Dominique Ansel's At-Home Cronut Recipe

By Sarah Lipoff

Dominique Ansel's At-Home Cronut

Cook Time2 days
Yield12 Cronuts

Adapted from Dominique Ansel, The Secret Recipes

INGREDIENTS

    • Ganache
    • Follow these easy directions
    • Pastry Dough
    • 3 3/4 cup bread flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/3 cup sugar
    • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast, can substitute with active dry yeast
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 egg white
    • 8 tablespoons butter
    • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
    • Butter Block
    • 18 tablespoons butter
    • Sugar Coating
    • 1 cup superfine sugar
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Combine the bread flour, salt, sugar, yeast, water, egg white, butter, and cream in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until combined. If you don't have a stand mixer (like me!), use a hand mixer to blend the ingredients, then turn out and knead until the dough comes together.

    2. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl then cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on dough to prevent a skin from forming. Let dough rise for 2-3 hours until doubled in size.

    3. Remove dough and press down then roll into a 10-inch square on a flour-dusted piece of parchment paper. Place on a sheet pan and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

    4. Remove the pastry dough from the fridge along with the butter block. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and then position the butter block in the center at an angle, like a diamond. Fold over the edges and pinch, creating a wrapped square.

    5. With even pressure, roll the dough until it doubles in size.

    6. Now fold the dough in half horizontally, and then in half again vertically, creating a square of folded dough.

    7. Place in fridge for 30 minutes then repeat steps 2 and 3. Refrigerate overnight.

    8. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll until it is around a 17-by 8-inch rectangle. Now use a 3-inch round circle cookie cutter and a 1-inch round to make the shape of the Cronuts. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and let rise for 2 hours.

    9. Heat 64 ounces of vegetable oil to 350ºF and then fry in small batches, flipping after 90 seconds.

    10. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate and let cool to room temperature.

    11. Using a piping bag fitted with a head, press into the Cronut in four spots from the top and fill with the ganache. Or you can skip this step and use the ganache simply as a frosting.

    12. Roll the sides of the Cronuts in the sugar coating then finish by frosting with the remaining ganache.

    Notes

    The complete recipe takes three days to prepare — one for making the dough and butter block, another for making the ganache and laminating the dough, and a third for proofing, shaping, and frying the Cronuts.