How to Make Cronuts

A cronut is a crazy, delicious hybrid between a croissant and donut. This flaky concoction is so delectable that people wait in line at upscale bakeries for hours to get them before they sell out. Instead of spending half your Saturday standing around on a sidewalk, put your culinary skills to the test and try making cronuts at home! See Step 1 to get started.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 package of dry active yeast
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of butter
• 6 cups grape seed oil (or vegetable oil) for frying

For the Icing

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps

Preparing the Dough

1. Activate the yeast. Stir the yeast and the milk together in a bowl. Let it sit for about five minutes, until the yeast begins to foam and bubble.
   
   
   
2. Add the salt, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Use a wooden spoon or a whisk to mix well.
   
   
   
3. Mix in the flour. 1 cup at a time, mix in the flour, incorporating each cup thoroughly before moving on to the next.
   
   
   
4. Knead the dough. Using your hands or a dough hook attachment on your mixer, knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, until it's smooth and elastic.^[1]
   
   
   
5. Wrap it and put it in the refrigerator. Use plastic wrap to wrap the kneaded dough and let it chill in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
   
   
   
6. Whip the butter. Place it in a mixing bowl and whip it until it's light and fluffy. If the air in your house is warm, add 1/2 cup flour and whip it with the butter to help keep the butter stiff.
   
   
   

Folding and Turning the Dough

1. Roll the dough into a rectangle shape. Place it on a floured surface and roll it out using a rolling pin. The dough should be rolled so that it's about thick.
   
   
   
2. Spread it with butter. Dip a knife into the butter and spread it to cover the entire surface of the dough rectangle. Keep spreading until you've used up all the butter
   
   
   
3. Fold the dough into thirds. Do it lengthwise, like you'd fold a letter.
   
   
   
4. Refrigerate the dough. It needs to chill for another 1/2 hour.
   
   
   
5. Turn the dough. Remove it from the refrigerator and roll it into a rectangle again. This time, with the dough rectangle facing you horizontally, fold the two ends over so that they overlap each other. This type of fold is called a turn. Wrap up the turned dough and refrigerate it for 1/2 hour.^[2]
   
   
   
6. Roll and fold the dough. Remove it from the refrigerator, roll it into a rectangle, and fold it into thirds, like a letter. Return it to the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
   
   
   
7. Roll and turn the dough. Remove it from the refrigerator, roll it into a rectangle, and turn it so that the two ends of the rectangle overlap.
   
   
   
8. Refrigerate the dough overnight. After all that folding and turning, the dough needs time to rest. Wrap it in plastic and place it in the refrigerator. It'll be ready for frying in the morning.
   
   
   

Frying the Cronuts

1. Roll out the dough. One final time, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Leave it a little thicker this time - about .
   
   
   
2. Cut 8 circle donuts from the dough. You can add holes by using a 1” hole cutter in the middle of each circle.
   
   
   
3. Heat the oil in a deep fryer or deep pan over medium heat. Allow it to reach a temperature of .
   
   
   
4. Lift and place a cronut in the heated oil. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to transfer the cronut from the pan to the oil.
   
   
   
5. Fry on each side until golden brown. Cronuts will expand in size as they fry. When they're finished, transfer them to a wire rack or paper towel to cool.
   
   
   
6. Make the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. The icing should be runny and smooth.
   
   
   
7. Dip each cronut into the icing. Cover only the top of the confection. You could also drizzle the glaze over the donuts. Return them to the rack or paper towels to allow the glaze to dry.
   
   
   

Video

Tips

• Go semi-homemade and use pre-made refrigerated crescent roll instead of making the dough.
• Add sprinkles or finely chopped nuts to the glaze by dipping the freshly glazed cronut a plate of waiting toppings.

Sources and Citations

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