Maple Croissants

Canada Day is just around the corner and I was wondering what I could whip up to celebrate this year. I've been playing with bread recipes a lot lately so new I wanted to start there. 

I made a list of foods and flavors that we consider "typically Canadian" and maple was at the top. Some kind of maple bread soon became my mission. 

These maple croissants are pretty darned amazing. All the crispy, flaky, chewy, squishiness of a regular croissant PLUS a hint of maple syrup goodness to elevate these to your new favorite Canadian breakfast (or brunch, or snack...)

The maple doesn't overwhelm the buttery flavor, instead it enhances it and adds a wonderful *jazz hands* of sweetness. Serve with maple butter and you'll never go back to regular croissants again. 

Maple Croissants

Ingredients

1/2 cup warm water

4 1/2 tsp yeast

3 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp maple extract

1 cup warm milk

Butter Insert

1 1/2 cup butter

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp maple extract

Egg Wash

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp maple extract 

Directions

Prepare dough - Stir together the 1/2 cup warm water and yeast. Let sit 5 minutes to activate. 

In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Stir in the maple syrup, maple extract, lukewarm milk, and yeast mixture. 

Stir until dough comes together. Add more flour, a Tbsp at a time if the dough is very sticky. 

Turn onto a floured work surface and knead 4 minutes. Cover and let rest 15 minutes. 

Roll to a 10 X 9 rectangle, cover with plastic wrap and chill dough for 30 minutes. 

Prepare butter insert - beat together the butter, maple syrup, and maple extract until smooth. Spread into a 6 X 8 1/2 rectangle and chill until while dough is chilling (it needs to be solid). 

Place dough on lightly floured work surface and roll to a 10 X 15 rectangle. Place butter on top, in the center. 

Fold the bottom and the top of the dough over the butter. Pinch the edges to seal the butter in.

Flip dough over so seam is on the bottom. Roll the dough to a 10 X 15 rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick). Fold in 3 with the top covering the bottom fold. 

Cover and place in fridge for at least an hour, up to 4 hours. 

Do this 3 more times for a total of 4 "turns". (Always start your roll with the short end towards you.) 

On your last turn, cover well in plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill overnight. 

In the morning: 

Remove your dough from the fridge and place on lightly floured work surface.

Roll the dough to a 13 X 24 rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick). 

Cut into 5 inch wide strips.Then cut each strip into 2 triangles.

Make a small cut in the wide part of each triangle. Starting at the wide end, roll up the croissant.

Place on a parchment paper lined cookie tray. 

Repeat with the remaining triangles. Make sure the point is tucked under the roll so it doesn't unroll during cooking. 

Cover with a tea towel and set somewhere free from drafts to proof for an hour (until doubled in size). While they are rising, preheat the oven to 400. (I usually set them on top of the stove to rise. You don't want them to rise in a place that is too warm, like regular bread, as the butter will start to melt and you don't want that!)

After an hour (up to 2) they should be risen a bit. (They won't double in size but should still be bigger than they were.) 

Prepare egg wash by whisking together the egg yolk, milk, and maple extract. 

Using a pastry or basting brush, brush the egg wash on top of each croissant. 

Bake at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes - until golden brown. 

Let cool 5 minutes before removing to wire rack. Look at all the flaky layers! 

Serve warm or room temp with a little maple butter, regular butter, or even jam. 

Croissants are best eaten the day they are made but will last a day on the counter in an airtight container. You can freeze them for later. When ready to enjoy: let them sit at room temp while you preheat your oven to 375, then pop them in until they have warmed through. 

These smell soooo maple-y while they are cooking. Everyone coming in the house is saying, "Ooooh what smells so good?" 

Yeah. These do. 

The outside is crispy and flaky while the inside is soft and chewy and totally addicting. The recipe makes 10 rather large croissants that are just perfect for breakfast or brunch. If they don't get eaten in the first day or two (who are we kidding, right?) then use the leftover ones to make a maple croissant bread pudding. You won't regret it. 

Want to see another of our croissant recipes? Click HERE for our Baklava Croissants!