I only used half a batch of Sarabeth Levine's croissant dough to make croissants, so I used the other half to make pains au chocolat. If you have croissant dough ready, the pains au chocolat are very easy -- you just roll out the dough, chill it briefly, cut it into squares, and roll each piece of dough around some chocolate (I used a chopped Kohler dark chocolate bar). Then you proof the pastries, brush them with egg wash, and bake.
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Not surprisingly, these were also delicious -- they had the same buttery flavor and crackly exteriors as the croissants, and the dark chocolate was rich and decadent. I didn't love the shape of the pastries -- they were long, skinny, and looked slightly anemic; if I made these again, I would aim to make them shorter and fatter. But I would make them again!
I was not mentally prepared for the quick-moving events on Wednesday evening that put an abrupt end to my furlough. I had spent the weekend visiting my parents in Los Angeles (a trip I planned months ago to take advantage of the Columbus Day holiday), and I only returned to D.C. late Tuesday night. As a result, I spent most of Wednesday lazing around the house feeling jet lagged; I was caught flat-footed and I didn't have time to make any baked goods to take into the office with me for everyone's first day back yesterday.
It's ironic, because my baking productivity level has been pretty high throughout the shutdown. I accomplished my goal of tackling laminated doughs and a lot of other baking projects. Here's the final baked goods tally from my 16-day furlough:
Recipe: "Croissant Dough" and "Pains au Chocolat" from Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours, by Sarabeth Levine, croissant dough recipe available here at Leite's Culinaria.
Previous Post: "What I Did During My Furlough, Part Three: Croissants," October 16, 2013.
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I was not mentally prepared for the quick-moving events on Wednesday evening that put an abrupt end to my furlough. I had spent the weekend visiting my parents in Los Angeles (a trip I planned months ago to take advantage of the Columbus Day holiday), and I only returned to D.C. late Tuesday night. As a result, I spent most of Wednesday lazing around the house feeling jet lagged; I was caught flat-footed and I didn't have time to make any baked goods to take into the office with me for everyone's first day back yesterday.
It's ironic, because my baking productivity level has been pretty high throughout the shutdown. I accomplished my goal of tackling laminated doughs and a lot of other baking projects. Here's the final baked goods tally from my 16-day furlough:
- One dozen pinwheel Danishes
- One dozen croissants (these were an epic fail and went in compost)
- Three dozen gingersnap cookies
- One sweet potato tart
- Seven caramel apple tartelettes
- Two dozen pumpkin cheesecake bars
- Two dozen salted caramel brownies
- One dozen fruit Danishes
- One dozen cheese and raisin Danishes
- Eighteen croissants
- One dozen pains au chocolat
- Six dozen nut and cherry nougats
- One dozen ginger scones
- Eighteen cheddar-chive scones
- Two dozen crescent cookies
I enjoyed having the extra time to bake, but I'm happy to be back at my day job!
Previous Post: "What I Did During My Furlough, Part Three: Croissants," October 16, 2013.
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