Dough
1 package dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
½ lb flour
1 stick butter, room temperature
Glaze
½ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
Bacon "Sprinkles"
6 slices bacon
Step One | Dough
Whisk together yeast and warm water until yeast has fully dissolved. Whisk in milk, egg, syrup, butter, vanilla and salt. Gradually stir the flour in using a wooden spoon, until you have a uniform ball of dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Step Two | Create Layers
Flour a
Baking Mat or pastry mat, then roll the dough out to ½" thick rectangle (about 10" x 14"). Spread softened butter (about 2 tablespoons) on the middle third of the rectangle (long side toward you, short sides to your left and right).
The easiest way to spread the butter uniformly is to place the butter stick into a gallon bag, then use your rolling pin to roll it out flat. open the bag, remove the sheet of butter, and slice off a piece the size of the middle third of your dough. Lay the sheet of butter over the dough.
Fold one third of the dough over the middle, sealing in the butter, then spread butter over that one third. Fold again so that you now have a smaller rectangle, one third the size of the original.
Refrigerate again for 30 minutes.
Step Three | Create More Layers
Repeat the layering process. Roll your small rectangle back out to a ½" thick rectangle (about 10" x 14").
Spread the butter on the middle third, fold, then spread butter again, and fold again. Place the layered "brick" of dough in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
Step Four | Prep Glaze & Bacon
While the dough rests, whisk together glaze ingredients, then refrigerate.
Bake bacon on a Baking Mat at 400°F for 15 minutes, or until crisp. Remove bacon from the sheet to cool.
Step Five | Form Cronuts
Preheat Deep Fryer to 350°F.
Use a knife to slice 1 inch pieces of dough from the brick. Roll the pieces to 6" long. Form each piece into the shape of a cane (half of a heart). Bring two pieces of dough together to form a heart, then repeat for remaining dough.
You can also form them in a circle (or whatever other shape you dream up) if you prefer. Some people use special circular cutters to cut the donut shape from the dough. We simply make a long strand and join it together.
Step Five | Fry
Lower each heart-shaped cronut into the
Deep Fryer and fry for 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Use a brush to brush on the glaze, then crumble bacon and sprinkle over the cronut. Glaze a second time, over the bacon.
At this point, you can eat them. We chose instead to place them into a 400°F toaster oven for 10 minutes to set the glaze. If you don't mind the glaze being a little syrupy, you can skip this final step.
