Learn How to Bake Croissants at Home with Claire Saffitz

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New York Times food writer Claire Saffitz is here to be your pandemic baking fairy godmother. In this video, you’ll learn how to make four different types of croissants. “This is perfect for a weekend baking project,” she explains, as these marvelous pastries take two days to make. But don’t worry, they’re well worth it.

“I’ve never had a bigger thrill than when I pulled out a beautiful, golden, puffy, gorgeous layered croissant from my oven.”

Croissants, which are a type of viennoiserie, are “laminated,” meaning they are made using a specific baking technique that involves rolling butter into dough to create micro layers of butter that make the final product flaky and delicious.

“The flavor of croissants is butter, so that’s where you want to go for the highest quality stuff you can find.” Your best bet is probably Kerrygold, which is great for beating with a rolling pin (this is a great recipe for stress release).

Once you’ve mastered plain croissants, try your hand at ham and cheese, pain au chocolat, or almond, while you listen to Saffitz wax poetic about her perfect creations.

“There are few baked goods I can think of that hit as many textural notes as a croissant. It is this miraculous combination of extremely rich and very light.”

What the video, here. 

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