Dominique Ansel

1. Combine the bread flour, salt, sugar, yeast, water, and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed about 3 minutes, until just combined. When finished, the dough will be rough and have very little gluten development.

2. Lightly grease a medium bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer the dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the dough, to prevent a skin from forming. Proof the dough in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.

3. Remove the plastic wrap and punch down the dough by folding the edges into the center, releasing as much of the gas as possible. On a piece of parchment paper, shape the dough into a 10-inch (25 cm) square. Place the dough, still on the parchment paper, on a sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

PREPARE PORK FAT AND DRIED HAM

1. Trim the fat from the edges of all slices of Ibérico ham. Cook the trimmings in a small pot over low heat until the fat has liquefied. Strain through a small sieve into a small bowl. Discard any solids left in the sieve. Cover the bowl of fat with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, until solid.

2. While the fat is chilling, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) for conventional or 325°F (160°C) for convection. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Line a platter with paper towels.

3. Set 15 pieces of ham aside. These will be used to roll inside the croissants. Lay out the remaining slices of ham on the lined pan. Bake on the center rack for about 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for 10 minutes more or until the slices are crispy throughout. Drain and cool the ham slices on the paper towels. When completely cooled, chop into small bits. You should have about 1 tablespoon (60 grams), loosely packed.

MAKE BUTTER BLOCK

1. Combine the butter, the rendered fat, and chopped ham in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle and mix on low speed until blended. Try not to incorporate too much air.

2. Draw a 7-inch (18 cm) square on a piece of parchment paper with a pencil. Flip the parchment over so that the butter mixture won’t come in contact with the pencil marks. Place the butter in the center of the square and spread it evenly with an offset spatula to fill the square. Refrigerate overnight.

ONE DAY BEFORE

MAKE THREE FOLDS

1. Remove the butter mixture from the refrigerator. It should still be soft enough to bend slightly without cracking. If it is too firm, lightly beat it with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface until it becomes pliable. Make sure to press the butter back to its 7-inch (18 cm) square after working it.

2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, making sure it is very cold throughout. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the butter block in the center of the dough so it looks like a diamond in the center of the square (rotated 45 degrees, with the corners of the butter block facing the center of the dough sides). Pull the corners of the dough up and over to the center of the butter block. Pinch the seams of dough together to seal the butter inside. You should have a square slightly larger than the butter block.

3. Lightly dust the work surface with flour to ensure that the dough won’t stick. With a rolling pin, using steady, even pressure, roll out the dough from the center so that it triples in length. This will take several passes. When finished, you should have a rectangle about 24 by 10 inches (60 by 25 cm) and ¹/₄ inch (6 mm) thick.

4. Place the dough so the longer sides run left to right. From the right side, fold one-third of the dough onto itself, keeping the edges lined up with each other. From the left side, fold the remaining one-third of dough on top of the side that has already been folded. Line up all the edges so that you are left with a square. The dough is being folded as if it were a piece of paper going into an envelope, so this is called a “letter fold.” Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to relax the gluten.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for your second fold.

6. With the seam always on the right, roll out the dough vertically from top to bottom, rotate the dough 90 degrees, and repeat the letter fold once more. Do this again, making a third letter fold, with the seams to the right. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour between folds. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

7. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. With a rolling pin, using steady, even pressure, roll out the dough from the center vertically from top to bottom so that it triples in length. This will take several passes. When finished, you should have a rectangle about 24 by 10 inches (60 by 25 cm) and ¹/₄ inch (6 mm) thick. Cover it lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.²

8. Lightly flour the work surface and lay the dough flat. Using a ruler, starting from the left side, score the dough every 3 inches (8 cm) along the bottom edge until you reach the right side of the dough. Make the first score on the top edge 1 ¹/₂ inches (4 cm) from the left end. Continue scoring the top edge every 3 inches (8 cm). These staggered marks should give a nice guideline for cutting triangles. Use a large chef’s knife to connect each score mark on the top with the two at bottom on either side of it. The isosceles triangles should measure 3 inches (8 cm) wide and 10 inches (25 cm) high. There will be narrow triangles of dough left over at each end.

9. Gently stretch the cut triangles an additional 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) in length, being careful not to tear the dough.³

ROLL, FILL, AND SHAPE

1. Lay 1 slice of the reserved Ibérico ham on each triangle of croissant dough, keeping the ham inside the borders of the dough. At the wide end of each dough triangle, place a slice of Mahón cheese.⁴

2. Starting at the wide end, roll the croissant dough toward the tip, keeping steady, even pressure as you roll. When finished, make sure the tip of the dough is on the bottom of the croissant.

3. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the croissants on the sheet pan about 4 inches (10 cm) apart. Lightly lay a piece of plastic wrap over the croissants and refrigerate overnight.

THE DAY OF

BAKE

1. Remove the tray of croissants from the refrigerator. Keep them lightly covered in plastic wrap. Proof at room temperature until tripled in size, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.

2. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) for conventional or 350°F (175°C) for convection.

3. Lightly brush the croissants with egg wash and sprinkle with grated Mahón cheese, about 1 teaspoon per croissant. Bake on the center rack for 8 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for 8 minutes more or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool briefly.

1. Instant yeast is often used for doughs with higher sugar content, because this yeast needs less water to react and sugar tends to pull water from dough. You can substitute the same quantity of active dry yeast, but you may get a denser final product.

2. If you don’t have enough space in the refrigerator, you can gently fold the dough in half to fit.

3. Stretching out the dough not only gives you more to roll, it also relaxes the dough.

4. The Mahón cheese will need to be broken up to fit into the triangle.

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS Best served fresh and hot out of the oven.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS Croissants should be eaten within 5 hours of baking.

Bread flour	3 ³/₄ cups, plus more as needed for dusting	525 grams, plus more as needed for dusting
Kosher salt	1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon	10 grams
Granulated sugar	¹/₃ cup + 1 tablespoon	80 grams
Instant yeast (preferably SAF Gold Label)¹	1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons	13 grams
Water	1 cup	250 grams
Unsalted butter (84% butterfat), softened	8 tablespoons	112 grams
Nonstick cooking spray	as needed	as needed
Ibérico ham, very thinly sliced	24 to 30 slices	24 to 30 slices

Unsalted butter (84% butterfat), softened	16 tablespoons	224 grams
Rendered pork fat (step 1, below)	1 tablespoon	13 grams
Mahón cheese, sliced	12 to 15 slices	12 to 15 slices
Mahón cheese, grated	¹/₃ cup, loosely packed	30 grams
Egg wash (2 eggs, 1 pinch salt, and a dash of milk, beaten together)	as needed	as needed

IBÉRICO AND MAHÓN CROISSANT

TWO DAYS BEFORE

ONE DAY BEFORE

THE DAY OF