Author Notes
Puff pastry made with graham flour turns a classic American bonfire treat into a refined French pastry. —sugarmountaintreats
Test Kitchen Notes
WHO: Sugarmountainsweets is a champion of the hybrid pastry (have you seen her Churro Eclairs??).
WHAT: A fireside favorite meets a classic French pastry.
HOW: Make a classic croissant, substituting some of the all-purpose flour for graham flour. Fill the croissants with mini marshmallows and milk chocolate before rolling them up. Allow them to rise, and bake them until they're deeply golden-brown—no campfire needed.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Camp nostalgia and songs aside, this hybrid is exactly the kind of thing that would inspire us to write a note back home to Mom. The weight of the graham flour creates a heavier croissant that's slightly more substantial than the French version, and the fillings had us begging for s'more. —Victoria Ross
Ingredients
- For the graham puff pastry:
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2 1/2 teaspoons
active dry yeast
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1 1/4 cups
warm milk
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1 cup
graham flour
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1 1/2 cups
plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided, plus more as needed
-
1 tablespoon
wheat gluten flour
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1/4 cup
dark brown sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
cinnamon
-
1 teaspoon
salt
-
25 tablespoons
(3 sticks, plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, divided
- For the croissants and assembly:
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9 ounces
(about 6 standard Hershey bars) milk chocolate
-
12 ounces
mini marshmallows
-
1
egg, beaten
Directions
- For the graham puff pastry:
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First, make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast and warm milk and set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk together. Check to make sure that the yeast is foamy, then add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer.
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Using a dough hook, knead the dough on low speed until a ball forms, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and pliable but not sticky, about 5 minutes. (You may need to add a few more tablespoons of flour if the dough is too sticky.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
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In the bowl of the stand mixer (no need to put too much effort into washing it), combine 2 tablespoons of flour and the remaining 24 tablespoons of butter. Beat on medium-high speed with a paddle attachment until the butter is smooth and pliable.
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Roll out a sheet of plastic wrap (about 14 inches long). Using a rubber spatula, scrape the butter mixture directly onto the plastic and form it into an 8-inch flat square, then fold the remaining plastic wrap over to cover. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
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On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a 10-inch square. Place the butter square on top of the dough diagonally (at a 45° angle from the dough square). Fold the dough edges into the middle in an envelope fold.
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Gently roll the envelope out to a large square, then fold the right third into the middle and the left third over that. Turn the dough 90°, roll out it into a flat square, and repeat. Do one more turn, then refrigerate for at least two hours.
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Repeat the turning process four more times, then chill for 1 hour. Your dough is now ready to use.
- For the croissants and assembly:
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Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Cut your puff pastry into thirds, lengthwise. Roll out each third to a thickness of 1/4 inch, then cut into 6 equal rectangles, for a total of 18.
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Leaving a 1/2-inch border, place 1/2 ounce milk chocolate on the short side of the edge of the rectangles (not in the middle). Top with mini-marshmallows. If you have a creme brûlée torch, toast the marshmallows gently, as this will keep them from exploding in the oven.
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Gently wrap the pastry dough over the filling and tuck underneath so that the seam is on the bottom. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the rectangles until you have 18 croissants, 9 on each baking sheet. (If you plan to freeze these for later, do so now. Flash freeze on the sheet, then wrap each croissant with plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Bake directly from the freezer, just add 5 minutes to the baking time.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
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Preheat oven to 400° F. Gently brush each croissant with the beaten egg. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the baking sheets halfway through, or until they are deeply golden-brown and some of the marshmallow has bubbled out. Let cool for at least 5 minutes. Croissants will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days.
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