a picture of them with the egg wash before baking.)











Here are the same two rolls after baking 30 minutes. The rolls at the top of the post were baked for 35 minutes.

Freezer Dough

Want to have hot rolls for Sunday lunch without any mess?

Then just make these rolls on Saturday...place them in the refrigerator over night...take them out of the refrigerator and pre-heat your oven...bake rolls and...wahoo! Fresh hot rolls for lunch. Your family will think you are the best!

Use this basic freezer dough to make all sorts of bread dishes— Cinnamon Rolls, Orange rolls, Cinnamon Pull-aparts—Monkey bread, Pizza, Hamburger buns, Sandwich rollups, Bread etc.etc. etc.

You can even make this dough....shape into your desired shapes and freeze them to be used later. The crescent rolls and cinnamon rolls pictured, were made and frozen for 3 weeks before being baked.

Place in Large Mixing Bowl in the order listed:
2 c. flour
2 T. dry Yeast
½ c. sugar
2/3 c. dry powdered milk
1½ t. salt

In a 2 cup measuring cup pour in ½ cup oil and 1 ½ cups of hottest tap water. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and beat until well blended and smooth.
Add 2 eggs and 1 more cup of flour – Mix Well.
Add 2 more cups of flour and mix well. You may need to add ½ to 1 cup more of flour at this point – add about ¼ cup at a time. You want a soft smooth dough but not overly sticky.

Cover with saran wrap and let rest for 20-30
Punch down and shape.

Now you can:
cover the rolls with that same piece of saran wrap and place them in the refrigerator to bake within the next 24 hours
OR put them in the freezer to use in the next month
OR you can let them rise for a few minutes while the oven preheats and bake them.

Bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes.

If you put them in the refrigerator to bake later; when you take them out of refrigerator, remove the saran wrap, let them sit while the oven preheats, and then bake as directed above.

If they were in the freezer thaw and let rise (3 hours on the counter OR 8 hours in refrigerator) and then bake.


For Crescent rolls:

Punch the dough down and divide the dough into 3 even pieces. On a sprayed OR floured surface, roll each piece of dough into about a 10 inch circle (about ½ inch thick). Cut each circle into 8 pieces like cutting a pie. Then roll each piece starting at the widest edge to form a crescent roll. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Makes 24 rolls. (You can shape the dough in any way that you choose – crescent rolls are just my favorite shape.)

Zucchini Pizza

3-4 small zucchini or summer squash
1 small jar of spaghetti sauce
1- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb cooked sausage or pepperoni

At an angle, slice zucchini about 1/2 inch thick.
Place a single layer of zucchini on a greased foil lined cookie sheet.
Spread a small amount of spaghetti sauce on each slice of zucchini and top with sausage and cheese.

Place in oven under broiler and cook 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly toasted.

Serve zucchini pizza bites warm.

Strawberry Peach Salsa (Aubrey)

1 cup diced peaches (or peeled nectarines or mango)
2 cups diced strawberries
1/2 medium green bell pepper diced
1 sprig cilantro or parsley chopped
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar or splenda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large Roma tomatoes diced

Mix all ingredients together and chill before serving.
Serve with corn chips or Cinnamon toasted flour tortilla chips.

Cinnamon Tortilla Chips (Connie)

Spray Flour Tortillas with Pam. Sprinkle with Cinnamon and sugar.
Cut into wedges with pizza cutter.
Bake at 400 for 8 to 10 minutes.

Low Fat Master Baking Mix (Bisquick Substitute) (Marie)

Marie shared this recipe with me last year and it has become a favorite of mine so I decided to share it with you.

2 cups enriched all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 Tablespoons oat bran
1/2 cu nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cu canola oil
Mix dry ingredients in food processor using a metal blade or with an electric mixer. Slowly pour in the oil as the machine is running. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix thoroughly once again. Store in a covered container in the freezer. Makes 5 cups of mix., Use in recipes calling for Bisquick- type baking mix.

Here is one recipe to use with this mix.

Blueberry Scones
4 servings 1 WW point per serving
2/3 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/3 cup Low Fat Master baking mix
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup fat-free(skim) milk
1/2 cup blueberries
Combine first 5 ingredients. Fold in berries. Form into r mounds and bake on oil sprayed baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Easy Eclair Cake

Cake
1 1lb. box graham crackers
2 (3-1/4 oz) boxes instant white chocolate pudding
3 cup milk
1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping thawed

Grease the bottom of a 13X9 pan. Line with graham crackers squares.

