Liz Bakes for You: Croissants by Claire Saffitz x NYTimes
(this post contains amazon affiliate links—which basically means I’ll link you through to the products I suggest and then if you buy them by following that link I will get a small little “thank you” commission from amazon. You can find all these at the bottom in the resources area. And, yes, Amazon is tracking how good my links do and will take back my ability to link to product and make money this way if within 180 days I’m not performing well enough. Yay!)
These aren’t worth the effort…
if all you’re looking to do is eat a croissant. Just head to Costco, buy a giant pack of them and eat them strategically over the course of two to three days as you accidentally watch 4 seasons of the Nanny without realizing it.
However, if you enjoy doing things simply to say you’ve done them, for the sense of accomplishment, nay the sense of superiority, this recipe is the one for you. Luckily for you guys, I count myself (and my ego) in the camp of “do it just to say you did” and found myself choosing Claire Saffitz x NYTimes at-home Croissant recipe for my first Project Bake for Liz Bakes for You. Ah yes, a mountain to climb, ideal!
Laminated dough isn’t really my thing. I’ve attempted croissants twice previously, 5 and 6 years ago for reference. Included for your viewing pleasure are the previous attempts. Clearly, Frodo has been my # 1 model since before the days of Orlandough. So croissant….they require a weird amount of patience which I don’t naturally possess. Conveniently, I’ve been able to tap into some patience thanks to all the mornings I’ve spent standing in front of oil frying donuts for hours on end to make my living.
The biggest annoyance about making this recipe years later with the benefit of professional experience was that they came out OK. The whole time I was making them I was thinking (and saying out loud) this is not going well. These are going to be terrible. And then they go and have the AUDACITY to be cute.
How annoying is that? I made sure to accidentally burn them ALL on them bottoms to make up for them not being a disaster. Take that, croissants.
So let’s revisit if you should attempt these: I think it’s worth watching me make them and then, with the video experience for reference, address the following questions: Do you have multiple days off coming up (hello, July 4th)? Do you like projects that you can eat? Do you mind feeling like you’re not smart and having to read instructions through a few times and still not understanding them? If you answered “yes” to the previous questions, you may want to make croissants at home.
Ringer question: do you have a desire to make a tiny little croissant to feed to an EQUALLY tiny dog, named Pig? Because if you do, then that alone is worth the 24 hours, over-night, hours-long process of making croissants at home. I know it was enough for me, in the end.
It’s not worth me reiterating the recipe here as I can’t do better than Claire did on NYTimes. I realize that’s a bit of a pain as NYTimes has a paywall after a few free views. But here we are. They simply do it better. I’ve linked all the resources below that I think will help you on your croissant journey if you choose to walk down that winding path.
Resources 🥐💁♀️🙂
Links!
Recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022053-croissants
Accompanying Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/dining/croissant-recipes.html
Accompanying Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpwY3nmLLaA
My Kitchen Tools Suggestions!
Kitchen Scale (this one is well reviewed on Amazon. But similar to the one I use it requires AAA batteries and honestly I hate having to change them out, it’s a process... There are rechargeable ones as well if that’s your preference)
Bench Scraper (this one has inch measurements on it which are great for donut letters (class coming soon!))
Bowl Scraper (set of two) (two seems like too many but these work so much better than spatulas for getting dough out of bowls and you might just get addicted to using them and need both…)
Rising Pan Options: similar to what I use here (set of two) and exact ones I use here but not an affiliate link
Cooling Pans and Racks (set of two, perfect for this batch and other cooling and glazing needs!)
