I am delighted to introduce our new resident foodie – Nidhi Mehta who will be whipping up delicious recipes for you now and again, you’re welcome!
They did it! ‘They’ managed to create another fad! Trust a French chef to create a dessert so divine that a 3 hour wait is no problem! And I thought it was only Apple fanatics that did that! At least those things last you a few years, if not a lifetime. But Cronuts? Gone in 60 seconds..
There is even a black market for it! A $5 cronut sells in the blackmarket for a cool $40 a pop!
Cronuts, put simply, are Croissant-Donuts.
As for the recipe itself, it is not yet ‘out there’. According to the chef and creator Dominique Ansel, it is a ‘special’ dough similar to a croissant dough that is deep fried. But of course!
I have always managed to stay away from the donut – a deep fried dough isn’t exactly my idea of breakfast. Croissant? Sure! Although it may have as much butter as flour, when had with an espresso, it just makes me feel so French, and I love it! Not to mention the light flaky texture that so effortlessly manages to belie all the butter that created the beauty!
For any new fad, there will be impersonators and followers. There will be those who are intrigued. And then some that will take matter into their own hands.
Pillsbury has done that. They have quickly managed to put together a recipe. And they didn’t have to concoct anything new – just use their Crescent rolls! They even have an “Expert tips” section!
Just to save you time and effort googling it, here it is – dutifully copied and pasted. If you make some, let me know. Coz I am not sure I want to give in to this fad!
Ingredients
2 cups vegetable oil
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 snack-size container (4 oz) vanilla pudding
2 tablespoons caramel sauce
1/4 teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Milk
Additional caramel sauce, if desired
In deep fryer or 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat to 350°F.
Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. Stack 2 rectangles on top of one another. Fold in half widthwise to make tall stack. Repeat with remaining 2 rectangles.
To make 2 doughnuts, use 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut 1 round from each stack; use 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut small hole in center of each round. Reroll remaining dough to cut third doughnut.
Fry doughnuts in hot oil 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Cool 5 minutes.
Carefully split doughnuts in half. Place pudding in decorating bag fitted with tip, and pipe some of the pudding onto bottom half of each doughnut. Top each with some of the caramel sauce; sprinkle with salt. Cover each with top of doughnut.
In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and enough milk for spreading consistency. Spread on tops of doughnuts. Drizzle with additional caramel sauce.
Expert Tips
Add food color to the powdered sugar glaze for a fun and colorful doughnut topper.
Cut doughnut holes out of dough scraps with 1/2-inch biscuit cutter.
*Here is an update from the author in case you were having trouble finding the ingredients.
I am pretty sure I saw the Pilsbury Crescent dough in one of the major supermarkets, however that was a specialty place that stocked all major American brands and food products. I can’t remember its name, but it was in Bangalore’s Garuda mall.
As for substitute ingredients – the Crescent roll uses a high protein flour, which is also only available in places that stock American/European things. What we require is a strong bread flour. It is nothing but all purpose flour with additional gluten. This can be achieved using the vital wheat gluten. And guess what – only specialty stores again!
I admit, the ingredients list are a bit hard to find in India. There are substitutes that can be used, but not without losing the texture. We can use normal all purpose flour (maida), with yeast, and perform a lot of kneading and rolling to enable gluten formation. Now, that will still not achieve the chewy texture the strong bread flour gives, but it is close. Here is a croissant dough recipe from All recipes that can be used. It is a lot of work. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have lots of time…and patience!