Crabby Croissants

11/11 CANADIAN CRABS

While Canadian Crabs sounds like a disappointing and uncomfortable infection, it is the complete opposite. Due to my Maple Syrup obsession they get their namesake. Hot on a tray from of the oven these croissants resemble a march of crabs with gleaming pastry shells and flakey pincers. 

I only bother making the pastry as a kind of personal mission, stubbornly causing myself stress. But I know it isn't for everyone and does involve a lot a lot a lot of time. The fillings are always made up, these though will become a sticky staple. I reply on professional advice for the dough, rare I know but if they fail in place of a dark pastry you would have a queen, me in a raging stomp.

Ingredients (all approximate) - Paul Hollywood's Danish Pastry Recipe

Croissants

3 eggs

500g Flour

90g Castor Sugar

90ml Tepid Water
125ml Milk

10g Dry Yeast
10g Table Salt
250g Unsalted Butter

*Or any all-butter roll of frozen puff pastry, because frankly my dear I don't always give a damn about making the dough.

Filling
50ml Dark Maple Syrup (best quality available)
50g Raw (Demerara) Sugar
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

What I did - Have a lot of time, and patience. Or ditch it and go to the bakery

The pastry takes 13 hours to prepare. Much of that is letting sit, prove, rise - but does involve constant minimal attention. The recipe I've been using is from master-baker Paul (will-find-problems) Hollywood: http://paulhollywood.com/recipes/danish-pastry-dough/

It's pretty flawless, and easy to follow. But I only bother when I have the time to muck about, and the calm not to scream like a banshee if they don't work. As a back up, I have a roll of frozen puff pastry to defrost in a flash. Either way follow the instructions and once the pastry is ready for filling, continue.

Roll out the dough/pastry to a large rectangle 1cm thick (Prepare the filling, which is a easy as a firm whip. Put the sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup in a small bowl and stir together until you have a burnished brown paste. Spread evenly across the pastry, ensuring that the entire surface is covered, but be careful not to puncture the dough. It may involve a little patience, but it does guarantee that the filling will be across the entire croissant.

Now cut long zigzags right through the pastry so you end up with a long triangle, the base about 10cm long tapering to a sharp point. Roll from the base so that it spirals, with the tip bent around the curl. Pinch it to flatten, and let rise for 2 hours (or if frozen pastry jump ahead). Give the finished croissants an egg wash and bake at 200 degrees for about 15 minute. Keep an eye because they catch and can burn in a second if left too long.

While still hot brush them with apricot jam if you fancy. Or just dive in with a big cup of coffee. Most complicated process but at the end you can say "breakfast is served" with a smug buttery grin.

JG