How to make croissants

This homemade croissants recipe will teach you how to make authentic croissants, the French way. No need to buy store-bought croissants ever again.

Homemade croissant recipe

One of the best experiences I had in Europe was learning to bake French bread at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Let me start with the classic French croissant recipe. The buttery, flaky layers of a croissant fresh out of the oven are unlike any croissant from an American grocer’s bakery. 

As you peel back the layers of dough, you become enamored in the crunchy edges and the moist center that echoes layer by layer. Making croissants is a labor of love, but the best part about this recipe is that you can make them over a weekend, roll and shape them, bake a few and freeze the rest to bake later.

The secret to great French bread is fresh cake yeast…not the powdered instant yeast you find in the baking aisle. In Europe, it’s sold in cubes near the refrigerated prepared pie crusts.

Another secret to this recipe is measuring by weight instead of standard measuring cups. You will need a digital kitchen scale. Target sells a nice one for around $30.

I baked this batch of flaky croissants while I was still in Vegas, and they were a sure hit. They’re great for breakfast and superb with chicken salad.

How to make authentic French croissants

Preparing the dough

1. Mix: In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix salt, flour, yeast, sugar and water on low speed until a dough forms. 
2. Rest: Let the dough rest uncovered at room temperature until doubled in size (about 2 hours). 
3. Cover: Then, rework the dough and place it in the refrigerator covered overnight. It needs 24 hours to ferment to get the best flavor.

Adding the butter

1. Pound: After the dough has rested overnight, place the butter on the counter (granite is best), and pound it in the same direction with a rolling pin so that it is slightly softened and flattened. Flip it over, turn it 1/4 turn and flatten some more. If the butter is too hard, it will puncture the dough. It should be about 1/2-inch thick. Set aside. 
2. Roll: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it flat in a long rectangle. Place the pounded butter block on top and pull the edges of the dough over the butter to cover it entirely. Press seams to enclose all of the butter.

The 4 roll-n-folds

This is the trick to all the flaky layers.

Roll-n-fold 1

1. Roll: With seams up, hold the rolling pin horizontally to your body and pound the dough in the same direction to lengthen. Roll in the same direction until it’s the length of 1.5 rolling pins. Make sure it is never sticky. Dust lightly with flour if needed, but brush excess flour off. Once rolled out, dust off the flour.
2. Fold: Fold one end in and then the other end in so it overlaps (like a trifold brochure). Flip the dough over and turn 1/4 turn so that the openings are horizontal to you.

Roll-n-fold 2

1. Roll: Hold the rolling pin horizontal to your body and roll it again to lengthen it to the same length. Dust off the flour and fold like a trifold again. Turn 1/4 turn. Roll just a bit and flip it over. Roll it a bit more. Dust off flour on both sides. 
2. Wrap: Wrap in parchment paper and put in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

Roll-n-fold 3

1. Fold: Take it out of the fridge. Again, place the opening of the fold horizontally to your body. Dust with flour and roll to the length of 1.5 rolling pins. Fold it like a trifold and flip it over.

Roll-n-fold 4

1. Turn: Turn 1/4 turn. Roll again to a length of 1.5 rolling pins. Clean off the flour while the dough rests.

Last roll

1. Roll: Turn 1/2 turn, roll more. Turn 1/2 turn, roll more. Turn 1/4 turn so that the length of the dough is now horizontal to your body. Dust off flour on top and under the dough. It should stick slightly to the granite. Roll one more time lengthwise.
2. Cut: Cut the rectangular dough into long triangles using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife. Stretch a bit and roll the point of the triangle until it forms a croissant. Place the shaped croissants on parchment paper-lined baking sheet seam side down. 
3. Brush: Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash (1 egg and one egg yolk whisked) on top of the dough and let rise.

Bake now…

1. Bake: Brush with egg wash a second time. Then, bake at 370F until golden brown and flaky.

…or freeze

1. Freeze: Instead of brushing with a second egg wash, place the unbaked croissants in the freezer. It’s best to place the parchment-lined pan in the freezer. Once the croissants are frozen solid, you can place them in a Ziploc bag. When you’re ready to bake them. Take them out of the freezer to thaw. They will rise a little more. 
2. Bake: Brush with egg wash and bake at 370F until a deep golden brown.

How to serve croissants

Serve a freshly baked croissant on a plate with a side of mascarpone cheese and berries, lemon curd and fresh whipped cream or just a plain old cup of coffee. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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