Croissant Pretzels

Ingredients

• 400 g all-purpose flour
• 80 g granulated sugar
• 20 g instant yeast
• 10 g kosher salt
• 130 g unsalted butter (Cold and sliced. The source also says “2 sticks,” which does not correspond to 130 g; the gram quantity is retained as the primary measurement.)
• 250 ml whole milk (Cold; slightly more or less may be needed to form the dough.)
• 1 large egg (Beaten for the egg wash.)
• 1 tsp water (To mix with the egg for the egg wash; the source allows 1–2 teaspoons.)
• 1 tbsp baking soda (For the kettle bath.)
• coarse salt (For topping, as needed.)

Steps

1. 1

   In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and kosher salt until evenly combined.

2. 2

   Add the cold butter slices. Cut the butter into the flour mixture, leaving visible chunks throughout; these pieces provide the rough flaky layering.

3. 3

   Slowly mix in the cold milk just until a dough forms. Stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together; it should be slightly sticky but not wet. Add only a little more or less milk as needed.

4. 4

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a rough rectangle. Place it in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour before laminating.

5. 5

   Fold the dough like a letter, using a tri-fold. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then roll it out again.

6. 6

   Repeat the rotate-and-roll tri-fold process 4 times total to create rough layers. Work gently and chill the dough briefly if the butter begins to soften or smear.

7. 7

   Roll the laminated dough into a large rectangle approximately 12 by 18 inches.

8. 8

   Cut the rectangle into long triangles, each approximately 3–4 inches wide at the base.

9. 9

   Gently stretch each triangle, then roll it up from the wide base toward the tip to form a croissant shape. Place each shaped piece on a parchment-lined baking sheet with the tip tucked underneath.

10. 10

    Chill the shaped croissants on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

11. 11

    Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

12. 12

    Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda carefully and stir to dissolve.

13. 13

    Working in batches if necessary, dip each chilled croissant into the baking-soda bath for about 20 seconds, turning it once so both sides are exposed to the water.

14. 14

    Remove each croissant from the bath and return it to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with coarse salt.

15. 15

    Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 18–22 minutes, until the croissant pretzels are deeply golden brown and crisp on the outside.

Notes

The author describes this as a novelty experiment and reports that the boiling process melted much of the lamination, producing a texture more like a scone than either a flaky croissant or chewy pretzel. Serve with jam if desired. The author suggests that a future version might use beer instead of milk, less butter, a stronger baking-soda bath, and a shorter boiling time, but those are proposed variations rather than part of the extracted recipe.

Nutrition per serving

• snack
• baked
• American
• Super Bowl
• vegetarian
• breakfast
• pastry
• pretzel