You need to be keen to make sourdough croissants on a regular basis as they are a lot work, but once you have made them a few times at least you can say that you have done it.
Makes 3.
Mix the flour and salt, then mix in the malt extract and sourdough starter. Add enough cold Kefir to make a bread dough. Knead just long enough to mix all the ingredients then roll out the dough into a rectangle about 5mm thick. Place on a metal tray in a refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool.
Remove from the fridge. Using a vegetable peeler, cut slices of half the quantity of butter and spread over 2/3 of the dough. Fold the end of the dough which has not been covered with butter down over 1/3 of the buttered dough, then fold down again. Pinch the ends to form a seal and roll out the dough into a rectangle until it is about 5mm thick. Fold into thirds and once again roll out the dough until it is about 5mm thick, then return it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Once again remove the dough from the refrigerator, cover 2/3 of the dough with slices of the other half of the butter. Fold down the dough, roll, then fold down and roll for the last time so that it forms a rectangle about 15cm x 30cm and 5mm thick.
Cut the dough into 3 triangles. Fold the triangles back towards you, fold the ends over to resemble a croissant shape, and turn the croissants over so the tip is underneath. Place on a greased and floured baking tray. Allow to rise in warm place (28-32C) until they have nearly trebled in size.
Bake at 180C for 20-30 minutes, keeping a careful eye on the sourdough croissants to prevent burning. They are cooked when a knife comes out clean and are golden brown in colour.
NOTES
1. You may replace
some of the Kefir with Kefir whey or water if
you wish.
2. Some
recipes for croissants call for leaving the dough in the fridge for 2 hours at
a time in between buttering and rolling. The main purpose of the cooling is so
that the butter does not melt but instead becomes laminated within layers of dough,
the dough also becomes easier to roll. Do what works for you.
3.
Flour the bench top as required to prevent the dough from sticking.
4.
Glaze the croissants with milk before baking, if you wish.
5.
This croissant pastry may also be used to make sourdough French and Danish pastries.
MEASUREMENTS
1 teaspoon = 5
ml / 5 gm. 1 tablespoon = 15 ml / 15 gm. 15 tablespoons = 1 cup / 225 ml. 1
cup = 8 fluid oz / 225 ml. 1 US gallon = 3.6 litres. 1 lb = 16 oz / 454 gm. Temperature 20C = 68F.
Conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius: C = (F - 32) / 1.8. Conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit: F = C x 1.8 + 32