In a bowl blend pudding and milk. Beat with mixer for approx.2 minutes.
Fold in whipped topping to pudding mixture.

Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour remaining pudding mixture over crackers and cover with another layer of a layer of crackers.

Frosting
Blend together:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3 Tablespoon butter softened
3 Tablespoon milk
2 teaspoon corn syrup
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whip until creamy.
Cover top layer of graham crackers with frosting and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving so the crackers can soften. (it is actually better if you wait 48 hours before serving)

Creamy Cheesy Ziti

In a skillet
1 lb ground beef
1 medium chopped onion
Set aside.(I like to add meat to this recipe but it is optional)

Blend together in a bowl:

2 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. cottage cheese

Boil salt water and add :

1 lb ziti (I used Trio Italiano pasta)

Cook until pasta is soft, but not cooked through. Drain pasta, rinse, and leave in colander.

Heat in a skillet:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
5 medium minced garlic cloves
Cook until fragrant but not browned.

Stir into skillet:
2 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz)can diced Italian Recipe tomatoes with garlic,oregano & basil
1 teaspoon dry oregano flakes
2 tablespoons dry basil flakes
Simmer until thick. Turn off heat and add:
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan stir to blend:
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup half and half
Bring to simmer and cook until slightly thickened.

Remove pot from heat and add:
1 cup tomato sauce mixture
all of the cottage cheese mixture
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese cut into 1/4 inch chunks
Cooked ground beef
Stir to combine. Add mixture to cooked pasta and coat thoroughly with sauce.
Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Transfer pasta mixture to baking dish. Top with remaining tomato sauce mixture and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese cut into 1/4 inch chunks
Cover pan tightly with foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown--30 to 45 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Staci's Vinaigrette and Fruit Green Salad

Staci made this for Easter and we all really enjoyed it...so I'm posting it for her:




Vinaigrette dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar


Blend together.


Drizzle dressing on mix of 1/2 Romaine and 1/2 Fresh Spinach. Toss in some craisins and fresh fruit of your choice (she used fresh raspberries) Top with some honey roasted slivered almonds.



**She made a large bowl of this and still had half the dressing left, so the dressing goes a long way!

Lite English Trufle

l angel food cake mix baked according to package directions.
When cool. Cut into 2x2 inch squares.
l large pkg. sugar free vanilla pudding made according to directions for pie.
Make Royal Danish Dessert following directions here only make it with 1/2 cup Splenda and 1/2 cup sugar. (Make it with the directions for topping a cake.)
4-5 bananas sliced
2-4 cups berries any berry you choose or a mix of different berries
(I used strawberries and raspberries)
Lite Cool Whip Topping

Put 1/3 cake squares in a large glass bowl. Pour 1/3 cooled Danish Dessert over cake and layer with bananas and berries. Top with 1/3 pudding. Repeat layers. Top with whipped topping and garnish with nuts or fruit.
Refrigerate for 4 hour and serve cold

Betsy's Balsamic Salad Dressing (Marie)

3 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. olive oil
1 T. canola oil
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 servings


It is especially good on the mixed green mix lettuces (as Scott
calls them "weeds" :) Cut up an apple add some cranraisins,or raisins and chopped walnuts or pecans and this dressing drizzled over it. Sometimes Betsey uses pears cut up instead of apples. We served it at our women's conference and it was a hit.I think it would be great with avocado and the salad mix too.

Pumpkin Mallow Dessert (Marie)

Serves: 8
Ingredients:
• 12 (2 1/2-inch) graham cracker squares
• 2 cups (one 16-ounce can) pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (4-serving) package JELL-O sugar-free vanilla cook-and-serve pudding mix
• 2/3 cup Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup (2 ounces) miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup Cool Whip Free
Directions:
1. Place 9 graham crackers in a 9-by-9-inch cake pan.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, dry pudding mix, dry milk powder, water, and marshmallows.
3. Cook over medium heat until mixture starts to boil and marsh-mallows are melted, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat. Place saucepan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
5. Gently fold Cool Whip Free into cooled pumpkin mixture. Carefully spread mixture evenly over graham crackers.
6. Crush remaining 3 graham crackers. Evenly sprinkle cracker crumbs over top.
7. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut into 8 servings.
Tips: A self-seal sandwich bag works great for crushing graham crackers.
Calories: 104 Fat: 0g Carbs: 23g Protein: 3g Fiber: 2g Sodium: 133mg

From COOKING HEALTHY WITH THE KIDS IN MIND by JoAnna Lund. Used by arrangement with Perigee, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright © 1998 by Healthy Exchanges, Inc.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2/3 C flour
1/3 C corn starch
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/8 t cinnamon
6 T granulated sugar
1 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C mini chocolate chips
Combine flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl blend together sugar, milk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Use a wire whisk for a minute so it gets a little frothy.

Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry a little at a time, stirring to combine. Just stir until they're combined and don't over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips. This is a pretty thin batter, so don't be expecting something that looks like a pancake batter. It's supposed to be thin.

Ginger Spice Cookies

If you like the flavor of ginger snap cookies you're going to love the yummy chewy texture of these cookies.

cookie recipe by Paula Deen


3/4 C Butter flavored Crisco (not butter)
1 C sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1/4 C molasses
2 C flour
2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer, combine shortening and sugar and cream until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the molasses and beat until completely incorporated.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt;then add to the creamed mixture. Stir until combined. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar.

Place on cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set around the edges and you start to see "crackling" on the top.
Don't overbake! You want to keep them nice and chewy-soft in the middle.

I did a little twist on this recipe.... so here goes
I took those little one inch balls of ginger spice dough (did not roll these in sugar first) and placed each one in the greased cup of a mini muffin tin. I then pressed the dough to form a cup in the muffin tin and baked them for 9 minutes in the oven.
After they were cooled I put the following filling in each ginger spice cup.
They make a little mini ginger snap cheese cake. Yummmmmmy

Spicy Cream Cheese Filling
1 pkg low fat cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8oz pkg thawed cool whip
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend with mixer until smooth.
Fill up a pastry bag with this mixture and fill the mini muffin cookies like this....



You can use this filling and just dip the Ginger Spice Cookies in it. It is really yummy that way too. See the picture at the top of this post.

Creamy Carameled Apple Dip

Mom made this...now we do and love it!



Beat caramel and cream cheese together (cream cheese needs to be at room temp.)

Refrigerate and enjoy with fresh cut apples.

BUDGET COOKING (Marie)

It's the perfect season for bean salads. They're easy on the budget, a snap to prepare and they happen to be good for you. What could be better? If you cook your own dried beans (it's much easier than you think), you'll spend roughly a third of what canned beans cost. As for that nutritional profile, beans score high marks in everything from protein and fiber to carbohydrates, B vitamins and iron- all with very little fat.
To Prepare Dried Beans
Put them into a colander, pick out any small pebbles and rinse well under cold running water. Except for lentils and split peas, dried beans need to be soaked before cooking.
So... Soak beans overnight, refrigerated, in water to cover them by 3".
Or.... Cover beans with water by 3". Bring to a boil, turn off heat and let stand 1 hour.
Either way, be sure to drain off the soaking water and rinse the beans before you cook them. (This step really helps to reduce intestinal gas.)

To Cook Dried Beans
Add 3 c. Water to each cup of soaked beans in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently 1 & 1/2 hr- 2 & 1/2 hrs until tender but not mushy. If desired, add 1/4 tsp. Salt for each cup of beans about 30 min. Before end of cooking time. Drain and cool or freeze.

**********
Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing
2 C. Vegetable oil
1 & 1/2 c. Cider vinegar
3 T. Dijon Mustard
2 t. Salt
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Sugar
Puut ingredients into a 1-qt. Jar with a tight-fittling lid. Cover & shake until well blended. Makes 3 & 3/4 C. About 65 calories per tablespoon. This dressing will keep well up to 1 mo. In the refrigerator.

************
Tuscan Bean & Bread
2c. Each red kidney beans and chickpeas
4c. Cubed Italian bread
4c. Chopped tomatoes
1c. Chopped red onion
1/2 c. Muustard Vinaigrette
1 & 1/2 tsp. Dried basil
Serves 4 as a main dish.

***********************
Pike's Bean
3 c. Small red beans
2 c. Cooked corn kernels
1 & 1/2 c. Chopped bell pepper
3/4 c chopped onion
1/3 c Mustard Vinaigrette
1 & 1/2 tsp. Bottled barbecue sauce
Serves 4 as a main dish.
(This is also great served with hot dogs & buns.)