THE CRONUT PROJECT

When my Dominique Ansel book arrived, I was so excited to try these out. For the first time, Ansel has published his secret recipes for his trademark CRONUTS. He is a genius, an artist and an innovator. He is my new hero in the world of desserts. No one can come close to him.

However, the CRONUT recipe is in the ADVANCED section after he suggests you attempt his beginner and intermediate recipes.

It is a PROJECT as far as I'm concerned as it will take 3 days to make these delicious CRONUT. Make sure you have all the utensils, and the right ingredients.

And as Ansel stated in his book " The Secret Recipes", Time is an ingredient!!! Have patience when you attempt it.

Ingredients:

CRONUT Pastry dough:
3 3/4 cups, plus more for dusting as needed - Bread flour
1 tbs + 2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 cup + 1 tbs Granulated Sugar
1 tbs + 1 1/2 tsp Instant Yeast (preferably SAF Gold Label)
1 cup + 2 tbs Cold Water
1 large egg white
8 tbs Unsalted butter (84% butterfat softened)
1 tbs Heavy Cream
Non stick cooking spray as needed
3 DAYS!

Butter Block:
18 tbs Unsalted Butter (84% butterfat, softened)

TWO DAYS BEFORE

MAKE PASTRY DOUGH

1. Combine the bread flour, salt, sugar, yeast, water, egg whites, butter, and cream in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until just combined, about 3 mins. When finished the dough will be rough and have very little gluten development.

2. Lightly grease a medium bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the dough, to prevent a skin from forming. Proof the dough in a warm spot until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.

3. Remove the plastic wrap and punch down the dough by folding the edges into the center, releasing as much of he gas as possible. On a parchment paper, shape into a 10 inch (25cm) square. Transfer to a sheet pan, still on the parchment paper, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

MAKE BUTTER BLOCK

Draw a 7-inch (18cm) square on a piece of parchment paper with a pencil. Flip the parchment over so that the butter won't come in contact with the pencil marks. Place the butter in the center of the square and spread it evenly with on offset spatula to fill the square. Refrigerate overnight.

ONE DAY BEFORE

LAMINATE

1. Remove the butter from the refrigerator. It should still be soft enough to bend slightly without cracking. If it is still too firm, lightly beat it with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface until it becomes pliable. Make sure to press the butter back to its original 7-inch (18cm) square after working it.

2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, making sure it is very cold throughout. Place the dough on a floured surface. Using the rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 10-inc (25.5cm) square about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Arrange the butter block in the center of the dough so it looks like a diamond in the center of the square (rotated 45 degrees, with the corners of the dough up and over to the center of the butter inside. You should have a square slightly larger than the butter block.

3. Very lightly dust the work surface with flour to ensure the dough doesn't stick. With a rolling pin, using steady, even pressure, roll out the dough square about 1/4 inch (6mm) thick.

4. Fold the dough in half horizontally, making sure to line up the edges so you are left with a rectangle. Then fold the dough vertically. You should havea  10-inch (25.5cm) squre of dough with 4 layers. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

THE DAY OF

CUT DOUGH

1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 15 inch (40cm) square about 1/2 inch (1.3cm) thick. Transfer the dough to a half sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour to relax.

2. Using a 3 1/2 inch (9cm) ring cutter, cut 12 rounds. Cut out the center of each round with a 1 inch (2.5cm) ring cutter, to create the doughnut shape.

3. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly dust the parchment with flour. Place the Cronut pastries on the pan, spacing them about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap with nonstick spray and lay it on top of the pastries. Proof in a warm spot until it tripled in size, about 2 hours.

FRY DOUGH

1. Heat grapeseed oil in a large pot until it reaches 350 deg F (175 deg C). Use a deep frying thermometer to verify that the oil is at the right temperature. Line a platter with several layers of paper towels for draining the pastries.

2. Gently place 3 or 4 of them at a time into the hot oil. Fry for about 90 seconds on each side, flipping once, until golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Mix sugar and cinnamon and coat these CRONUTS!!

Enjoy!