Perfect Homemade Croissants

These Perfect Homemade Croissants are actually quite straightforward to make. They do take some time, since I recommend resting the dough overnight.

Croissants, of course, are a delicious French pastry. The yeast dough is laminated with butter to give them the signature airiness. Often, and maybe traditionally, they have a crescent shape. But often, these days, they are simply rolled up without bending to a crescent. Whichever way, they are still delicious.

One of the issues people encounter when making a laminated dough, such as this, is that the butter is either too hard or too soft. If too hard the butter is likely to break up as the dough is rolled. If the butter is too soft it can sometimes leak out of the dough. So the butter needs to be neither of those. Rather it should be pliable, of about the same consistency in feel as the dough.

So in this recipe I will try to ensure that you are able to make croissants successfully, with the butter just right. Although the recipe will make 24 croissants I cut the dough in half and froze one portion for later use.

Another aspect of making croissants it that it takes patience. Particularly as there are quite a few steps in the process, and the dough needs to rest between steps. Indeed, resting the dough overnight after doing all the turns has two great benefits. One is that the dough develops more flavour and the second is that the dough relaxes. That is important for rolling and shaping the croissants. Working methodically, and following the recipe will ensure a great result.

Steps For Making Croissants

So the major steps in the process are:

• Making a preferment.

• Creating the butter block.

• Making the dough.

• Enclosing the butter in the dough.

• Doing 6 turns of the dough.

• Resting the dough.

• Rolling the dough and shaping the croissants.

• Baking the croissants.

Ingredients

Flour – Bread flour is best for croissants since it has a higher protein content. We use the flour in the preferment, the dough and then a little in the butter block as well.

Eggs – Medium in UK/Europe and large in North America. These go into the preferment.

Water – Warm water is added to the eggs to make up to a specific weight. It is used in the preferment.

Yeast – I use instant yeast, though dried active yeast is fine too but should be activated first. The yeast is added to the preferment.

Sugar – a little caster or granulated sugar feeds the yeast. Some more is for the main dough.

Salt – this goes into the main dough.

Butter – Unsalted butter, it is mainly for the butter block to create lamination. But a little melted butter goes into the dough as well.

Process For The Croissants

As I already said the process takes time. But it results in great croissants.

Making & Rolling The Dough

The first thing to do is to make a preferment which is then left to rise and become quite airy.

As the preferment rises there is time to form the butter block, a combination of a lot of butter and a little flour. The flour helps to make the butter more pliable.

The next step is making the dough, using the preferment along with melted butter, salt, sugar and more flour. The dough needs to be springy and stretchy before chilling in the fridge for a while.

As the dough chills the butter block can also chill in the fridge. If the temperature of the kitchen is warm the butter can be chilled earlier, but bear in mind it should not be hard when being put into the dough.

After resting the dough roll it out and enclose the butter block within it.

Then it is time to roll the dough and fold it, each complete fold being one turn. In total there are 6 turns before the dough is put in the fridge to rest. Overnight resting is best, but as little as two hours can work too.

Shaping The Dough

The following day the dough cut into two even pieces. Roll each piece into a large rectangle, about 45cm x 30cm(18 inches x 12 inches). Cut the dough into three strips 10cm(4 inches wide) and 45cm(18 inches) long. Then cut halfway down the length to make 6 pieces.

Cut each piece diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner. So for each half of the original dough we now have 12 long triangular pieces. Cut a slit in the wide end and roll up the dough to form the croissant. Place on a lined baking tray with the pointed end on the bottom.

Rest the croissants and preheat the oven. Then brush the croissants with beaten egg. Bake the croissants for about 20 minutes. They will rise well, brown nicely. Place them on a cooling rack and let them cool.

My Croissants

My croissants were in the oven for 20 minutes. They rose very nicely and took on a lovely brown colour. The internal temperature of mine was 98C which is higher than the 88C/198F to ensure a good bake. So I was quite sure mine were ready.

I put them onto a wire rack and left them to cool. Then I cut one open to see the light and airy inside. The taste was great, so buttery with the flakiness on the outside and so lovely and soft in the middle.

