I could not believe my eyes when I came across this recipe of Dominique Ansel’s sought after Cronut® on the internet. He developed this simplified version of this sought-after pastry for the home cook. There are more cronut recipes in his first cookbook, “Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes”.
Notes
Prepare the ganache two days before and refrigerate until needed.
Chocolate Champagne Ganache
26 g water
102 g Champagne
9 g unsweetened cocoa powder
115 g pouring cream
60 g egg yolks
38 g granulated sugar
165 g dark chocolate (66% cocoa)
Champagne Chocolate Glaze
200 g glazing fondant (also known as ‘fondant icing’ – remains shiny when sets)
50 g of Champagne-chocolate ganache
Vanilla Sugar
205 g granulated sugar
Vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
Dough
3¾ cups/525 g strong flour (plus more as needed for dusting)
6 g Kosher salt
64 g granulated sugar
11 g instant yeast (1)
250 g cold water
30 g egg white
112 g unsalted butter, softened
15 g pouring cream
Cooking oil spray as needed
Butter block
251 g unsalted butter, softened
Grapeseed oil as needed
Chocolate champagne glaze
Vanilla sugar as needed
- To make the ganache, combine the water, 26 g of the Champagne and the cocoa powder in a small bowl. Mix to a smooth paste. Combine the cream and the remaining 76 g Champagne in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar together in a small bowl. Stream one-third of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly until fully blended, to temper them. Whisk the tempered yolks into the remaining hot cream. Return the saucepan to medium heat. Keep whisking! Continue to cook the custard over medium heat until it reaches 85° C. The custard will turn pale yellow and thicken so that it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder paste until fully incorporated. Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Strain the custard through a small sieve over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds. Whisk the chocolate and custard until smooth. When finished, the ganache will have the consistency of yoghurt. Reserve 50 g for the glaze. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the ganache, to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate overnight to set.
- To make the vanilla sugar, combine the sugar and flavouring in a small bowl, cover with cling wrap and set aside.
- To make the dough, combine the 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 cooking oil 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 centre, releasing as much of the gas as possible. On a piece of baking paper, shape into a 10-inch (25 cm) square. Transfer to a baking tray, still on the baking paper, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
- To make the butter block, draw a 18 cm square on a piece of baking paper with a pencil. Flip the paper over so that the butter won’t come in contact with the pencil marks. Place the butter in the centre of the square and spread it evenly with an offset spatula to fill the square. Refrigerate overnight.
- 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 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 25.5 cm square about 2.5 cm thick. Arrange the butter block in the centre of the dough so it looks like a diamond in the centre of the square (rotated 45 degrees, with the corners of the butter block facing the centre of the dough sides). Pull the corners of the dough up and over to the centre 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 centre. When finished, you should have a 20-inch (50 cm) square about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. (2)
- 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 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.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 40 cm square about 1.3 cm thick. Transfer the dough to a half baking tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour to relax. Using a 9 cm ring cutter, cut 12 rounds. Cut out the centre of each round with a 2.5 cm ring cutter to create the doughnut shape. Line a baking tray with baling paper and lightly dust the paper with flour. Place the pastries on the tray, spacing them about 8 cm apart. Lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking oil spray and lay it on top of the pastries. Proof in a warm spot until tripled in size, about 2 hours. (3)
- To fry the pastries, heat the grapeseed oil in a large saucepan until it reaches 175°C. Use a deep-frying thermometer to verify the oil is at the right temperature. (4)
- Line a platter with several layers of paper towels for draining.
- 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.
- To make the glaze, warm the fondant in a small bowl in the microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring between intervals. When the fondant is slightly warm, about 20 seconds, add the corresponding flavour and stir until fully blended.
- To assemble the cronuts, transfer the ganache to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk. Whip on high speed until the ganache is smooth. 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 and glaze in a bowl.
- Arrange each of the pastries 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 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.
- Serve at room temperature and consume within 8 hours of frying. Leftover ganache can be stored in a closed airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days. Leftover flavoured sugar can keep in a closed airtight container for weeks and can be used to macerate fruits or sweeten drinks.
Notes
(1) Instant yeast is often used for doughs with higher sugar content, because this yeast needs less water to react and sugar tends to pull water from dough. You can substitute the same quantity of active dry yeast, but may get a denser final product.
(2) This is not the typical lamination technique and is unique to this recipe. When rolling out dough, you want to use as little flour as possible. The more flour you incorporate into the dough, the tougher it will be to roll out, and the pastries will flake apart when you fry them.
(3) It is best to proof Cronut pastries in a warm, humid place. But if the proofing area is too warm, the butter will melt, so do not place the pastries on top of the oven or near another direct source of heat.
(4) The temperature of the oil is very important to the frying process. If it is too low, the pastries will be greasy; too high, the inside will be undercooked while the outside is burnt.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk.
