I don't like saying this because as soon as I do I find I have to swallow my  own words: these croissants are the best I've ever come across. Croissants, you can get them anywhere these days, you must be thinking. How about really good croissants? The ones that take eleven days to make and make you want to weep with joy with each gorgeous bite? Those are pretty hard to come by, me thinks. And they are the ones I think of when I'm in the mood for one. I live near a few good bakeries but none of them offer sourdough croissants. Really, I could go for a drive outside of my neighbourhood, or more likely, I could fly outside of Australia and look around for some but that just seems to be quite bothersome compared to the alternative ... I could make my own sourdough croissants! I have been making sourdough bread for a while and now I am quite familiar with the whole process but recently I found a great challenge in Gayle & Joe Ortiz's "The Village Baker's Wife" book. The recipe for their yeast croissant is special but their hybrid sourdough & yeast version elevates the concept of a croissant. These croissants turned out deeply aromatic, their texture was light, substantial, tender, elastic and moist all at the same time. Flavour wise, they had that light sourdough tang coupled with the delicate perfume of yeast mingled with the loveliness of oodles of butter and the earthiness of spelt. Enough talk, it's time for you to make these ones. You won't be able to find them easily unless you make them. They are so good, go make them ... because you are bloody worth it.

This is my first time participating in the World Bread Day event and I'm honoured to be able to do so. Thanks Zorra for organising this, you are a legend.

Croissants au Levain, adapted from Gayle & Joe Ortiz's  "The Village Baker's Wife". Recipe makes about 40 croissants. Start this project on Thursday (provided you already have an active sourdough starter) and you will be able to enjoy these croissants on Sunday. Here's the timetable I used:

Thursday

  • 10pm: make sponge

Friday

  • 6am: make dough and let rise
  • 7am: refrigerate dough
  • 9pm to 11pm: perform 2 turns
  • 11pm: refrigerate dough

Saturday

  • 10pm: perform 3rd turn, roll out dough, shape croissants, proof

Sunday

  • 8am to 9am: bake

Ingredients

Sponge

Dough

  • Active dry yeast: 1 packet (7 grams)
  • Warm water: 2 cups
  • Unsalted butter: 115 grams, softened and cut into small bits
  • Powdered milk, preferably organic: 1/2 cup
  • Spelt flour, unbleached (not whole-wheat): 1050 grams
  • Salt: 2 tablespoons, levelled
  • Cold unsalted butter: 566 grams
Egg glaze

  • Egg: 1
  • Cold milk: 2 tablespoons
  1. Make the sponge in a large glass or plastic bowl. Dilute the starter with the water and add the rye flour mixing with a wooden spoon until smooth. Let rise until doubled or at least 5 to 6 hours.
  2. Dilute the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes.
  3. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cup warm water, 115 grams of butter and the milk powder to the sponge and mix lightly with a wooden spoon. Add the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
  4. Combine the spelt flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture while stirring with a wooden spoon. Mix until dry ingredients are incorporated.
  5. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes while incorporating the dry spots. This dough will feel wet but don't be concerned.
  6. Cover bowl with a damp towel and let rise inside a cool oven or in a draft-free spot for an hour.
  7. Flatten the dough and shape into a 30 x 15 x 7 cm square.
  8. Cover the dough with plastic and refrigerate for 12 to 15 hours.
  9. Slice the 556 grams of cold butter into thick pieces and sandwich in between plastic wrap forming a rough rectangle.
  10. Pound the butter with a rolling pin until the rectangle of butter measures about 25 x 25 x 1 cm thick.
  11. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out to a 60 x 30 cm rectangle.
  12. Remove the plastic wrap from the pounded butter and place butter over one side of the dough leaving about a margin of 1 cm. Fold the other half of the dough over the butter and pinch edges together to form a flat pillow.
  13. Cover the pillow with plastic and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
  14. For the first turn, remove the dough from fridge and roll it out to a rectangle of about 76 x 38 cm.
  15. Fold the dough in thirds, cover again with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  16. For the second turn, repeat steps 14 and 15 except you will refrigerate the dough overnight.
  17. On the next day, perform the third turn (steps 14 and 15).
  18. Cut the dough in half, cover the other half and refrigerate.
  19. Roll the other half into a 40 x 62 cm x 3 mm thick.
  20. Cut this rectangle into two 20 x 62 cm strips.
  21. Cut each strip into 9 triangles with 12 cm bases.
  22. Starting with the base, fold 0.5 cm of the dough over onto itself and begin rolling the triangle up to the point. Gently stretch the dough by pulling on the tip as you roll it. Leave the pointed ends straight, don't curl them into horns.
  23. Repeat steps 19 to 22 with the other half of the dough or you can refrigerate this dough for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
  24. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
  25. Place the croissants at least 5 cm apart on the baking sheets.
  26. Whisk together egg and milk for the glaze.
  27. Lightly brush each croissant with the glaze and let rise, uncovered, for 5 hours at room temperature. Mine took about 10 hours in the middle of winter in a cool kitchen. Croissants should be 3/4 risen before ready to go into oven.
  28. Preheat oven to 200 C and brush the croissants with glaze again.
  29. Bake the croissants in the oven's centre rack for 18 minutes or until golden brown.