Croissants

I have had pretty much no omni food cravings in the last year that I have been vegan except croissants. I never used to eat croissants much, but they are one of those foods that I always ate on holidays & I do love them. When I read the recipe on Shmooed Food they seemed like a whole lot of work & I was concerned that they wouldn't work for me but with a free Saturday afternoon I decided to give them a go & they were soooo good! They weren't as light as I remember normal croissants to be but they are still delicious. We ate some with Redwood Cheatin' ham & tofutti cheese slices & some with my homemade apple & fig jam - both were really tasty.

Recipe from Shmooed Food is below - it is a long process but they are not at all difficult to make!

makes 16

1 ¼ cups plain soy milk, warmed
2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
1 TB sugar
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white flour)
¾ cup nuttelex

Put the milk into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and yeast and whisk to dissolve. Let the yeast mixture sit for a few minutes until foamy.

Mix together the flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and stir until a sticky dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a liberally floured surface and knead for a few strokes, just long enough to form a smooth dough. Add flour as needed.

Roll the dough out with a floured rolling pin into a rectangle, about 9 x 14 inches.

Put the margarine between two sheets of wax paper and roll out into a 6 x 8 rectangle. Peel off the wax paper and place the margarine on the bottom half of the dough. Fold the bottom, sides, and top half over the margarine, encasing it completely. Sprinkle the dough with flour, cover with plastic or place in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

First turn: place the dough on a liberally floured work surface and roll out with a floured rolling pin using firm, smooth strokes. Roll out to 9 x 14, then fold the bottom and top halves in towards the center (like folding up a letter). Sprinkle with flour, cover with plastic again, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Second turn: repeat as above, refrigerating for 45 minutes.

Third turn: repeat as above, refrigerating for 45 minutes.

Shape the croissants: Line a baking sheet with parchment and spray with nonstick spray and set aside. Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface to about 10 x 20. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut into eight squares. Cut each square in half diagonally to form 16 triangles.

Pull the top triangle point out a little to lengthen, then start at the bottom of the triangle and roll it up tightly. Tuck the tip under and curve the edges in a bit to form a croissant shape (I give each one a little squish at the end to help hold the shape). Repeat with the remaining croissants, placing them on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Spray the croissants with nonstick spray, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours, until light and puffy.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220º. (I think I ended up turning my oven down)

Bake the croissants for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190º and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.