This flaky, buttery French pastry is known as 'Croissants de Boulanger'. It is a yeast-based dough laminated with layers of butter then shaped to create this distinct croissant shape. Today, I will show you my simple and easy method to make homemade croissants from scratch.
Have you ever tried making croissants? It's time consuming and not an easy pastry to make. They are not difficult, but they do have quite a few steps, which can be discouraging for home bakers.
Personally, croissants hated me for a long time before I finally felt I could make them confidently. They would either turn out too dark, or I'd have a pool of butter on my baking tray. And, if they had a good color on the outside they'd still be underdone inside. Has any of this happened to you? Well, then you've come to the right place. Today, I am going to teach you how to make perfect homemade croissants every single time. With step-by-step progress pictures as well as a video tutorial.
About this recipe
This is a home baker's recipe and if you have never made croissants before, I highly recommend you start with this dough. It's a very forgiving dough that's easy to knead with a stand mixer or by hand. There are two main components to this dough:
- The dough - this is simple yeast-based dough with a small amount of butter and sugar.
- Butter block - this is lots of butter, which we cream with a little flour and then laminate between the dough. The purpose of the flour in the butter is to help stabilize it. Most professionals often skip the flour, but I recommend you use it.
The process and timeline for making these homemade croissants are fairly simple as well. Here's my guide for you to use.
- Make and chill the dough - 10 + 30 mins
- Make and chill the butter block - 10 + 20 minutes
- Laminate the dough - 5 minutes
- First fold then chill the dough - 30 minutes
- Second fold then chill the dough - 30 minutes
- Third fold then chill the dough - 60 minutes up to 48 hours
- Shape the croissants - 10 minutes
- Proof croissant - 60 minutes
- Chill croissants - 30 minutes
- Bake - 25 minutes
The secret to making perfect homemade croissants
From my trials and errors over the years I've learned a few important lessons to making croissants.
- Ensure the dough is soft - this makes it easier to roll. A stiff dough means you have to work hard to roll it later.
- Chill the butter block for only 20 minutes - this means when laminated it will spread between the layers and not break into pieces.
- Chill the dough between folds, but don't over chill. It takes longer to thaw the butter between the layers.
- After the third fold, I let the dough rest overnight. This is mostly because I want to give myself a break, and it also lets the dough rest well. This is the time you can over-chill and it will still be ok.
- When rolling the dough for croissants, do not roll too thin. Croissants are all about those layers.
- Commercially made croissants are proofed at room temperature then baked. I like to chill for 30 minutes while my oven is preheating. This helps keep those layers intact.
- Ensure your oven is preheated for at least 20 minutes before you put the croissants in. Otherwise, the butter will melt and your croissants will be swimming in a pool of butter.
- Commercially made croissants are brushed with an egg wash made of egg yolks and water. I find that for my home oven a beaten egg white works best and prevents overbrowing. This may be different for different ovens.
Ingredients and substitutes
- All-purpose flour - Yes, plain all-purpose flour works perfectly with these croissants. Don't use bread flour and definitely do not use self-raising flour.
- Sugar - Croissants are not very sweet but it is considered a sweet dough. You can definitely reduce the sugar by half.
- Liquid - I prefer a combination of milk and water. I think this works better for our home-based ovens. I find the sugar in the milk tends to brown too much when I use all milk. So, I replaced some of the milk with water. You can certainly use all milk as well.
- Yeast - I am using instant dry yeast today, but you can certainly use other variety of yeast including fresh yeast. You can read all about yeast and their substitutes here - baking with yeast a beginner's guide.
- Butter - The best butter to use is European butter. The reason for that is that good European butter has a high-fat content. High-fat means less moisture, which can cause the butter to melt and create steam in the croissants when baking.
Step by step instructions (save/pin)
Prepare dough
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine water, milk, and yeast.
- Add the sugar - combine well.
- Add salt to the flour, then add the flour to the mixer bowl (see video).
