Savory Croissants

Savory. Croissants. WITHOUT. Puff Pastry!

Yup, You heard me right! These croissants are savory and are NOT made with puff pastry! Like many people I too am a leeeeettle scared of puff pastry [ ok, a li'l more than that :( ] but yeah I get worried when a recipe I really like, calls for puff pastry. Some day I will conquer my fear and I'll make a perfect puff pastry of my own which will be brown and crispy and puff up magnificently upon baking. But for now I'll show you how to make croissants with a simple dough which would still be flaky and buttery. I promise!

I love this crescent shaped bread for its buttery, flaky texture and its distinctive shape. Filled with minced chicken these hand pinched goodies are sure to make your day if served in breakfast with a warm cup of tea. These will literally melt in your mouth!

Croissants have long been a staple of French bakeries and pâtisseries. In the late 1970s, the development of factory-made, frozen, pre-formed but unbaked dough made them into a fast food which can be freshly baked by unskilled labor. Indeed, the croissanterie was explicitly a French response to American-style fast food and today it is a popular item in continental breakfast all around the world. 

Since I am more of a savory girl, my croissants are filled with minced chicken and seasoned with dried oregano. As complex as there shape seems to be, these are really very simple to make and you can be very creative with the fillings. 

So here goes the recipe.

Mix together all dry ingredients.

Make a well in the center and add an egg.

Add melted butter, oil and warm milk 

 And knead for 5-8 minutes or until dough becomes stretchy. Touch the surface with oily fingers.

Place in a greased bowl in a warm place until it doubles in size.

By the time your dough rises, prepare your mince filling. I used Tandoori Masala to flavor my chicken mince but you can use any seasoning you want. Tandoori Masala is easily available in Asian section of super stores with Pakistani/Indian spices. Saute chopped garlic in oil, add chicken mince and tandoori masala and cook for 5-7 minutes until chicken is done and all juices have dried. Add chopped parsley. You may also green chilies for extra spice.

Or you can be creative here. Make any filling of your choice whether savory or sweet. Or simply bake them without filling.

When the dough has risen, flour your working surface, punch down the dough and roll into a flat sheet about 1/2 cm thick. Cut triangles on the dough and place mince filling on the bottom side of triangle. Now carefully start rolling upto the top.

Once done place croissants on a greased baking tray and egg wash. Sprinkle dried oregano. Bake in preheated oven at 190 C for about 20 - 25 minutes or until they take a golden color. 

Enjoy!

Dough

Ingredients

1. All purpose flour (4 cups)
2. Yeast (2 tsp)
3. Salt (2 tsp)
4. Sugar (1 tsp)
5. Baking powder (1 tbsp)
6. Powdered milk (2 tbsp)
7. Egg (1)
8. Butter (melted 1 tbsp)
9. Oil (4 tbsp)
10. Milk (warm 1/4 cup)
11. Dried oregano (1/2 tsp)

Method

• Sieve flour and mix together all dry ingredients.
• Add egg, butter, oil and milk.
• Knead for 5-8 minutes until the dough gets stretchy and smooth 
• Keep covered in a greased bowl at a warm place and let it ferment for 2 hours.
• When the dough rises to twice its size, punch it down and roll on a flat surface.
• Cut triangular shapes.
• Fill and roll according to pictorial instructions given above.

 Filling


Ingredients:

1. Chicken minced (1/2 kg)
2. Garlic (chopped 1 tbsp)
3. Tandoori Masala (1 1/2 tbsp)
4. Parsley (chopped 1 tbsp)
5. Green Chilies (chopped 1 tsp)
6. Oil (2 tbsp)

Method:

• Pour oil in a pan and saute garlic in it.
• Add chicken mince and tandoori masala and let it cook on medium flame for 5-7 minutes.
• When all chicken juices have dried add parsley and green chilies.
• Mix well.

Note:


This recipe makes about 14 croissants.
When cutting triangles, you can re-roll the sides and make more croissants out of it.