Flaky Breakfast Croissants
If there’s one thing in the baking world that’s both revered and feared, it’s the croissant. These flaky, buttery pastries have a reputation for being a labor of love, with a long and seemingly complex process involved in making them. But fear not, fellow bakers, for I’m here to demystify the process and encourage you to give it a try yourself.
Yes, making croissants requires patience, precision, and a bit of practice. But trust me when I say that the end result is worth every bit of effort. There’s something that’s just so satisfying about creating these things from scratch, and the whole vibe they give your kitchen while they bake is almost worth it by itself.
Now, I won’t sugarcoat it: the process of making croissants is indeed involved. From preparing the dough and laminating the butter to shaping and proofing, there are several steps to follow, each with its own set of techniques and challenges. But here’s the thing: none of these steps are insurmountable. You CAN do it.
So, if you’ve ever been intimidated by the idea of making croissants at home, I urge you to give it a try. Embrace the process, enjoy the opportunity to sharpen your skills, and don’t be discouraged by the number of steps involved. Remember, every batch you make will bring you one step closer to flaky, buttery goodness.
With love,
Your Baker- Hannah
Convinced it’s time for some homemade croissants? Here’s a grocery list of everything you’re gonna need!
Ingredients for Homemade Croissants:
All-Purpose Flour
Granulated Sugar
Salt
Unsalted Butter
Active Dry Yeast
Eggs
(To make it even easier, you can hit the “Get Ingredients” button inside the recipe, and these items will be added straight to your shopping cart at the grocery store of your choice.)
Ingredient Substitutions
Flour: All-purpose flour can be replaced with bread flour for a slightly chewier texture.
Butter: You can use salted butter instead of unsalted butter for a more savory take on croissants.
Sugar: Honey or maple syrup can be used as alternatives to granulated sugar, but they may alter the flavor slightly.
What Tools Do You Need for Baking Homemade Croissants?
A Step-by-Step Summary for Baking
Homemade Croissants:
To start, mix warm water, yeast, and sugar in your stand mixer and let it sit until foamy. Add flour, remaining sugar, salt, and melted butter, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Allow it to rise in the fridge for 2-3 hours until it doubles in size. While the dough is rising, prepare a square of butter between two sheets of parchment paper, ensuring it remains cool.
Once the dough has risen, roll it out, encasing the butter within. Perform several folds—an envelope fold followed by a book fold—to create layers. After chilling the dough in the fridge between folds, you’ll develop flaky layers. Allow the dough to rest in the fridge overnight, before rolling into a rectangle once again the following morning. Once rolled out into a large rectangle, cut it into triangles, which you’ll then roll into croissant shapes.
After proofing, brush with an egg wash and bake until golden brown. Serve warm with your favorite toppings!
Watch the Video Tutorials Here:
FAQs About Baking Croissants:
Q: How long does it take to make croissants?
A: From start to finish, making croissants typically takes about 12 hours, including resting and proofing times. Planning ahead is essential!
Q: Can I use active dry yeast instead of fresh yeast?
A: Yes, you can! Just use about 25% less active dry yeast than fresh yeast, and dissolve it in the warm water first.
The Secret to Achieving the Perfect Croissants:
The key to achieving the best croissants is to keep the butter and dough at the right temperature AT ALL TIMES. Ensure that both are cool and pliable while you work with them to create those lovely flaky layers. Additionally, don’t skip the resting times between folds; this allows the gluten to relax and helps prevent tough croissants.
How to Prevent Butter from Leaking Out of Your Croissants:
To prevent the butter from leaking during the baking process, ensure the butter is encased properly within the dough and that you roll it out evenly without pressing too hard. Also, keeping the dough chilled during the folding process is crucial; if the dough gets too warm, the butter can start to melt.
How to Freeze Unbaked Croissants:
To freeze unbaked croissants, shape them and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Freeze them until firm, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. When you’re ready to bake, allow the croissants to thaw and proof until they’ve doubled in size before baking as usual.
With this guide, you’re all set to create delicious flaky croissants right in your own kitchen. Enjoy the process, and don’t hesitate to experiment to find what works best for you!
Recipe for Flaky Breakfast Croissants:
Classic Breakfast Croissants
Ingredients
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until the yeast has gotten foamy,
- Add flour (make sure to fluff your flour with a fork before measuring), remaining sugar, salt, and melted butter.