Another great recipe is Gooey Chocolate Cookies

Perfect Homemade Croissants

Recipe by geoffcoo

Course: BreadCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Medium

Servings

24

servings

Prep time(excl. waiting)

1

hour 

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Preferment

• 360g(1 1/3 cups + 1 tbsp, based on scooping flour into a 250ml cup) bread flour

• 2 medium eggs(large in USA),

• Warm water, added to the eggs to make a total weight of 454g(1 lb)

• 12.5g(1 tbsp) caster sugar

• 7g(2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast

• Dough

• The preferment above

• 400g(2 2/3 cups, based on scooping packed flour into a 250ml cup) bread flour

• 37.5g(3 tbsp) caster sugar

• 28g(2 tbsp) melted unsalted butter

• 15g(2 3/4 tsp) salt

• ! egg, beaten with a little milk , for an egg wash

• Butter Block

• 400g(1 3/4 cups) unsalted butter

• 60g(1/3 cup+ 1 tbsp, based on scooping packed flour into a 250ml cup) bread flour

Directions

• Place the dry ingredients for the preferment into a large bowl.
• Pour in the egg and water mixture into the bowl and stir together until you have a smooth batter.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it to ferment and rise, with bubbles appearing on the top. This might take 1.5 to 2 hours.
• Place the butter and flour for the butter block into a bowl and mix with a hand mixer(or rub between your fingers) to incorporate the flour into a stiff mixture.
• Take a large sheet of parchment paper and mark a 20cm(8 inch square). Then turn the paper over.
• Put the butter into the 20cm marked square and spread it over the surface.
• Wrap the paper around the butter, so you have a 20cm shape. Turn it over and use your hands to ensure the butter is evenly spread and fills the square. Set the block aside.
• When the preferment has risen and bubbles appear on the surface put it into the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Give it a quick mix and the add the melted butter and mix again.
• Add the sugar and salt and then most of the flour, holding back about 1/2 cup.
• Turn on the mixer at low speed and mix until you have a shaggy dough.
• Add half the remaining flour and knead for about 8 minutes until you have a springy and stretch dough.
• You can add the remaining flour, if needed, to make the dough come together and to be just slightly tacky.
• Tip the dough onto the counter and knead it briefly before forming into a ball.
• Place the dough onto some plastic wrap and press it out into a square, about 8 inches. Don’t worry about how accurate this is since we roll it out later.
• Wrap up the dough and chill it for 30 minutes in the fridge.
• Place the butter block in the fridge at the same time to chill that as well.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it our to a 30cm(12 inch) square.
• Unwrap the chilled and quite firm, but not hard, butter and place it on the dough, with the corners of the butter pointing to the centre of each side on the dough.
• Pull each corner of the dough over the butter and press them together to entirely seal the butter within the dough.
• Roll the dough out to a rectangle 50cm(20 inches) by 25cm(10 inches).
• Fold the top third of the dough over onto the middle third, brushing off any excess flour.
• Fold the bottom third of the dough over the top to cover it. That is one turn.
• Turn the dough 90 degrees, so an open end is facing you.
• Roll the dough out again, to the same dimensions and fold again, in the same way. That is two turns.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it for 45 minutes.
• Repeat the rolling and folding twice more, for two more turns. Then wrap and chill again as before.
• Repeat the rolling and folding twice more, for the final two turns. You have achieved 6 turns.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, loosely, and chill in the fridge overngiht(or for at least two hours).
• Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. At this stage you can freeze one piece and make just 12 croissants from the other piece, if you wish).
• Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a rectangle slightly larger than 45cm(18 inches) by 30cm(12 inches).
• Trim the edge of the dough, leaving 45cmx30cm.
• Along the top and bottom edge mark off 3 marks, 10cm apart and cut the strips, so you have 3 45cm strips that are 10cm wide.
• One the side edges make a mark halfway down(22.5 cm) and cut across the dough so you have 6 pieces, each 10cm x 22.5cm( 4 inches x 9 inches).
• Cut each piece diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner, making two triangles from each piece.
• Cut a small slit into the wide end of each triangle and roll it up, pushing outwards as you roll.
• That forms the croissant. Place it on a lined baking tray, ensuring the the pointed end of the dough is underneath.
• Repeat the process with the remaining triangles, ensuring you leave a good gap between each on the baking tray. Repeat, too, with the second half of the dough if you are making 24 croissants.
  
  
  
• Cover the croissants with a clean towel and leave them to proof for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 205C/185C Fan/400f.
• Brush the croissants with the beaten egg wash.
• Bake the croissants for about 20 minutes, until they have risen nicely and browned well on the top.
• If you wish to check the internal temperature it should reach at least 88C/198F.
• Remove the croissants from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

• Although the recipe makes 24 croissants. You can divide the dough in two, after the overnight proof, and freeze half. Then you can make just 12 now and another 12 later.