Croissants à l'Abricot (Apricot Croissants)

Makes 8

Croissants are said to be named after the crescent moon, which they resemble. Although they're time-consuming to make, you'll be rewarded by their incomparably soft and flaky texture.

• 500g (1.1lb) vegan leavened laminated (croissant or Danish) pastry dough (see below)

• 8 tbsp apricot jam

• Vegan cream, for glazing

For the dough:

• 225g (7.9oz) flour

• 1 pinch salt

• 20g (0.7oz) sugar

• ½ sachet dry yeast

• 75ml (2.5fl oz) soya milk

• 80ml (2.7fl oz) cold water

• 10g (0.3oz) high-quality vegan margarine, melted

• 125g (4.4oz) high-quality vegan margarine, cold

• 1 tsp plain flour

1 Combine the milk and water in a bowl.

Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast separately and add to the mixture. Finally, add the melted margarine. Knead briefly with a mixer fitted with a dough hook on low speed for about 1 minute (add a little water or flour if necessary). Roll the dough into a ball, transfer to a bowl greased with oil and rest for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.

2 Next, cut the cold margarine into small pieces and knead with a teaspoon of flour. Work quickly to prevent the margarine becoming too soft. Put the margarine on a sheet of aluminium foil and shape into a 15cm square about 5mm in thickness. Wrap it in foil and rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

3 Roll out the dough on a floured work surface into roughly 30 x 20cm rectangle. Lay the margarine square on the left side of the dough and fold the right side over to encase it. Seal the edges well. Use a rolling pin to carefully roll out the dough into a 40x20cm sheet. Fold the right and left edges over into the middle and rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

4 Place the dough on a floured work surface. Carefully roll it out again to a 40x20cm sheet then and fold it into thirds. Rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then repeat the operation. Then refrigerate the dough for 20 more minutes.

5 Roll out the dough into a 30cm diameter circle. Cut the circle into 8 wedges (like pizza slices). Put 1 teaspoon of apricot jam in the centre of a wedge and roll it up from the bottom, turning the pointed sides slightly inwards. Tuck the end under the croissant, pressing firmly, to prevent it from coming loose while baking. Rest the croissants

2-3 hours on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

6 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Brush the croissants with a little vegan cream to give them a nice golden colour when baked. Bake for 20-25 minutes on the middle shelf, until golden.