- Mix on low, until a shaggy dough begins to form. Continue mixing on low for 3-4 minutes before turning off the mixer. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky (you do not want to develop much gluten at this stage). Cover the dough with a damp towel or some oiled plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to rise for 2-3 hours until doubled in size.
- While your dough rises, place 2 sticks + 2 tablespoons of butter onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment over the top of the butter (to sandwich the butter in), and, with a rolling pin, lightly beat the butter into a square (roughly 8inx8in.).
- Wrap the butter square in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge to stay cool. Pull the butter back out about 10-15 minutes before you are ready to roll out your dough (you want it to be cool, but lightly pliable).
- Once the dough has doubled, remove it from the fridge and, using your fist, lightly punch out the excess air. Turn the dough out onto a (very) lightly floured work surface, and begin rolling into a 10in.x16in. Rectangle.
- Once you have rolled your dough into a rectangle, place your square of butter onto the left half of the dough, and fold the right half over on top of it, fully enclosing the butter with the dough. There should be a 1 in. rim of dough around the butter. Press these edges together lightly, sealing in the butter.
- Roll the dough, with the butter encased in the middle, back out into a 10in.x16in rectangle. Be careful that no butter squeezes out of the edges.
- The folding and refrigerating stages of baking croissants is incredibly important. This is where the wonderfully flakey layers of the pastry are formed by rolling the dough and folding it over on itself multiple times to create exponential layers of butter. There are two typical folds that are used to create these layers. They are:
- The Envelope Fold: The dough is folded into thirds, as you would fold a letter when trying to fit it into an envelope (folding the bottom third up to cover the middle third, and folding the top third down to cover the bottom third)
- The Book Fold: The dough is folded into four, and ends up looking like a closed book. (The ends of the dough are folded in to meet in the middle. The dough is then folded again at the center line that was created, much like closing a thick book.)When completing the next steps, please refer back to these explanations as they are used in the directions.
- Take your 10in.x16in. rectangle of dough and perform an envelope fold (see the explanation on how to do this above). After folding, lightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to rest for 20-30 minutes. This allows the butter to get cold once again, and allows the gluten strands to relax. (At this point, you have 3 layers of butter)
- After your dough has rested, remove it from the fridge, turn 90 degrees from its previous position on your table when you performed your first roll and fold, and roll it once again into a 10in.x16in. rectangle, making sure the layers remain in place and the butter does not squeeze out of the sides.
- Proceed to perform a book fold on the dough (see the explanation on how to do this above). Wrap once again in plastic wrap, and allow to rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. (At this point, you have 12 layers of butter).
- Remove the dough from the fridge once again, turn 90 degrees from its previous positions on your table on the second roll and fold, and roll into a 10in.x16in. rectangle.
- Perform an envelope fold on the dough. Wrap one last time in plastic wrap, and place the dough into the fridge to bulk ferment overnight (8-12 hours. At this point, you have 36 layers of butter.) This creates the most ideal texture and flavor in your croissants.
- The next morning, or 8-12 hours later, remove your dough from the fridge, and place on a lightly floured surface. Grab your rolling pin, and roll into a 12in.x26in. rectangle. Trim an inch off of each side to give yourself a 10inx24in rectangle that can be cut into equal parts.
- Using a ruler, make a vertical cut into the dough every 4 inches along the width of the rectangle, cutting the rectangle into 6 equal pieces that measure 4in-wide x 10in-tall.
- Using a pizza cutter, take each 4 inch rectangle, and cut it from one corner all the way over to the corner on the diagonal from it, cutting the rectangle into 2 equally sized triangles. After cutting each rectangle, you should have 12 equally sized triangles.
- To roll your croissants, take a triangle of dough, and in the center of the wide base of the triangle, make a 3 cm long vertical cut towards the point. Spread the dough lightly on either side of the cut, and lightly roll the dough into a spiral towards the point. Do not roll too tightly or the croissant will not keep its light, flakey texture.
- Once you have rolled out all 12 triangles, place them on 2 separate cookie sheets (6 on each), and cover with a damp cloth. Leave them to proof for 1 ½ - 2 hours in a cool spot on your counter, or until they have a slight wobble to them when you shake them. (Do not leave them to proof in a warm spot, or the butter layers will leak out of them, and leave you with an undesired outcome).
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- While your oven preheats, mix your egg with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush lightly over the tops and sides of the croissants. This will give them their signature deep brown color.
- Place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and flakey.
- Serve with butter, jam, or your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
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