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Croissants

So, i started at 2pm...

...and 11 hours later, i had a 16-strong space armada.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups vegan butter, at room temperature* (we like Earth Balance buttery sticks)


• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast (or 1 T + 2 tsp of dry yeast)


• 1/4 cup lukewarm water


• 4 cups + 2 T all-purpose flour


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 1 cup non-dairy milk


• 1/2 cup non-dairy heavy cream (we like Silk creamer)


• For the wash: melt 1 T of butter with 1 T of cream

Yield: 16 5-inch croissants

*Take the butter out and leave on the counter for about 15 minutes so that it's pliable, but still solid and not oily.

Mix 2 T of flour into the softened butter (either with a bowl and spoon or with the mixer). Be careful not to mix it so much that the butter ends up whipped. Put the butter on a piece of parchment paper and shape it into a 6-inch square. Fold the parchment paper around the butter and refrigerate.

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Set aside for 10 minutes so that it becomes frothy.

Meanwhile, combine 2 cups of the flour with the salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Heat the milk and the heavy cream to lukewarm. Add the yeast, milk, and cream to the flour mixture and stir well.

Using the hook attachment on the mixer, slowly add in the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time, making sure to scrape the bowl regularly. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, kneading until smooth (~5-8 minutes). Refrigerate the dough in a covered bowl for an hour.

Take both the square of butter out of the refrigerator and leave out for about 10 minutes. This will ensure the butter is cool, but not cold. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, shape the dough into a 10-inch square. Center the butter on the dough, offset by 45 degrees so that the corners of the butter point to the straight sides of the dough. Fold each corner of the dough towards the center, pinching the open edges together to seal.

Re-flour the board as necessary to ensure the dough doesn't stick. Starting from the center of the square, gently roll the dough into an 8"x24" rectangle. Flip the dough over every few strokes to ensure the dough is rolled out evenly on the top and bottom layers. If the butter starts to ooze, wrap the dough and chill for 30 minutes before trying again.

Position the dough so that the 8-inch long sides are at the top and bottom of your board. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down so that the dough resembles a letter. Make sure to brush off any excess flour before each fold. Gently press the dough together so that the folds are in contact but be careful not to press so hard that the layers become one.

Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for an hour. Let it warm up for about 10 minutes before rolling it out. Place the dough on the surface so that the open ends are at the top and bottom. Roll into an 8"x24" rectangle. Fold in thirds as before. Refrigerate for an hour.

After rolling the dough out for the third time, instead of folding it into thirds, fold the top and bottom so that they meet, but don't overlap, in the middle. Now, fold the dough in half by bringing the top and bottom edges together - this is called the "book fold" because now the dough resembles a thick book. Refrigerate for an hour.

For the fourth and final turn, roll and fold into a letter again. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Divide the dough in half, putting one half back in the refrigerator. Roll the half into a 9"x21" rectangle, trying to keep the edges as square as possible. Lift the dough up from the surface to allow the edges to shrink, forming an 8"x20", 1/4-inch thick rectangle**. Using a ruler, mark 5-inch intervals along both of the long edges. With a sharp knife, line up the ruler along the markings and cut the dough into 4 5-inch wide rectangles. Now cut the rectangles in half diagonally from corner to corner, giving you 8 triangles.

Make a 1-inch notch in the center of the base of each triangle. This will help the dough bend into a crescent shape. With the base closest to you, roll the dough towards the tip, applying enough pressure so that the layers stick together without smearing. Keep the tip tucked under the dough. Bend the legs into the middle and gently press together (they're really cute like this. like little armored robot crabs). During proofing, the ends will come apart, forming a crescent. Place the rolled croissants onto parchment-lined baking sheets, allowing room for the dough to expand.

Repeat with the remaining triangles and then with the unrolled half of dough. Cover and place in a turned off oven for 1-2 hours to proof.

Remove the trays from the oven. Move the racks so that there is one on the top third and one on the bottom third. Preheat the oven to 425degF. Brush the croissants with the wash. Bake the croissants for 10 minutes, then switch the trays and bake for an additional 10 minutes. The croissants will be quite brown. Cool on a rack.

**Sticklers will want to use a ruler and trim all the edges into nice straight lines before measuring and cutting the dough for the croissants, but i say they taste just as good with rough edges. As long as you keep everything mostly straight, it works out just fine.

The folding: I didn't take any photos of this process, but it's easy enough to find photo references online with a "croissants recipe" search.

By min | December 30, 2012, 10:05 PM | Vegan Vittles | Comments (2)| Link

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Apple Pie

Don't be too proud of this applelogical terror you've constructed.

Double Crust Ingredients

Update 6/2014: I've since revised my crust recipe because i felt this recipe was a bit brittle. The new version can be found here.

• 1 1/2 cup + 1 T white flour
• 1/2 cup + 1 T whole wheat flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup vegan butter, cut into cubes and kept cold (we like Earth Balance buttery sticks)
• 1 vegan egg* (we like Ener-G Egg Replacer)
• 1 T ice water
• 2 T cold non-dairy milk

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and mix to combine. Add 6 T of the butter (half) and continue processing until well combined.
Whisk together the egg, ice water, and milk in small bowl.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and process until a dough forms. Add remaining butter and pulse in a few short bursts just until the dough forms a ball. Do not over-mix. There should be visible chunks of butter in the dough. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate for several hours before using. The dough will keep for several days in the fridge and several weeks in the freezer.

*i use ice water to make the egg, as well.

Pie Filling Ingredients

• 6-7 3" diameter apples (i was going to say "fist-sized", but not everybody's fist is the same size as mine)**
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 T cornstarch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 T butter

Yield: 1 10-inch pie

**I often use Braeburn's because they're sweet but firm. I also used 2 Granny Smiths for a bit of tartness that wouldn't be overpowering.

Peel and slice apples into 1/2" thick chunks (i usu cut each quarter into thirds and then halve the slices).

In a smaller bowl, sift the sugar, cornstarch, and spices together. Mix well. Sift this mixture into the apples. Stir to combine.

Roll out half the dough, place in the pie dish, and trim the edges so there is about 1/4" overhang. Pour the filling into the prepared pie dish. Dot the top with the 2 T butter. Roll out the remaining half of the dough and place over the filling. Crimp the edges and cut a few slits on the top to vent the steam.

Optional: Combine 1 T milk with 1/4 tsp Ener-G egg replacer. Rub/brush onto the crust. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Bake at 375degF for 40 min with the edges covered. Bake an additional 15 min with the edges uncovered.

Leave the pie in the cooling oven. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Note: Extra delicious served warm with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream riding shotgun.

By min | December 30, 2012, 8:35 PM | Vegan Vittles | Link

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