Croissants with Jam / Chocolate

This is a very easy recipe for croissants with jam / chocolate that I used to make during my high school years. The original French croissants recipe is usually more time-consuming as the dough must be chilled several times before making the actual croissant. We usually prefer chocolate / jam croissants over the plain ones (with no filling). You can fill them with jams, melted chocolate or hazelnut spreads like Nutella.

Ingredients (24 croissants)

• 350 ml milk
• 110 g (1 butter stick) unsalted butter
• 550 g (4.5 cups) all purpose flour
• 3 tsp active dry yeast (~20 g)
• 6-7 Tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• a pinch of salt
• 1 beaten egg for brushing the top of the croissants
• jam (~1 tsp per croissant) or melted chocolate or Nutella
• icing sugar  for dusting (optional)

Directions

Mix butter, milk (save 5 tablespoons of milk) and sugar in a saucepan and place it over medium heat until butter is melted. Let it cool until just warm.

In a small bowl combine dry yeast with 1 tablespoon of sugar and the remaining milk (5 tablespoons you saved earlier). Mix for 1 minute to dissolve the yeast and let it rest for 5-7 minutes.

In a large bowl place the white flour and make a hole in the centre. Add the salt, the remaining sugar and the egg. Pour the lukewarm milk mixture over flour and the yeast.

Mix to incorporate all ingredients with a spoon. Then knead with your hands for about 5 minutes, until dough will not stick to your hands.

Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm spot. Allow dough to rise until double in size (~40 minutes).

Cut the dough into three equal parts.

Roll one part of the dough into a circle (approximately 25-28 cm in diameter) and cut it to form 8 triangles.

Place 1 tsp of jam (I used plum jam), melted chocolate or Nutella at the wide end of the dough and then roll from wide end to point.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).  Place the croissants about 2.5 cm (1”) apart in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Before placing in the oven, brush the top of the croissants with the beaten egg. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until brown.

Remove from the oven and dust the croissants with icing sugar.