Portugiesische Croissants (Portuguese-style ham and cheese croissants)

Method

1. Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and salt together. Add the warm milk, mix to a shaggy dough, then knead in the softened butter, kneading by hand for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
2. Cover and prove in a warm place for 60 minutes, until roughly doubled.
3. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a large rectangle, about 45 by 35 cm, and cut into 8 triangles as you would for a plain croissant, each with a wide base tapering to a point.
4. Lay a slice of ham and cheese on the base of each triangle, trimmed to sit just inside the edges, then roll from the base to the point, curving the ends slightly inward.
5. Arrange on lined baking sheets, spaced apart, cover loosely, and prove 30 minutes.
6. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 200°C for 18 to 20 minutes, until deep golden brown and the cheese is visibly melted at the seams.

Method in the Thermomix

Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl. This covers only kneading the dough; filling and shaping stay by hand.

1. Flour, yeast, sugar and salt into the bowl. Mix 5 sec / speed 5. Add the warm milk. Knead 2 min / dough mode, adding the softened butter through the lid opening as it runs.
2. Continue a further 1 min / dough mode, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3. Tip out, prove and continue by hand from step 3 of the hand method.

Notes

• This is a shortcut version, not a true laminated croissant. A single roll-up gives good structure and plenty of flaky layers from the enriched dough alone, but it does not have the shattering, hundred-layer texture of a fully tourée croissant, and is meant to trade that for a same-day process.
• Trim the ham and cheese to sit inside the triangle’s edges, not overhanging; filling that pokes out burns and sticks to the tray during baking.
• They are best eaten warm, within a couple of hours of baking, while the cheese is still soft.
• They keep for 2 days in the fridge and reheat well in a moderate oven for 8 minutes.

Ingredient substitutions

• Cooked ham can be turkey ham, or sautéed mushrooms for a vegetarian filling.
• Semi-hard cheese can be any good melting cheese; a mix of two gives a rounder flavour.
• A thin spread of Dijon mustard under the ham is a good, slightly sharper addition if you like.