Butter-less Cheese Croissants

Croissants made without butter???  HOW???  Of course it is possible.  We use cheese in place of the butter to laminate the dough, then you get all the layers but with less fat and calories.  Adding cheese to a regular croissant always taste too greasy for me, but this way you get the crispy, flaky croissant with loads of cheese!  Pictured below is 2 regular cheese croissants and 2 whole wheat one hence the brown colour,  It's a bit more dense of course as the bran weighs things down, but it still taste really good.

Butter-less Cheese Croissants (White & Whole Wheat variations)

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour or whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp splenda
• 1/2-3/4 cup of water
• 3-4 cups of finely shredded cheese (use cheeses such as cheddar/gouda/havarti, mozzarella works mixed with other cheese like cheddar but not alone) 

Instructions

Makes about 18 medium sized croissants or 12 large

​1. Combine the flour, yeast, and Splenda and mix well.  Add the water and stir until the dough starts coming together and turn out on a lightly floured table. 

2. Press together and lightly knead the dough until all the flour is moist and the dough forms a rough ball.  DO NOT OVER KNEAD. (You will develop gluten as you fold the dough)  Use more flour as needed to prevent sticking.

3. Flatten the dough into a square until it is about 11x11 and roughly 1 inch thick.  

4. Spread the shredded cheese on top of the dough in a diamond shape so that the points are in the center of the dough's sides.  (see diagram)

 

5. Fold the corners of the dough towards the center around your cheese diamond and seal the edges.

6. Once the dough is sealed you can start rolling out your dough. Turn the square so that the flat sides are facing you and press down to form ridges with your rolling pin from the middle to the top. Then do the same towards the bottom.  This should seal your dough completely.  Roll the dough out into a rectangle so that the long side is 3x the width.  

7. Now we will perform a 'tri-fold'.  (Don't worry.  It's easy)  Visualize dividing your dough into 3 equal sections top to bottom. Now fold the top down over the middle and bottom over the top that.  You should now have a square again.  

8. Dust the table with more flour to prevent sticking and lightly dust the dough.  Give it a quarter turn so that the folded edges are now on the side and roll out to make a long rectangle again.  Make the Tri-fold again.  You may find that the dough is now very tight so let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

9.  Roll out and fold 3 more times, letting the dough rest as needed.  

10. Now the dough is ready to be cut.  Using your rolling pin, roll the dough out into a large rectangle until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick.  

11. Cut the dough into triangles slicing from one edge to the other.  (Hint: If you want the traditional crescent shape, cut the triangles wider.  This lets you curl the corners around.)  For smaller croissants, cut the dough in half lengthwise, then cut into triangles.

12.  Separate the individual triangles and spray some water on the dough. (It helps it adhere to the shape.)  Starting from the base of the triangle, roll the dough towards the point.  To make the crescent shape, take the 2 corners of the rolled dough and curl it to meet in the middle in front of the point.  Now you have a perfect croissant! Repeat with all the triangles of dough.

13. Let the dough rise until triple in size or when the indent stays when you poke it. (about 2-3 hours depending on temperature.)

14. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray the croissants generously with water.  Bake for 10 minutes, then spray with more water and rotate.  Bake for another 12 -15 minutes until golden brown.

15. Cool on a rack and enjoy!

This is a Pizza variation.  I added pepperoni to the triangle before rolling it.  Taste awesome.

See it comes out nice and cheesy!