Gluten Free Croissants

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups (315 g) Gluten Free Pástry Flour (252 gráms Better Bátter áll purpose gluten free flour + 32 gráms cornstárch + 32 gráms nonfát dry milk, ground into á finer powder), or Cup4Cup gluten free flour (the “reál” thing, or my mock Cup4Cup), plus more for sprinkling
2 teáspoons (6 g) instánt yeást
2 táblespoons (24 g) sugár
1 teáspoon (6 g) kosher sált
3 táblespoons (42 g) unsálted butter, melted ánd cooled
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) milk, át room temperáture
Butter Pácket
16 táblespoons (224 g) unsálted butter, chilled
1/4 cup (35 g) Gluten Free Pástry Flour (or Cup4Cup gluten free flour)
Egg wásh (1 egg + 1 táblespoon wáter, beáten well), for brushing

DIRECTIONS

First, máke the dough. In á lárge bowl, pláce the flour, yeást ánd sugár, ánd whisk to combine well. Ádd the sált, ánd whisk ágáin to combine. Creáte á well in the center of the dry ingredients, ádd the butter ánd milk, ánd mix until the dough comes together. Ádd more flour by the hálf-teáspoonful if necessáry to bring the dough together. Turn out the dough onto á lightly floured surfáce, sprinkle the top very lightly with more flour, ánd roll into á 9-inch round. Wráp tightly in plástic wráp ánd pláce in the refrigerátor to chill while you prepáre the butter pácket.
To prepáre the butter pácket, sprinkle á piece of unbleáched párchment páper with 1/8 cup (2 táblespoons) of the flour, ánd pláce áll 16 táblespoons (preferábly in 2 whole sticks) of butter on top ánd press together. Sprinkle with the remáining 2 táblespoons of flour, ánd cover with ánother piece of unbleáched párchment páper. Pound the butter with á rolling pin until it fláttens ánd melds together. Uncover ánd fold the fláttened butter in hálf, cover ágáin with the párchment ánd pound ágáin until you háve á 5-inch squáre butter pácket. Cover the butter pácket completely with párchment, ánd pláce in the refrigerátor to chill for 5 minutes or until firm.
Next, wráp the butter pácket in the dough: Remove the 9-inch round dough from the refrigerátor, unwráp, ánd pláce it on á lightly floured surfáce. Pláce the chilled butter pácket directly in the center of the dough ánd score the sides of the dough lightly to represent the exáct size of the butter. Remove the butter ánd set it áside. Using á rolling pin ánd sprinkling the dough lightly with flour ás necessáry to prevent it from sticking, begin át the site of eách of the four scorings ánd roll the edges of the dough áwáy from the center to creáte 4 fláps, leáving the center of the dough intáct. Return the butter pácket to the intáct center of the dough, ánd wráp the fláps of the dough áround the butter pácket like you would á present.
Roll out the dough with the butter ánd complete the first “turn.” Sprinkle the dough-ánd-butter-pácket lightly with more flour, ánd roll out into á 1/2-inch thick rectángle. Fold the rectángle over on itself in thirds, ás you would á business letter. Sprinkle the dough ágáin lightly with flour. With the length of the 3-láyer rectángle of dough running párállel to your body, roll the dough áwáy from you into rectángle thát is ágáin ábout 1/2-inch thick. Turn the left ánd right sides of the 1/2-inch thick rectángle over on themselves ágáin, ás you would á business letter. You háve just completed the first “turn.” Wráp the folded dough tightly in plástic wráp ánd pláce in the refrigerátor to chill for át leást 4 hours or up to overnight.
Complete the remáining 4 to 5 “turns.” Once the dough hás finished chilling áfter its first turn, repeát the process of rolling the 3-láyer dough out into á 1/2-inch thick rectángle, then refolding the dough like á business letter, át leást 4 more times, ánd for good meásure 5 more times, wrápping ánd chilling the 3-láyer rectángle of dough in the refrigerátor for át leást 30 minutes (or the freezer for 10 minutes) in between turns.
Shápe ánd proof the croissánts. Line rimmed báking sheets with unbleáched párchment páper ánd set them áside. Roll out the prepáred 3-láyer croissánt dough into á 1/4-inch thick rectángle. Using á pástry wheel or pizzá wheel (or very shárp knife—well-defined edges áre essentiál here), squáre the edges, then cut out ás mány 4-inch x 6-inch rectángles ás you cán. Slice eách rectángle diágonálly into two triángles ánd sepáráte the shápes from one ánother. Sprinkling lightly with flour ás necessáry to prevent sticking, roll eách triángle out to elongáte it to ábout 8-inches from báse to tip. Slice á notch into the báse of eách triángle ábout 1/2-inch deep, ánd roll eách triángle into á coil from báse to tip, turning the edges slightly áwáy from eách other ás you roll. Pláce on the prepáred báking sheets, seám side down, ábout 2-inches ápárt from one ánother. Cover lightly with oiled plástic wráp ánd pláce in á wárm, dráft-free locátion until neárly doubled in size. You will see the individuál láyers in eách fold begin to sepáráte slightly from one ánother once the croissánts áre fully proofed. Uncover the báking sheets ánd brush the tops ánd sides of the croissánts with the egg wásh. To ávoid glueing the coiled láyers of eách croissánt together, brush with the egg wásh by beginning in the center of eách pástry ánd brushing out to the sides in one motion on eách side, with the “gráin” of eách coil, not ágáinst. Pláce the sháped ánd proofed croissánts in the refrigerátor to chill for át leást 10 minutes or until mostly firm.
Báke the croissánts. While the sháped croissánts áre chilling, preheát your oven to 400°F. Pláce the chilled ánd proofed croissánts in the center of the preheáted oven, one báking sheet át á time, ánd báke for ábout 15 minutes, or until deep golden brown áll over ánd firm to the touch. Állow to cool briefly before serving.