How to make the best little horns the easy way?
The little horns, croissants or croissants are a type of bread typical of French gastronomy, which managed to transcend even the gastronomy of other countries. It is a kind of pie made with puff pastry with various fillings.
In general, the croissants or croissants can be a bit complex to prepare, since it is not easy to obtain a homogeneous puff pastry to prepare them. That is why below we will explain how to prepare them in a simple way, and we will give you additional tips.
Ingredients for 8 to 16 horns
500 grams of all-purpose wheat flour.
80 ml of water.
140 ml of milk.
3 eggs.
6 grams of dry yeast.
10 grams of salt.
42 grams of sugar.
60 ml of olive oil or unsalted butter.
125 grams of unsalted butter.
Half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
An additional tablespoon of milk to glaze, added to a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar.
Steps for the elaboration of the horns
Note: Due to the length of this recipe, we will divide the process into several phases.
Preparation of the pre ferment
Take two tablespoons of the wheat flour and place it in a small bowl, and we will mix it with the 6 grams of yeast and the 80 ml of warm water.
Next, we mix with a whisk until completely integrated.
Add twelve grams of sugar and continue mixing.
Let it rest until you notice that it foams on the surface. This usually only takes 15 minutes.
Reserve to pour it in the preparation of the dough.
Preparation of the dough
Mix the rest of the flour with 10 grams of salt and beat with a whisk to integrate well. Next, we make a well in the center of the bowl with our hands.
In the well of the previous step, we will add the pre ferment, but not before beating it a little with the mixer.
Beat a couple of eggs and incorporate them in the center, followed by half of the 125 ml of milk, added to 30 grams of sugar and half a tablespoon of the apple cider vinegar.
First mix the liquid ingredients in the center of the well and add a little more milk.
With the help of a trowel, begin to mix and incorporate very well. At the end, finish kneading using your hands to give the dough texture.
Pour out the rest of the milk and continue kneading until you get a moist and only slightly sticky dough. Remember that the dough should not feel dry at any time.
Add 60 ml of olive oil and continue kneading a little more. The oil should be added a little.
Take the dough to a clean and dry surface, and we will knead by tapping the dough on the table and folding on itself, or pushing and attracting. Ideally, your build should be easy to handle. This can take 15-20 minutes.
Form a ball with the dough, grease the bowl with oil and place the dough inside and brush it with a little oil. Cover with a clean cloth and wait for the dough to double.
First process of making the horns
Remove the dough from the bowl and begin to knead by folding to remove the air bubbles.
Divide the dough in half and with one of the halves we form a bar and divide into six pieces with similar sizes. Repeat the same process with the other half of the dough.
We take one of the portions and form the balls by folding the dough on itself. Subsequently, we roll against the smooth surface and let it rest on a floured surface. Repeat the same procedure with all the servings.
Cover the ball-shaped portions with a clean, but damp cloth. Let it rest for at least ten minutes.
Form the puff pastry layers
Once the ten minutes have passed, flour a flat, clean and dry surface. Take one of the portions, flour and flatten with a rolling pin until it is about two millimeters thick.
Stretch the knees slightly with our hands and place it on a floured mold.
Brush melted unsalted butter on top.
Take another portion and spread on a previously floured surface, trying to make it the same size and thickness as the previous one.
Place the newly stretched layer on top of the first one and spread butter again covering the entire surface.
Repeat this process with all the servings.
Stretch the edges of the last layer a little and press out a little from the center to remove any air bubbles.
Place a brushstroke layer of oil on the last layer and cover with a cloth to let it rest in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Form the horns
Sprinkle a little flour over the dough and flour the surface where you will work.
With a rolling pin, begin to roll out until there is a large circle of dough about 3 millimeters thick.
With the help of a knife, cut into six or eight pieces or equal parts.
You can fill with mozzarella cheese, chocolate or whatever you like. Place the filling at the outer end of the triangle and make a one centimeter cut on the outer edge, right in the middle.
It begins to roll from the previous cut until it reaches the tip, and we press it so that it does not come off. Give it shape by stretching the tips, so that it is in the shape of a "C" and place on a greased and floured baking tray.
Repeat the process with the rest of the triangles.
Baking the horns
Spread a little oil on the horns and cover with a kitchen cloth to let it rest until they double.
Varnish with a mixture of egg, milk, salt and sugar and place in a preheated oven at 180º C.
Bake at the previous temperature for about 25 to 30 minutes.
Let them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes.
Conclusions of the horn recipe
The antlers, croissants or croissants are a delicious type of bread, characterized by its crunchy consistency and soft on the inside, with a generally creamy filling. Best of all, they can be filled with whatever we prefer, be it sweet or savory.
It is for all this that we recommend you try this recipe at home and fill them with whatever you like.