“I love making this recipe . . . because—what can I say?—it changed the world. This is a version designed for the home cook.” Dominique Ansel
Skill level | Advanced
Time | 1 hourtwo days before; 1 hour one day before; 2 hours the day of
Yield |12 At-Home Cronut pastries
Timeline
2 Days Before |Make ganache, At-Home Cronut pastry dough, and butter block
1 Day Before |Laminate
The Day Of | Cut and fry dough; make glaze and flavored sugar; assemble
Ingredients
Pastry dough
525g bread flour, plus extra for dusting
6g kosher salt
64g granulated sugar
11g instant yeast (preferably SAF Gold Label)
250g water, cold
1 egg white, large
112g unsalted butter, softened
15g heavy cream
Nonstick cooking spray, as needed
Butter block
251g unsalted butter
Grapeseed oil
Decorating sugar of your choice
Method
TWO DAYS BEFORE
Ganache
Prepare one of the ganache recipesand refrigerate until needed.
Cronutpastry dough
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 minutes. When finished the dough will be rough and have very little gluten development.
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.
Remove the plastic wrap and punch down the dough by folding the edges into the center, releasing as much of the gas as possible. On a piece of parchment paper, shape into a 10-inch (25 cm) square. Transfer to a sheet pan, still on the parchment paper, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Butter block
Draw a 7-inch (18 cm) 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 an offset spatula to fill the square. Refrigerate overnight.
ONE DAY BEFORE
Laminate
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 (18 cm) square after working it.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, making sure it is very cold throughout. Place the dough on a floured work surface. Using the rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 10-inch (25.5 cm) 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 butter block facing the center of the dough sides). Pull the corners of the dough up and over to the center of the butter block. Pinch the seams of dough together to seal the butter inside. You should have a square slightly larger than the butter block.
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 from the center. When finished, you should have a 20-inch (50 cm) square about 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) thick.*
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 have a 10-inch (25.5 cm) square of dough with 4 layers. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Repeat steps 3 and 4. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
THE DAY OF
Cut dough
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 15-inch (40 cm) square about 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) thick. Transfer the dough to a half sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour to relax.
Using a 31⁄2-inch (9 cm) ring cutter, cut 12 rounds. Cut out the center of each round with a 1-inch (2.5 cm) ring cutter to create the doughnut shape.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly dust the parchment with flour. Place the At-Home CronutTM 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 tripled in size, about 2 hours.
Fry dough
Heat the grapeseed oil in a large pot until it reaches 350°F (175°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.
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 the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper towels.
Check that the oil is at the right temperature. If not, let it heat up again before frying the next batch. Continue until all of them are fried.
Let cool completely before filling.
Glaze
Prepare the glaze (recipe here)that corresponds to your choice of ganache.
Flavoured sugar
Prepare the decorating sugar (recipe here) that corresponds to your choice of ganache.
Assemble
Transfer the ganache to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk. Whip on high speed until the ganache holds a stiff peak. (If using the Champagne- chocolate ganache, simply whisk it until smooth. It will be quite thick already.)
Cut the tip of a piping bag to snugly fit the Bismarck tip. Using a rubber spatula, place 2 large scoops of ganache in a piping bag so that it is one- third full. Push the ganache down toward the tip of the bag.
Place the decorating sugar that corresponds to your choice of ganache and glaze in a bowl.
Arrange each At-Home CronutTM pastry so that the flatter side is facing up. Inject the ganache through the top of the pastry in four different spots, evenly spaced. As you pipe the ganache, you should feel the pastry getting heavier in your hand.
Place the pastry on its side. Roll in the corresponding sugar, coating the outside edges.
If the glaze has cooled, microwave it for a few seconds to warm until soft. Cut the tip of a piping bag to snugly fit a #803 plain tip. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the glaze to the bag. Push the glaze down toward the tip of the bag.
Pipe a ring of glaze around the top of each At-Home Cronut pastry, making sure to cover all the holes created from the filling. Keep in mind that the glaze will continue to spread slightly as it cools. Let the glaze set for about 15 minutes before serving.
FromDOMINIQUEANSEL: The Secret Recipes byDominiqueAnsel. Copyright 2014 byDominiqueAnsel. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All Rights Reserved.