Sausage Croissant for a Hearty Meal
◈ Hidden Sausage Delight – Making Sausage Croissants
These aren’t just ordinary croissants; they’re packed with sausage, making them a satisfying meal substitute. While they might seem challenging to make at home, they’re worth trying as a special treat once in a while. The combination of flaky pastry and savory sausage is truly delightful!
Croissant Dough Ingredients
- 360g Bread Flour
- 90g Cake Flour
- 200g Cold Water
- 11g Active Dry Yeast
- 9g Salt
- 67g Sugar
- 45g Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
- 13g Skim Milk Powder
- 1 large Egg (approx. 50g)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, sift the bread flour and cake flour together into a bowl at least twice for a lighter texture. On one side of the bowl, add the salt, sugar, and active dry yeast, ensuring they don’t directly touch each other. Keeping the yeast separate from salt and sugar initially helps maintain its activity.
Step 2
Gently stir the dry ingredients with a spatula or your hand until they are combined. Then, create a small well in the center and crack in the egg. Begin to incorporate the egg into the flour mixture until it’s partially combined and you have a shaggy dough.
Step 3
Don’t add all the cold water at once. Gradually add about half of the water to the dough and mix until it starts to come together. Continue adding the remaining water little by little, mixing after each addition, until you achieve a smooth, soft, and manageable dough. Adjust the water amount based on your flour’s absorption.
Step 4
Add the softened butter (45g) to the dough. Although butter can make the dough seem wetter, it contributes significantly to the croissant’s sheen and tender crumb. It’s generally recommended to add fats like butter towards the end of the mixing process, as they can sometimes hinder the flour’s hydration.
Step 5
Now, we’ll skip the first proofing and proceed directly to shaping. Sprinkle your work surface generously with flour (bread flour is good for this). Place the dough on the floured surface and roll it out evenly. Be careful not to roll it too thinly, as it needs to be sturdy enough to encase the butter. Aim for a thickness of about 2-3mm.
Step 6
Cut the 350g of butter for lamination into a size that roughly matches your rolled-out dough. Place the butter slab onto one half of the dough. Carefully fold the other half of the dough over the butter, creating a sealed package. Pinch the edges firmly to prevent any butter from leaking out during the rolling process.
Step 7
Gently roll out the dough package in one direction only. This is crucial for developing the layers. Once you have a long rectangle, perform a ‘letter fold’ or ‘tri-fold’. This involves folding one-third of the dough over the middle section, then folding the remaining third over that.
Step 8
This single folding and rolling process counts as one ‘tri-fold’. Repeat this entire process of rolling out and tri-folding a total of 3 to 4 times. Between each fold, ensure you brush off any excess flour from the surface of the dough. This is a critical step to ensure that the layers of dough adhere properly and create distinct flaky layers.
Step 9
After completing 3 to 4 tri-folds, roll the dough out to a uniform thickness of about 2-3mm. Aim for a large rectangle, approximately 40cm x 40cm. Carefully cut this large square in half vertically using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. You will now have two long rectangles, each measuring about 40cm x 20cm.
Step 10
Take one of the long rectangular pieces of dough (40cm x 20cm). Now, you will cut this into long, isosceles triangles. Measure and mark along one of the 40cm sides so that the base of each triangle is 10cm wide, and the height is 20cm. Cut from the top point down to the base to create these triangular shapes. You should get about 8 triangles.
Step 11
Make a small slit, about 2cm long, in the center of the base (the 10cm side) of each triangle. Place a sausage at the slit. Starting from the base and rolling towards the pointed tip, carefully roll up the dough around the sausage. Ensure the sausage is completely enclosed within the dough.
Step 12
Arrange the rolled sausage croissants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving ample space between each one for expansion. Place the tray in your oven set to the ‘proof’ setting, or in a warm place covered with plastic wrap, and let them proof for about 30 minutes. They should visibly puff up.
Step 13
Once proofed, brush the tops of the croissants evenly with the prepared egg wash. This will give them a beautiful golden-brown color and a glossy finish when baked. Preheat your oven to 180-190°C (350-375°F). Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the croissants are golden brown, puffed up, and feel crisp to the touch. Adjust baking time and temperature as needed based on your oven’s performance.