Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Croissants

I haven't made croissants in a while.  Time to remind myself why not.

Really, it's rolling the butter into a sheet that's a pain in the butt.  The dough is just a normal yeast dough.  Folding takes a while, but only by the clock.  The vast majority of this project is passive time.  Bakeries don't mind spending 4-5 hours on croissants because they are turning out dozens and can do all sorts of projects during the rest and rising times.

You could easily skip the dough part of this recipe and buy a can of crescent rolls in the refrigerator section.  If I wanted to do these for a large party, that's how I would go.  Those tend to run smaller, so the filling could easily cover two cans.  I was just brushing up on my skills and decided to work from scratch.

And a quick reminder that croissant dough, unlike the sweeter Danish dough, is neutral.  Savory croissants exist all over the place.  This is just a fancier version of ham and Swiss.  And way more expensive.  There is no such thing as cheap prosciutto, but at least one 3oz package evenly tops this recipe.  You're going to have extra goat cheese spread, but no one is going to complain about that.  If it lasts until the croissants come out of the oven, I'll be surprised.

I only heard of "laminated" dough in the past few months.  I think of laminating as fusing something in sheets of plastic.  Apparently, the word also applies to anything sealed between two layers of something else.  In this case, we're talking butter inside dough.  Just a fancier term for a rolled dough.

1 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
*1 C milk at 100º
2 C flour plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3oz package prosciutto
1 4oz log plain goat cheese
1/4 C plain nonfat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 tsp dried oregano, divided
*1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 egg

1.  Stir together warmed milk, yeast, and sugar.  Allow to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2.  In mixer with paddle, combine milk mixture with 1 C flour.  Beat into a smooth batter, about 2 minutes.

3.  Add another cup of flour and the salt.  I subbed in 1/3 C whole wheat flour to make this a little savory, and just that small amount colored the dough.  Beat 2 more minutes, into a soft dough.

4.  Turn out dough onto a generously floured surface.  Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes, adding as little flour as possible to achieve a softer texture.  Turn over in a lightly oiled bowl and set in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

5.  Now for the annoying part.  Place a stick of butter between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Now attempt to roll it into a 7" by 12" rectangle.  The hardest part is the first press, to break it out of its shape.  Chill until firm.

6.  When dough has doubled, punch down and let rest on a lightly floured surface.  Roll into an 8" by 18" rectangle.  Remove the chilled sheet of butter from its plastic wrap and place against the left side of the rectangle.  It should cover 2/3 of the dough.  Fold over the right side to halfway across the butter, then the left side with its own butter over that.  You will have three layers of dough alternating with two layers of butter.  The new rectangle will be about 6" by 8".

7.  Roll out the rectangle the opposite way to about 8" x 12".  Do the tri-fold again.  This is your first "turn".  Chill for 20 minutes, to set the butter and relax the dough.  Roll and fold two more times, always extending the narrower side so you alternate.  At this point, you have laminated dough that can either be used immediately or refrigerated for up to 18 hours.

8.  During the last refrigeration, make your cheese filling.  Beat together goat cheese and yogurt.  Beat in 1/4 tsp of oregano and the rosemary.  I ground up the rosemary in the mortar & pestle a bit first.

9.  Roll out the dough into a 7" by 14" parallelogram about 1/4" thick.  Or a rectangle if you're going to make squares. Spread about half of the cheese mixture over the entire dough, then the prosciutto.  Save remaining cheese mix to serve on the side, like you would butter with plain croissants.

10.  Cut the dough into 8 triangles.  These actually came out bigger than I anticipated, like restaurant size.  Each was a meal with a salad.  If you want smaller, cut the dough in half across the center first, then make eight out of each half.  Stretch out the wide side of each triangle and roll into the point.  Shape into the crescent, pointy seam down, and place on a lined baking sheet with room to expand.  Proof until doubled, 45 minutes.

11.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Beat egg with 2 Tb water to make an egg wash.  Carefully brush rolls, then sprinkle with remaining oregano.  Bake 25-30 minutes if making eight, or 20 minutes for 16.  Because of the filling, they need to bake longer than you think they do.  They should be deep golden brown by the time you pull them out.

12.  Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool fully.  If not eating within 4 hours, these can be frozen once fully cooled.  Store in a sealed ziplock freezer bag.  Allow to come to room temperature, then crisp up in the oven at 300º for 5 minutes.

Makes 8 large croissants

Difficulty rating  $@%!