Whole Wheat Croissants for a #SundaySupper Easter

Sunday mornings, especially Easter Sunday mornings, call for a special treat. Between pancakes, waffles and crepes, our weekend breakfast-brunches always seemed to be carb-heavy, but around Easter (especially if we had a holiday dinner on Good Friday), my Sunday morning treat was a leftover ham sandwich with lots of mustard. Mom (and later, I) would take the cold, sliced ham, cut it into strips and "toast" it in our frying pan - essentially creating bacon but without the grease. Depending on the bread stash we had at home, it would be piled onto crispy-crust kaisers, Texas toast, cinnamon-raisin bread (weird, but it works with the mustard - trust me!) or my favourite, bagel croissants.

What is a bagel croissant? All the good, flaky texture of the croissant, but sturdier and much better for slicing. My personal favourite was poppy-seed, just like the bagel! That said, for straight-up eating, they paled in comparison to the local bakery's homemade croissants that we would get on very special occasions. Those were intensely buttery, flaking at the slightest nudge, and melted in your mouth. Paired with a little bowl of berries and bananas, a cafe au lait (and a cappuccino yoghurt if we had gone to the store recently), it was a very Parisian experience that I just took for granted as a treat!

Around Easter I start thinking of those mornings again, and while croissants are obviously still available, the bakery has shut down and the storebought ones just aren't the same. I knew that there were infinite recipes out there to make your own, but I kept putting it off - they just seemed too finicky! Finally, though, with our turn to host Easter coming around, I bit the bullet and started seriously looking at recipes.

I wanted to make the classic, but with a little bit of a healthier (and more flavourful) twist of whole wheat. Thanks to David Lebovitz, I knew it was possible - but the problem came down to quantity. I wound up combining his fantastic method (step-by-step pictures really helped!) with this one from Zester Daily and a few of my own additions - namely the use of buttermilk and a small portion of shortening mixed with the roll-in butter to minimize oozing. Luckily I chose a fairly cold stretch of the week to get my hands dirty, so the butter stayed (mostly) contained. In any event, they puffed into wonderfully flaky layers with a unique tang, perfect for brunch!

This week's #SundaySupper is celebrating Easter and Passover with a host of treats - all the meals are on the table, including appetizers, desserts and wine too! Alaiyo is our host this week - thanks!

Breakfast/Brunch:

• Colomba Muffins from Manu’s Menu
• Strawberry Amaretto Coffee Cake from Savvy Eats
• Strawberry Lemon and Ginger Scones from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Spinach Bacon Breakfast Cups from Runner’s Tales

Appetizers:

• Smoked Salmon Dip with Greek Yogurt and Capers from Shockingly Delicious
• Colorful Delicious Deviled Easter Eggs from Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
• Butter-Braised Easter Egg Radishes from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Egg Salad Deviled Eggs from Noshing With The Nolands

Savory and Sweet Breads:

• Healthier Hot Cross Buns from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Whole Wheat Croissants from What Smells so Good?
• Hot Cross Pretzels from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Italian Easter Bread from Curious Cuisiniere
• Greek Easter Bread from Hip Foodie Mom
• Garlic and Cheddar Swirled Brioche Rolls from Neighborfood
• Paska Bread from Seduction in the Kitchen

Sides and Salads:

• Aunt Ruthie Mashed Potatoes from Melanie Makes
• Vegetarian Cornbread Stuffing from Pescetarian Journal
• Mixed Greens with Hot Bacon Dressing from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Passover Kugel: Veggie-Style from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Syrnyk–Ukranian Sweet Easter Cheese from Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Main Dishes:

• Pan Seared Lamb Chops from The Foodie Army Wife
• Roast Leg of Lamb with Parsley Walnut Pesto from The Texan New Yorker
• Italian Easter Torta from La Bella Vita Cucina

Desserts:

• Passover Vegan Lemon Cheesecake from Killer Bunnies, Inc.
• Easter Basket Cupcakes from MealDiva
• Strawberry Crostata with Sweet Almond Glaze from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Layered Chocolate Mousse Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Chocolate Hazelnut Macarons from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Rhubarb Meringue Cake {Rhabarberkuchen} from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Lemon Blueberry Basil Cupcakes from Brunch with Joy
• Banana Carrot Cake Bread from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Individual Cakes with Peanut Butter Whipped Frosting from Momma’s Meals
• Gluten Free Easter Cupcakes from Gluten Free Crumbley
• Lemon Coconut Bars from Magnolia Days
• Lemon Icebox “Pie” from girlichef
• Easter Basket Cupcakes from The Ninja Baker
• Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies from Pies and Plots
• Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Swirl from Alida’s Kitchen
• Passover Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Filled Crepes from Try Anything Once Culinary
• Rhubarb Almond Streusel Muffins from Confessions of A Culinary Diva

• Best Wines for Easter/Passover Feast from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Whole Wheat Croissants

Makes 6

Butter Paste
70 g salted cultured butter, cool but not fridge-cold
20 g shortening, cool but not fridge-cold

Dough
½ cup flour
½ cup whole wheat bread flour
pinch sea salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
⅓ cup buttermilk
1 tbsp canola oil

Egg Wash
1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp water

Butter Paste

1. Beat butter and shortening into a paste.
2. Scrape onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a rough square. Refrigerate.

Dough

1. In a bowl, mix the “dough” ingredients together to form a soft, but not sticky, dough.
2. Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes, then place in a zip-top bag or a greased bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day, remove the butter mixture and the dough from the fridge and let stand 30-45 minutes at room temperature.

Lamination

1. Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a large square.
2. Set the block of butter diagonally on the square dough.
3. Bring each corner of the dough square over the butter square, allowing the edges of the dough to overlap.
4. Starting from the center of the square, roll the dough out into a rectangle.
   *NB: If at any time the butter is too soft and starts to ooze out the corners, wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes before proceeding.
5. Letter-fold the dough (into thirds).
6. Reposition the dough so that the open ends are at 12 and 6 o'clock.
7. Roll the dough into a rectangle, working from the center of the dough.
8. Fold both open ends of the dough into the middle, then fold the already-folded dough in half (book-fold).
9. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
10. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Roll the dough into a rectangle again and repeat both folds as above.
11. Place in a zip-top bag or wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Shaping & Baking

1. The next day, roll the dough into a ¼” thick rectangle. 
2. Trim the edges of the dough and cut 6 triangles across the long edge of the dough.
3. Starting at the base of each triangle, roll dough up into a log.
4. If desired, bend in the corners to form the traditional crescent shape (or leave straight, either is delicious).
5. Place on a parchment-lined sheet and let rise 1 hour, until doubled in size.
6. Preheat the oven to 425F.
7. Whisk together the egg yolk and water and brush pastry with egg wash.
8. Bake 14-16 minutes, until golden and light.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 239.2
Total Fat: 16.3 g
Cholesterol: 58.6 mg
Sodium: 82.2 mg
Total Carbs: 20.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
Protein: 3.7 g