And then you feed the dough to the laminator!

"I was hoping to actually laminate baked goods. In plastic."

Two part post. Here we'll talk about LAMINATED DOUGH and how you can make it with your hand mixer. Because, like the pioneers before me, I don't own a stand mixer. I almost bought one a few years back, but decided not to - I see it as something that, though beautiful and lusty, I do not know enough about my future locations to warrant the purchase of one, because I don't know if I'll want to, or be able to, lug it along with me.

For the most part, I don't morn it - my Cuisineart, a huge beast that I don't use as much as I should, and hand mixer are more than adequate.

This leads to low self-esteem, though, when faced with recipes that specifically call for the use of one. I haven't made marshmallows, or many of the breads and fancier frostings. But this summer, I made traditional buttercream with my hand mixer and realized that there was a CD of motivational songs and a sweatband in my future - I was going to try to conquer more recipes with my hand mixer, and the big one on my list was croissants.

I have never made a laminated dough before - and as alluring as the recipe for croissant dough in Tartine is, I couldn't fathom trying it my first time out. So I remembered another laminated, similar recipe I'd been meaning to try, Danish dough (used by The Daring Bakers for their Danish Braid challenge), and went for it.

It is gorgeous. It is smooth, and silky, and there were no major hurdles to cross - a tip, though. When using my hand mixer in place of a stand mixer, I try to replicate conditions as best I can. A large, deep mixing bowl steadied on a cloth towel, and slowly steering the mixer around the perimiter of the bowl (like a paddle or dough hook would do) leads to success. Don't use too high a speed, especially at first, and don't be afraid to stop before you really begin to panic that you've overmixed the dough.

Make it, and meet me back here in 24 hours.

Dough
(Adapted from Jen Yu and Sherry Yard)
1 TBS active dry yeast
3/4 cup 2% milk, warmed just enough to take the chill off
1/3 cup vanilla sugar
2 large, cold eggs
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups AP flour, more if needed

Butter pack
2 sticks (1/2 lb) cold butter, diced
1/4 cup AP flour

In a large high-walled mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and milk. Add the sugar, then the eggs, and whisk whisk whisk until completely smooth and liquid.

Add 1 cup of flour, and using a handheld mixer (Mine is a 3-speed Kitchen-Aide and worked just fine, though make sure you don't overwork the motor, upping and lowering the speed as you see fit) on the lowest setting, gently begin to mix in the flour. Add the salt, and another cup of flour, mixing completely - by now, a sticky, tacky beige dough should be clinging to the beaters, and you might want to up the speed to '2', or a similar medium setting. Add the final full cup of flour, and mix until combined - I clicked my mixer up to '3' at this point.

Now, if you think your mixer can handle it, feel free to mix in the final 1/4 cup of flour using it. But I wasn't about to blow out mine, so I used my (clean) hands to incorporate the last bit of flour and pull any dough from the sides and bottom of the bowl. Generously dust a clean surface with more flour, turn the dough out and knead for around 5-7 minutes, until smooth and stubborn. I kneaded for five. Then scatter flour on a plate or baking sheet, drop your round, smooth dough ball on top and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.

At this point, wash your beaters and bowl, and dry well. Drop the cold butter and 1/4 cup of flour into the bottom, and on the lowest setting, begin to mix the two together until a thick, thick paste forms. Work into a tacky ball with a spatula, then set aside at room temperature.

After 30 minutes, remove dough from the fridge and place on prepped countertop. Here's where we get scientific. It's all about rolls, folds and turns and this is what put me off from trying this in the first place. I'll try to make it simple.

1st 'turn'

- Roll dough out until it is around 1/4 inch thick, and 18x13 inches - use a ruler if it makes you feel better, or eyeball. Now, spread all of the butter/flour evenly over 2/3rds of the dough, leaving the left section bare.

- Fold the barren left dough flap over the center, buttered section. Now fold the right section on top of that, like the dough is hugging itself. Now carefully (I folded the rectangle in half again for transport) move to a floured baking sheet and wrap with plastic. Chill for thirty minutes.

2nd 'turn'

- Remove from fridge and turn out onto (re floured, if necessary) countertop. Flour your rolling pin, and look at your dough. The coiled ends should be at your elbows, at your right and your left as the original directions say. Roll the dough into another, rough rectangle (same dimensions as your first). Then repeat the 'hug' - fold the left side of the dough over the center section, and then fold the right side on top of that. Transfer back to the floured baking sheet, wrap again with plastic and chill for another thirty minutes.

3rd 'turn'

- You're a pro at this already. Nice. Do exactly what you did thirty-minutes ago: roll dough into another rectangle (you can gently, but firmly, tug the corners of the dough to square them off, if everything keeps looking oval-ish), then make the dough practice self-love and hug itself. Back onto the sheet pan, back into the fridge. You can watch another episode of 'Will and Grace'.

4th (and final) 'turn'

- Do the above one more time. I noticed a nice change, my dough was a beautiful, even color and had a pleasing silky-smooth feeing underneath my fingertips. There was no tearing, and I felt like it was really achieving a nice structure, but time will tell, right? I hope the same for your dough. Once you've completed the fourth 'turn' (roll, hug, sheet pan, plastic), really wrap the dough and sheet pan well in plastic because now it has to chill for at least five hours, or overnight. You just made laminated dough, son. Next, gutting a bear.

Comments

[Jessica]

Wow. I haven't made laminated dough and I have a stand mixer.

Before I had a stand mixer, however, I used the heck out of my little hand mixer. And I made marshmallows with it. I'm not going to lie to you: there was weeping and I glued my hair to my neck and several utensils to the counter. But when all was said and done, the 'mallows were delicious.

[Rach]

Holy crap you made laminated dough. That's, like, a superhuman achievement. Did you bake any fruits into your danishes?