Apple Cider Croissants

Filled with an apple cider pastry cream

This might be my favorite fall treat I’ve ever created. An airy croissant made with apple cider and a cinnamon butter block. Then filled with a slightly sweet pastry cream with a base of apple cider. It is the epitome of a fall treat.

This recipe makes 6 croissants.

DOUGH

-80g starter

-100g apple cider

-30g brown sugar

-1 egg

-260g flour

-5g salt

-25g room temperature butter

Mix all of the above in a bowl except butter.
Create a shaggy dough, with no loose flour.
Add in butter and gently do slap and folds to work the butter in.
Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
Do a series of stretch and folds.
Cover and put in the refrigerator 6-8 hours.

CINNAMON BUTTER BLOCK

Fold your parchment paper into an 8”x 8” square. Pull out about 24” of parchment.
Use your ruler to make the measurements and fold. (See pictures below)

Put your ruler in the middle and pull the edge to the 8” mark. Create the fold.

Spin your ruler around and line your edge up to the 8” mark.

Fold the other end over and create the fold.

You now have your 8” x 8” butter square. When it’s time to fill. Open your square up completely. Place butter in the center square and refold the parchment back together. Flip so the flap side is down.

CINNAMON BUTTER BLOCK INGREDIENTS

-175g cold butter

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place butter in center square and sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Fold parchment back up and flip, so flap side is down.
Gently smack your butter with a rolling pin, to warm it up and spread it out.
Roll out butter until your square is completely filled and butter seems evenly distributed.
Place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes while you roll out your dough.

CREATING YOUR CROISSANTS

Remove croissant dough from the fridge
Dump out onto a floured surface.
Roll the dough out into a square roughly 10”x10”.
Remove butter from refrigerator. It should be cool and pliable. Let rest at room temperature for a few minutes if it is not.
Place the butter block in the center of the square of dough. You want to rotate it so it is in a diamond shape.
Fold the edges of the dough into the center of the block. Completely enveloping it.

Folding edges into the center of the butter block.

Pinch seams and let rest for about 10 minutes.
After the rest, roll dough out to approximately 18” long and 10” wide.
Do a single fold. Fold the top down 2/3 of the way, then bring the bottom up to the top of first the fold. Making it approximately 10” x 6”.
Remember to gently brush excess flour before folding layers. And lightly mist with water.
Then fold in half again making a rough 10” x 3” rectangle of dough.
Wrap well and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Remove and place on a lightly floured surface.
Roll the dough back out until it is approximately 18” x 3”.
Do another single fold.
Wrap well and place in the refrigerator 8 hours or over night.
Remove dough and let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Unwrap and place on a well floured surface.
Roll out to approximately 11” x 11” and 1/4 inch thick.
Trim off the dough edges to make it approximately 10” x 10.5”.
Using a ruler make an indentation every 3.5 inches on the 10.5 inch length. On the top and the bottom.
Use your ruler to connect the top and bottom indents, creating a straight line.
Cut into rectangles.

Take the ruler and line up the top left corner and bottom right corner to create your triangles.

Mist dough lightly with water.

Roll the croissant up starting at the widest edge.
Roll up until the tip is under the bottom.
Place the croissants on a parchment lined tray.
I place a tall thin jar in the middle-ish of the tray and slide into a turkey size Reynolds’s oven bag.
Secure the edges with clips.

Allow to proof for 16-18 hours. Can take up to 24 depending on your home temperature. Or until at least doubled in size, layers separating and jiggly.
Preheat oven to 400°f.
Do an egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 TBS water or cream)
Bake for 20-25 minutes on the middle rack.
Let cool.

APPLE CIDER PASTRY CREAM

1.25 cup apple cider

1.5 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

6 TBS cornstarch

2 large egg yolks

Combine 1.5 cups cream, 1/2 cup apple cider, and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a sauce pan.
Cook over medium heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved, it is steaming, and small bubble form around the edges.
In a separate bowl whisk 3/4 cup apple cider, 6 TBS cornstarch, and 2 egg yolks.
Pour 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking well. Tempering the eggs. repeat.
Take the tempered egg yolk mixture and slowly pour into the hot cream. Whisking constantly.
Whisk, until the pastry cream has thickened into a pudding consistency.
Remove from heat and transfer to bowl.
Let rest for 30 minutes , stirring every 10 minutes or so to keep a skin from forming.
Place plastic wrap directly on top of cream and refrigerate until chilled.
When ready to serve. Place in a piping bag and fill the croissants
If you do not have a piping bag place in a Ziploc bag and trim the corner. Use a chopstick to create a hole in the side of the croissant wiggle it around to create space then fill the croissant.