This homemade croissants recipe is very buttery, flaky and will make your morning breakfast much more delicious! A complete recipe guide with photos and video to teach you how to make the most perfect croissants from scratch.
Homemade croissants It’sbeen over 6 years since I shared my croissant recipe with you and since then I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see so much
croissant
making success! After all, that’s why I do this. Especially when it comes to baking, because many of you have never baked before or are afraid to try to make a recipe like this.
However, I want to show you that baking is not that difficult and with a little practice anyone can succeed in it. Even when it comes to making something as decadent as these croissants! They’re a labor of love, but they’re worth it and they’re surprisingly simple to put together.
What are croissants?
Croissants are scaly, layered French puff pastry in the shape of a crescent. They are loved by everyone and for good reason! We are talking about puff pastry like a cloud, buttery, scaly, yeasty, chewy bread. It really is one of the most decadent things you can eat.
Croissant dough
gets its many layers as a result of “laminating” the dough. This means that we are rolling and folding over and over again, giving you many thin layers of dough and butter. As you bake them, the butter melts and emits steam. This swells each thin layer of paper-like dough giving your croissants hundreds of buttery layers.
- Milk – I used 2% milk for this recipe, but it doesn’t really matter if you use a different fat content.
- Brown sugar – Adding a little sugar to your croissants goes very well with the buttery taste! It will also help to give a little more crunch to the outside of each croissant.
- : Be sure to check that you are using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast. If your yeast doesn’t foam after step #1, your yeast is dead and the croissants won’t come out. Buy a new jar or package and store it in the freezer to make it last longer.
- All-purpose flour – While you can use bread flour in this recipe, I think it’s much more convenient to use for all-purpose. We all have it in our pantries, and it makes fantastic bread. The difference is that bread flour has a higher protein content, resulting in better gluten formation.
- Salt – You can adjust the salt in this recipe to suit your own sodium preference. However, I wouldn’t leave it out. That hint of salt really brings out the buttery flavor.
- Butter – Make sure to use without salt! I only cook with unsalted butter to have full control of the salt content. Since most of the flavor of these croissants comes from butter, make sure you find a good quality brand.
- Egg – The egg doesn’t actually make it into the dough! This will actually be used for an egg wash. That’s what gives our croissants a bright brown and golden exterior.
Active dry yeast
How to make croissants
- Yeast blooms: In the bowl of your blender, add warm milk, brown sugar and yeast. Stir quickly with a small fork or whisk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast lathers well.
- Make the dough: To your flowering yeast, add the flour and salt. Use the dough hook in your mixer and let the dough knead for about 5 minutes at low speed. The dough should be pleasant, soft, elastic and slightly sticky. Due to different environmental conditions, I may need more flour than I used. Add 1 tablespoon at a time until your dough feels perfect. Knead the dough by hand for a few minutes, then add it back to the bowl. Wrap the bowl well with plastic and let the dough rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Prepare the butter: Place the butter sticks on a plastic sheet horizontally. Place another piece of plastic over the sticks and use a roller to flatten the sticks until you have about an 8×5-inch rectangle. Put the butter, still wrapped in plastic, in the fridge until the dough is ready.
- dough: Laminating the dough is the process of folding the butter into the dough many times, which is what creates all those layers. Turn the dough over a lightly floured surface and roll it up to a 16×10-inch rectangle. Place the butter in the center and fold the edges of the dough rectangle to cover the butter completely. Spread the dough back to 16×10 inches, then fold it in the style of a letter in thirds. Wrap the dough with plastic and place it in the fridge for an hour. I like to repeat this process a total of 5 times giving us a total of 729 layers. Yes, that’s right! 729 layers!
- Bake the croissants: Spread the dough, one last time, until you have a long rectangle about 1/4″ thick. I like to cut the dough into thirds to facilitate this part. Cut the dough into long triangles and roll each one starting at the wide end until you are crescent-shaped. Brush with a lightly beaten egg and bake on a sheet lined with parchment paper for 8-12 minutes at 400F, then lower the oven to 375 and bake for another 8-12 minutes.
Laminating the
croissants to form croissants” />
How to make pain au chocolate aka chocolate croissants
For fillings, you can cut the dough into triangles to maintain the crescent shape or you can leave the dough in long strips 4″ wide. Place a piece of chocolate at the end of the dough and then roll it until it is tightly wrapped with the strip of croissant dough.
Don’t be afraid to try other fun fillings for your croissants! Try your favorite fillers. I love using Nutella, jam, peanut butter or even savory fillings like ham and cheese, or chopped pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. Be creative!
Why are these homemade croissants the best?
- These are a labor of love. There are no shortcuts here! Keeping the dough pleasant and cool, working in very deliberate steps, will ensure that you have the most buttery and flaky croissants.
- The ingredients used are common everyday ingredients; you probably already have everything you need to make this recipe.
- This is a great recipe that you can customize with fillings. You can even make sandwiches with these delicious croissants!
- Dough or finished croissants are great for freezing. Fresh Croissants every day? I think so!
- Readers love them!
We returned home from France and decided to make homemade croissants. I am so glad I found this recipe. I’m in my third batch! My grandchildren love it, and so do the rest of my family that croissants don’t even last two days. I make some chocolate and some chocolate! Excellent recipe, thank you!!!
How to store homemade croissants
Be sure to keep them in an airtight container, a freezer bag, or wrapped in aluminum foil so they don’t dry out. These croissants will last about 2-3 days. In the fridge, they can last up to 1 week.
How to freeze
homemade croissants
To freeze baked croissants, let them cool completely to room temperature. Place them in an airtight container, freezer bag, or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. They will last 1-2 months frozen. Defrost them by letting them sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
To freeze croissants without baking, shape them first and let them sit covered with plastic wrap on a baking sheet in the freezer for a few hours until they freeze. Transfer frozen croissants to a freezer bag or airtight container and they will last 1 to 2 months.
When ready to bake, place the unbaked croissants on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and test them at room temperature overnight or for about 12 hours.
Want to make homemade croissant sandwiches? Try these
recipes:
- Chicken salad sandwiches Egg
- Sandwich
- Avocado and tuna
- Waldorf salad More
salad
salad
related recipes:
- Spiral cheesecake
- Flour omelets Nutella Stuffed
- pumpkin cruffins
- Apple meatballs
- Butter cookies
Originally shared Feb 2012
