Butter Croissants

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, heated to warm (105°F–110°F)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (from two 1/4-oz packages)
• 3 3/4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) cold unsalted butter

1. Make dough:
   1. Stir together warm milk, brown sugar, and yeast in bowl of standing mixer and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If it doesn’t foam, discard and start over.) Add 3 3/4 cups flour and salt and mix with dough hook at low speed until dough is smooth and very soft, about 7 minutes.
   2. Transfer dough to a work surface and knead by hand 2 minutes, adding more flour as necessary, a little at a time, to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Form dough into a roughly 1 1/2-inch-thick rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until cold, about 1 hour.
2. Prepare and shape butter:
   1. After dough has chilled, arrange sticks of butter horizontally, their sides touching, on a work surface. Pound butter with a rolling pin to soften slightly (butter should be malleable but still cold). Scrape butter into a block and put on a kitchen towel, then cover with other towel. Pound and roll out on both sides until butter forms a uniform 8- by 5-inch rectangle. Chill, wrapped in towels, while rolling out dough.
3. Roll out dough:
   1. Unwrap dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as necessary and lifting and stretching dough (especially in corners), into a 16- by 10-inch rectangle. Arrange dough with a short side nearest you. Put butter in center of dough so that long sides of butter are parallel to short sides of dough. Fold as you would a letter: bottom third of dough over butter, then top third down over dough. Brush off excess flour with pastry brush.
4. Roll out dough:
   1. Turn dough so a short side is nearest you, then flatten dough slightly by pressing down horizontally with rolling pin across dough at regular intervals, making uniform impressions. Roll out dough into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle, rolling just to but not over ends.
   2. Brush off any excess flour. Fold in thirds like a letter, as above, stretching corners to square off dough, forming a 10- by 5-inch rectangle. (You have completed the first "fold.") Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, 1 hour.
5. Make remaining "folds":
   1. Make 3 more folds in same manner, chilling dough 1 hour after each fold, for a total of 4 folds. (If any butter oozes out while rolling, sprinkle with flour to prevent sticking.) Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill at least 8 hours but no more than 18 (after 18 hours, dough may not rise sufficiently when baked).

Directions:

1. Roll out and cut dough:
   1. Cut dough in half and chill 1 half, wrapped in plastic wrap. Roll out other half on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as necessary and stretching corners to maintain shape, into a 16- by 12-inch rectangle. Brush off excess flour with pastry brush and trim edges with a pizza wheel or sharp knife.
   2. Arrange dough with a short side nearest you. Cut in half horizontally and chill 1 half. Cut remaining half vertically into thirds, forming 3 rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally in half to make 2 triangles, for a total of 6 triangles.
2. Shape croissants:
   1. Holding short side (side opposite tip) of 1 triangle in one hand, stretch dough, tugging and sliding with other hand toward tip to elongate by about 50 percent.
   2. Return to work surface with short side of triangle nearest you. Beginning with short side, roll up triangle toward tip. Croissant should overlap 3 times, with tip sticking out from underneath; you may need to stretch dough while rolling.)
   3. Put croissant, tip side down, on a parchment-lined large baking sheet. (Curve ends inward to make a crescent shape if desired.)
   4. Make more croissants with remaining 5 triangles, then with remaining rolled-out dough, arranging them 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Repeat rolling, cutting, and shaping procedures with chilled piece of dough.
3. Let croissants rise:
   1. Slide each baking sheet into a garbage bag, propping up top of bag with inverted glasses to keep it from touching croissants, and tuck open end under baking sheet.
   2. Let croissants rise until slightly puffy and spongy to the touch, 2 to 2‚ hours.
4. Bake croissants:
   1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 425°F.
   2. Remove baking sheets from bags. Spritz inside oven generously with spray bottle and close door. Put croissants in oven, then spritz again before closing door. Reduce temperature to 400°F and bake 10 minutes without opening door.
   3. Switch position of sheets in oven and rotate sheets 180°, then reduce temperature to 375°F and bake until croissants are deep golden, about 10 minutes more.

Victoria Tea Pastry

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cups flour
• 3 eggs
• Another 1/2 cup butter 
• 2 Tablespoon cold water
• 1 Tablespoon almond extract

Topping:

• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring 1 cup water and 1/2 cup butter to a boil in a sauce pan. 
3. Remove from heat and immediately stir in 1 cup flour and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
4. In a stand mixer combine 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup cold butter (cut into little pieces) and blend well with the pastry attachment.
5. Slowly add 2 Tablespoons of cold water. 
6. Mix until dough forms into a ball. 
7. Divide in half and place side by side on a cookie sheet sprayed with oil. 
8. Flatten to about 1/2 inch thick and keep 1 inch apart. 
9. Add 3 eggs to the first mixture, one at a time. Fully mix in each egg before adding the next. 
10. Add almond extract and mix well. 
11. Evenly spread on each dough strip.
12. Bake 1 hour at 350 degree, do not open the oven during this time. 
13. Cool 10 minutes and frost with topping. 
14. For the topping combine 1/4 cup butter (softened) with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon milk and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. 
15. Spread on warm pastries and sprinkle to toasted almonds on top. 

Homemade Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 3/4 cup  coconut oil (should be solid at room temperature, chill if your house is warm)
• 1/2 - ice water

Directions:

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add cold unsalted butter and shortening. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut the butter and shortening until the mixture resembled coarse meal.
2. Slowly drizzle in the very cold water 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring with a large spatula after every Tablespoon of water that you add. You  may need up to 2/3 cup of ice water. Do not add any more water than you need to. Stop adding water when the dough begins to clump. I usually use around 1/2 cup.
3. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Form the dough into a ball. Divide in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks).
4. Proceed with the pie per your recipe's instructions.