Description
This step-by-step croissant recipe guides you through the traditional French method of making flaky, buttery croissants at home. With detailed instructions from activating yeast to laminating dough and baking, it ensures perfectly risen, crisp, golden pastries with delicate layers. Ideal for breakfast or brunch, these croissants deliver bakery-quality results with simple ingredients and patience.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
- 160 g whole milk (lukewarm)
- 120 g water
- 470 g all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 30 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
Butter Block
- 250 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: In a large bowl, combine lukewarm milk, water, yeast, and sugar. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy to activate it. If using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.
- Make Dough: Add all-purpose flour and salt to the yeast mixture and mix until it forms a rough dough.
- Knead Dough: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for approximately 3 minutes to develop gluten and achieve a smoother texture.
- Incorporate Butter: Add 30 g of room temperature unsalted butter and knead the dough a few more minutes until fully incorporated.
- Chill Dough: Shape the dough into a rough rectangle, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to rest and firm up.
- Prepare Butter Block: Mix 250 g room temperature unsalted butter with 1 1/2 tablespoons flour until combined. Place between two sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 20×15 cm (8×6 inch) rectangle about 0.5 cm thick using the folding parchment technique for clean edges.
- Chill Butter Block: Refrigerate the butter block until it is firm but pliable.
- Laminate Dough: Roll chilled dough on a floured surface to a 20×32 cm (8×12.5 inch) rectangle, twice the height of the butter block and similar width. Place the butter block centered on the dough and fold dough edges over to encase it fully. Seal and make shallow slits along edges to prevent tearing.
- First Fold: Rotate dough 90 degrees so the seam is vertical. Roll the dough gently into a long rectangle about 6 mm thick, focusing on length. Trim uneven edges; fold the top third down and bottom third up like a letter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
- Second Fold: Repeat the rolling and folding, trimming edges to keep neat. Fold into thirds, turn, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for another 30-60 minutes.
- Third Fold: Repeat the rolling and folding one final time. Then refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours to relax gluten and chill butter layers.
- Shape Croissants: Roll dough into a 60×30 cm (24×12 inch) rectangle about 5 mm thick. Mark 5 cm intervals along edges and cut diagonal lines to form roughly 12 triangles. Gently stretch each triangle base, roll from wide end to tip, tuck tip under to secure, and curve ends into classic crescent shapes.
- Proof Croissants: Place shaped croissants on parchment-lined baking trays. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or towel. Proof at room temperature for 2-5 hours until doubled in size and puffy. When the tray is shaken gently, croissants should jiggle.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) to prepare for baking.
- Egg Wash: Whisk one large egg with one tablespoon water. Use a pastry brush to gently coat croissant tops for a shiny golden crust.
- Bake Croissants: Bake croissants in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes until deeply browned and crisp. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing to enjoy the flaky layers.
Notes
- Use unsalted butter to control salt levels precisely in the dough and butter block.
- Keep all ingredients and dough as cool as possible during lamination to prevent butter from melting.
- Be patient with proofing; croissants need time to double in size for proper flakiness.
- If using active dry yeast instead of instant, activate it by dissolving in the warm liquids and allowing it to foam before adding flour.
- Store baked croissants in an airtight container to maintain crispness; reheat gently before serving.
