Flaky Homemade Croissant Twists

I love my Foolproof Cheater Croissant Dough and use it for many applications (including these Apple Morning Buns), but I have to say that these fried Croissant Twists are insanely good, and may be my new favorite thing to make with it.

Frying anything is not my favorite past time, but the process was worth it. These twists are simple to form (especially if you have some croissant dough already made and stashed in your freezer), and the fry up rich, flaky and light.

I loved them with a simple glaze, which added some sweetness and kept the middles tender. Each bite reminded me of a cross between a croissant and an old-fashioned doughnut, which is a perfect mash-up in my mind. I am imaging a rhubarb-glazed version as soon as my stalks are ready to pick.

Important Tips for Making This Recipe

Make sure your kitchen isn’t too hot! This will affect how your dough rolls out. The yeast will began to release gas as the dough warms up, so a cool environment is important. If at any point your butter begins to melt or your dough begins to warm and stick to your work space, you can move the dough to the refrigerator to chill.

Practice is important: Read through the entire recipe once or twice, so you really understand all the steps. If you haven’t made this recipe or a laminated dough before, give yourself space to make mistakes. Practicing a few times before using this dough for an important event (brunch, holidays, etc) is a good idea. Mistakes are part of the process! We learn by making mistakes, so if your dough doesn’t turn out perfectly the first time, have patience with yourself.

Use the flour called for and use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients. Flour is one of the most important building blocks in baking. Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, which can result in very different outcomes in baking. When working with yeasted doughs, I like to use King Arthur flours, and use their all-purpose, unbleached flour in this recipe.

Flaky Homemade Croissant Twists

Servings: 10 twists

Using cheater croissant dough, you can make these incredible croissant twists at home. Each bite is a cross between a croissant and an old-fashioned doughnut!

Sarah Kieffer

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Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe Cheater Croissant Dough
• Vegetable Oil, for frying (enough to fill a medium to large Dutch oven or stockpot 4 in [10 cm] from the top)

Icing

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 3/4 cup [180 g] confectioners' sugar

Instructions

For the twists

• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Gently grease the parchment paper.
• Generously flour your work surface. Roll out the Croissant Dough into a 10 in [25 cm] square.
• Use a pastry cutter to cut the dough into 10 pieces, each 1 in [2.5 cm] wide. Holding each end of the strip, gently stretch the strip until it is 14 in [26 cm] long. Twist each strip, then bend it into a horseshoe around each other to form one long twist, gently pressing the loose ends together. Place it on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining strips. Cover the twists loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or deep fryer to 340F [170C] on a candy thermometer. Line another sheet pan with parchment paper and set a wire rack over the top.
• Very carefully place 2 or 3 twists into the hot oil, making sure not to crowd them; the twists will expand as they cook. Fry until the twists are golden brown, flipping them several times, 2 or 3 minutes total on each side, using tongs or a skimmer to flip them. Transfer to the wire rack and let cool until the twists are cool to the touch. While the twists are cooling make the glaze.

For the glaze

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, 1 tablespoon of water, vanilla, and pinch salt. Add the confectioners' sugar and use a spatula to mix together, then switch to a whisk and whisk until combined and smooth. Add more water if needed; the glaze should be pourable. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the just-cooled twists. Twists are best eaten the same day they are made.

Notes

Notes

Twists can also be made with sprinkled sugar instead of glaze (both ways are delicious!). Instead of drizzling with glaze, toss the warm twists in granulated sugar until evenly coated.