Puff pastry hazelnut croissant

Mix all ingredients for the basic dough well – do not knead. Portion the dough, roll it out into a rectangle, and let it rest for 60 minutes at 2–5°C.

Place the laminated butter sheet on the rolled-out dough. Fold the edges over the butter, then place the other half of the dough on top and seal the edges well. Give a first and a second double fold, letting the dough rest covered for 60 minutes at 2–5°C between each fold.

After the second double fold, the dough can be frozen at -18°C until further processing. If necessary, thaw and give a third and fourth double fold.

Before further processing, the dough must be refrigerated for at least 60 minutes to relax the gluten.

Note: German puff pastry is made with half the amount of laminated butter. The butter in the basic dough remains unchanged. The dough is only mixed, not kneaded.

Dry-mix hazelnuts, pastry scraps, gum arabic and cinnamon in a bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over the dry ingredients, stirring well. Fold in the lemon zest. Store the finished filling in a cool place.

Note: The sweetness of the filling comes exclusively from the pastry scraps; no additional sugar is used. Gum arabic is used to bind the filling.

Roll the puff pastry out to 1.7 mm. Cut triangles measuring 18×15 cm. Brush the tips with egg wash. Pipe on the hazelnut filling and roll the triangles into croissants without overfilling. Let the croissants rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Brush with egg wash and bake at 185°C for approx. 20 minutes.

After baking, brush with sugar syrup and sprinkle with ground hazelnuts.

Cross-section and lamination
Despite the reduced butter content, the finished hazelnut croissants show good lamination, comparable to dough made with the full butter amount. The reduced fat can slightly affect stability during rolling – the dough shrinks more easily. The filling is noticeably less sweet and has a pleasant texture thanks to gum arabic.

Appearance and taste
Visually, the product hardly differs from the classic hazelnut croissant. A subtle taste difference is detectable due to the reduced fat, which normally acts as a flavor carrier. Overall, the lower fat and sugar content creates a lighter alternative with a good sensory profile.