Mini Ham Croissants Recipes

Steps:

• Place dough on a lightly floured work surface; cover and let stand until butter is slightly softened, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Roll dough out to a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Wrap one half with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator. Place remaining half on a large (about 18-by-25-inch) piece of parchment paper. Roll into a 16-by-20-inch rectangle, stopping to chill dough as necessary if butter becomes too soft; transfer to a large baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Transfer baking sheet to refrigerator and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat process with remaining piece of dough.
• Transfer one piece of dough to a lightly floured work surface so that one of the longer sides is facing you. Halve dough to make two 16-by-10-inch rectangles.
• Using a pizza cutter, trim a scant 1/8 inch from all sides of each rectangle of dough. Working quickly, using pizza cutter to cut each half into 1 1/2-by-3-inch rectangles. You should have about 60 rectangles.
• Place 1 slice ham in the center of each dough rectangle; top each with a slice of cheese. Starting from one short end and working toward the other, roll to enclose. Brush edges with water and gently press to adhere.
• In a small bowl, whisk egg together with 1 teaspoon water. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; place rectangles on prepared baking sheets, seam-side down, leaving room for croissants to rise. Brush tops with egg mixture, reserving remaining egg mixture. Place 3 narrow drinking glasses upside-down between each roll of dough; cover well with plastic wrap, making sure plastic does not touch dough. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in size and feel hollow when gently touched, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Uncover and remove glasses from baking sheets; brush croissants lightly with remaining egg mixture (reserving remaining for second piece of dough). Transfer to oven and bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat steps 3 through 8 with remaining piece of refrigerated dough.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the 10 by 12-inch rectangle puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface with the short side in front of you and cut it into four 3-inch wide strips from left to right. Next cut each strip into 6 triangles. Arrange the triangles on the work surface with the tips facing you. Gently pull each tip toward you; this light stretch adds layers to the finished croissant without adding density. Place a small amount of chopped ham on the wide side of each triangle, about 1/2-inch from the edge. Use the tips of your fingers to roll the triangle from the base to the tip. Place the croissants seam side down on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Combine egg wash ingredients and brush the tops of the croissants. Bake until well risen and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before serving. All of these puff pastry items are best eaten the day they are made.

Steps:

• Arrange racks in the upper third and lower thirds of the oven. Bring a skillet of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Transfer the skillet to the floor of the oven and close the door. (The steam released inside the oven will create an ideal proofing environment for the pastries.) Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Let the dough sit for 5 minutes at room temperature. Unwrap (save the plastic wrap for proofing) and place on a very lightly floured surface. If the dough has shrunk during chilling, roll it out again to a slab that's 16 inches long and 15 inches wide. Dust off any excess flour.
• Use a wheel cutter to trim 1/2 inch of dough from all four sides, straightening and squaring them off, creating a slab that's 15 inches long by 14 inches wide. Using a ruler, cut the slab lengthwise into 5 equal strips each measuring 3 inches wide. Cut each strip in half crosswise, creating 10 rectangles.
• Working with one rectangle of dough at a time, cover one half with a slice of ham, folding it as needed to leave a 1/2-inch border along the short side. Then, top with 1/2 ounce (2 tablespoons) of the cheese. Roll the dough into a snug spiral, starting at the end with the ham and cheese, then transfer the spiral to one of the prepared baking sheets, resting it on the seam. Repeat with the remaining dough, ham and cheese, dividing between the sheets and spacing evenly. Very loosely cover with plastic wrap so the pastries have some room to expand.
• Open the oven and stick your hand inside: It should be humid but not hot, as the water in the skillet will have cooled. You want the pastries to proof at 70 to 75 degrees (any hotter and the butter will melt, leading to a denser pastry). Gently place the baking sheets inside the oven on the two racks and let the pastries proof until they're doubled in size, extremely puffy and jiggle delicately on the baking sheet, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• When the pastries are proofed, remove the baking sheets from the oven and carefully uncover them. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes while you heat the oven. Remove the skillet from the oven and heat to 375 degrees.
• In a small bowl, stir the yolks and heavy cream until streak-free. Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator and use a pastry brush to gently brush the surfaces of each pastry with the yolk mixture. Transfer the sheets to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets and switch racks and continue to bake until the pastries are deeply browned, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.