Whole wheat croissant recipe - a classic for National Croissant Day and healthy for your resolution

Delicate, flaky, hot, buttery croissants - fresh from your oven.

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A blanket of snow covers the roads and lawns from every direction when looking out the Comfort Food test kitchen window.  The lack of traffic or animal sounds lends a layer of quiet to the scene.

A snowy day is always a day for cooking or baking, thinking and reflecting. A perfect day to bake croissants, especially since it also happens to be National Croissant Day. 

If you have never had freshly baked croissants, with the aroma wafting through your house, leading everyone to your kitchen like the Pied Piper led the children through the village, you are in for one of life's greatest pleasures.

Made with whole wheat flour, the wholesome goodness will be a pleasure as they melt in your mouth, with light butter baked into every bite. Your house will have the smell of a holiday, company coming, a happy occasion. Share them with the neighbors or keep them for yourself, it's all good. You will start with the recipe for puff pastry, which will stand on it's own for desserts and savory dishes you will enjoy making again and again.

Want something really yummy? Try chocolate gravy with your fresh croissants. Recipe coming soon! Click subscribe at the top of the page so you won't miss any articles from the Comfort Food Kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or regular whole wheat flour)
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoons nonfat powdered milk
• 2 tablespoons light butter, unsalted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon water beaten with 1 egg to glaze the bread
• You will later need 2 more cups light unsalted butter softened but still cool and 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour. Also more flour for dusting your surface.

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using a whisk attachment, mix together the flours and dry milk. Using the paddle attachment, add the 2 tbsp chilled light butter and blend. (or, if doing by hand, use a pastry blender), until the mix looks like course cornmeal.
2. To the water, add the salt and stir well. Add to the flour mix. Mix at low speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough doesn't come together, add water, one teaspoon at a time, until the dough forms a ball.
3. Lightly flour your work surface and knead your dough until no longer sticky and is smooth. It should take 3 or 4 minutes and will be slightly springy when touched. Try not to add any more flour as this will toughen the bread. The stickiness will go away as you knead.
4. Shape the dough into a rectangle about an inch thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about an hour and a half.
5. Blend the 2 cups unsalted butter and 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour with a mixer, blender, food processor or a spoon, until smooth and not lumpy. Lightly flour a piece of wax paper, plastic wrap or parchment paper, put the butter/flour mix on it and mold it into a square. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.(King Arthur Flour says the reason we add the flour to the butter is so the butter won't "flow" out of the seams of the dough when rolled)
6. Take the first regular dough from the refrigerator and place on the floured surface. Roll the square gently until about 12 inches across. Put the butter in the center of the dough at a 45 degree angle.
7. Pull the flaps of the dough over the edges of the butter until they meet in the middle. Pinch and seal together. Water the edges to "glue" together, if necessary. Press out air bubbles before sealing that last seam. Dust the top of the dough with flour, turn it over, tap it gently with rolling pin into a rectangular shape. Dust surface with a bit more flour if the dough begins to stick.
8. Roll dough out from center into a larger rectangle, 20 x 10 inches.
9. Wet the edges with your fingers then fold the bottom third up to the center and the top third over (like a business letter). If the dough is floppy, take care to carefully line the edges up on top of one another and even up the corners before taking the next step.. Turn the dough 90 degrees to the right, so it looks like a book about to be opened. That is your first turn. 
10. Rest the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour between each turn. Then roll back out to 20 to 10 inches. fold again and once more turn 90 degrees to the right
11. You must turn the dough a total of 10 times because it is made with whole wheat, white flour takes 6 turns.  Allow dough to rest at least 2 hours or overnight after the last turn.
12. Now you have made 10 turns so let's get shaping! Visual help shaping.
13. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 19 by 13 inch rectangle. Trim and discard the edges of the dough on all the sides by using a ruler to cut a straight edge with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. This will cut away the folds, which will keep the "puff" from happening. (Stop here to use as puff pastry, roll as desired)
14. Cut the dough into thirds lengthwise and in half horizontally. You will have six 4 x 9 inch rectangles. Cut these in half diagonally to give you one dozen triangles. Arrange them all so that the points are all facing away from you. Cut little 1/2 inch ^ notches in the short end of each triangle. You can stretch each triangle gently to make them a bit longer if needed.
15. Roll up each triangle, start at the notched end and work toward the tip. Tuck the point under the croissant. Form the crescent by bending the two ends towards the center where the tip is tucked under.
16. Put the croissants on the sprayed baking sheet. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes; this keeps the butter from melting too quickly in the oven.
17. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
18. Take croissants out of the refrigerator, uncover, brush tops with egg mixture. Bake 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 to 15 degrees more. The croissants should be a deep golden brown all over. Take from pan and cool on rack.
19. Dip croissant in Chocolate Sauce.

One of the best baking books out there is the King Arthur Flour book of Whole Grain Baking. This recipe was adapted from one of the recipes in the Whole Grain Baking book by King Arthur Flour.

• Nashville Locals Info

If you don't feel like cooking and  the snow doesn't have you home bound, try visiting

Alpha Bakery.
7120 Highway 70 S.
Bellevue, TN 37221
615-673-8168,

A bit out of the way for most of us, but still so worth the visit. The pastries are delicate and beyond sinfully delightful. To purge some of the guilt, they also serve sandwiches and other more sensible food items.  There have been some negative reviews of the service related side of their shop but we did not have a negative experience during our visit. 2 spatulas up from the Comfort Food test kitchen.

• Cookie Baking Series and Recipes

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