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The following news story could cause gluttons to have intense and uncontrolled foodgasms and excessive drooling.
It's always more fun to DIY. Today, Julie Van Rosendaal from Dinner with Julie shows us how to make cronuts.
Yes, I made
cronuts. I jumped on the bandwagon. Turns out, everyone's right. I might pay $40 for one of these on the black market.
Not since Krispy Kreme
have I seen this level of fried dough fanaticism. In the month since
their inception tons of copycats have popped up -- since the name is
copyrighted, others are calling theirs
"Dossaints" or "CroNots" -- and
in New York, lineups are going around the block for the things, which
are also being sold on the black market. It's full-on cronut mania.
>>RELATED: Crazy good Croissant French Toast
Madness, I tell you. But I'm always up for a challenge, and we
really need to start warming up for Stampede. So I took out the deep
fryer. (Note: you don't need one. A pot works just as well.)
Puff pastry
sounds daunting to make from scratch, but it's really a matter of
mixing together a basic yeasted dough, slathering it with butter, and
then folding it up like a letter a bunch of times, rolling and chilling
between each fold. It isn't as finnicky as you might think, particularly
when the end result is a batch of buttery, golden croissoughnuts.
Homemade Cronuts (a.k.a. Croissoughnuts)
Inspired by Dominique Ansel Bakery
Makes 1 dozen
Dough
3/4 cups milk, warmed 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 1/3 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided) 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, at room temperature Maple Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, cream or water
In a large bowl, stir together the milk and yeast. Stir in the
sugar, eggs, and vanilla and mix well. Add a cup of the flour and the
salt, then gradually add another 2 1/4 cups of the flour, stirring and
then kneading for a few (or several) minutes, until it's smooth and
elastic, and still a little tacky.
Transfer your dough to a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap; chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat the butter and remaining 1/4 cup flour with an
electric mixer for a couple minutes, scraping down the sides of the
bowl, until smooth.
When the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured
surface and roll into a rectangle that is about 13 by 18 inches and
1/4-inch thick. Spread the butter evenly over the dough.
Fold it as you would fold a letter, in thirds. (Unlike a letter, the
dough ends should line up, so that it's folded exactly in thirds.)
Cover the dough in plastic wrap and put it back into the fridge for 30
minutes.
Pull the dough out and put it back on the countertop, with the open
sides to the left and right. Roll it out into another rectangle.
Fold the left third over the middle, then the right third over the
middle. (This is referred to as a "turn". To keep track of each fold --
or turn -- press your finger into the dough at the edge to make two
marks -- you can do this each time you roll and fold so that you know
how many times you've done it.) Chill the dough for another 30 minutes.
Roll, fold, and refrigerate the dough two more times, so that you've
done it four times total. Cover and refrigerate for at an hour, or
overnight.
Then, roll your dough out to 1- to 2-inch thickness, then cut it into rounds, or rings, or scraps.
In a heavy pot (or deep fryer), heat a couple inches of oil to about
350° F, or until it's hot but not smoking, and a scrap of bread sizzles
when you dip it in. Cook the doughnuts in batches, without crowding the
pot (this can cool down the oil), flipping as necessary until deep
golden. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a paper towel.
Meanwhile, whisk together the icing sugar, maple syrup, and enough
milk, water, or cream to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the
croissoughnuts while they're still warm. Then try not to eat the whole
batch.
Photos by Julie Van Rosendaal