- Combine on medium-high speed until all flour is incorporated (if necessary add a tablespoon or two of flour to help the dough release from the bowl).
- Then, knead on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Now, add the room temperature butter, one cube at a time.
- Continue to knead for another minute.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball.
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Prepare butter block
- In the same mixer (no need to clean), add the butter.
- Cream for 30 seconds to ensure no lumps, then add the flour.
- Cream 30 seconds more (do not over cream).
- Use an 8-inch baking pan or scale to measure the parchment paper. Fold it so it has an 8-inch square guide (see video).
- Transfer butter onto the parchment paper.
- Use a spatula to spread the butter to an 8-inch square using the guide you created.
- Fold the paper over the butter - into an 8-inch square. Then, use the rolling pin to spread the butter into the corners. (see video)
- Place in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.
Laminate the dough
- Remove the dough from the fridge.
- Roll to a 12 x 12-inch square.
- Place the chilled butter block diagonally on the square.
- Then, fold the dough over - seal the edges well (see video).
- Now, roll in one direction so you have a long 10 x 20-inch rectangle. Dust off excess flour as you go.
- First fold - Fold the dough lengthways into thirds like a business letter (see video).
- Wrap and place into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough lengthways again with the short side facing you - (see video) to about 10 x 20-inch long again.
- Second fold - Fold the dough into thirds again like a business letter (see video).
- Place in the fridge for 30 minutes if necessary.
- Then, roll the dough again lengthways with the short side facing you to about 10 x 20-inches long.
- Third fold - Fold the dough one last time into thirds again like a business letter (see video).
- Chill in the fridge for an hour or until well chilled. This can be chilled for up to 24 hours.
Shape the dough
- Roll the dough to 6 x 12-inches. Divide into 2. Place one in the fridge while you work on the second one.
- Roll the dough into a long rectangle about 10 x 17-inches (we actually need 9 x 16-inches the extra is to cut edges).
- Cut the edges on all sides, making sure that you have a 9 x 16-inch rectangle (see video).
- Mark at every 4-inch so you have 4 x 4-inch rectangles. (see video)
- Then, take each rectangle and cut diagonally, which will give you two triangles (see video).
- Each triangle makes a croissant (total - 8 croissants).
Shape the croissants
- To shape the croissants - take each triangle.
- Stretch it lengthways slightly, cut a slit or notch at the wide end.
- Then, hold the two sides or that slit and roll onto itself until you reach the tip (similar to a jelly roll).
- You can bend the two ends towards you to make a curved shape.
- Alternatively, you can roll without making a slit or notch and keep the two ends straight. (see video)
Proof and bake
- Place the croissant on a baking tray making sure the tips are on the bottom.
- Cover and let proof at room temperature for an hour.
- Then, place into the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven at 200 C/ 392 F.
- Brush the croissants with egg wash.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 200C / 392 F. Then, reduce the temperature to 190 C / 375 F for 15 minutes more until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven - cool on the pan for 10 minutes before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Both puff pastry and croissants are laminated dough, but they are not the same. Puff pastry does not have yeast, sugar, or milk. Croissant dough is yeast-based with sugar and milk.
Both croissant dough and Danish pastry are laminated dough but they are not the same.
Danish is a sweet dough made with yeast, milk, and eggs. It is Crispy, tender, light, and flaky.
Danish is much heavier than croissants, because it contains more butter along with other ingredients like eggs, which is not in croissants.
Croissant dough can be used for sweet and savory pastries, but Danish is a sweet pastry.
The purpose of the flour in the butter block is to stabilize it. It will take care of any excess moisture in the butter. I highly recommend using it.
The best way to bake croissants is to place them in a hot oven so the layers open up and the butter between the layers is cooked off instantly leaving no time for it to melt. But, you also want them to continue cooking without becoming too dark on the outside. The ideal temperature for homemade croissants I find is 200C / 392 F for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 190 C/ 375F for 15 minutes. Tent the croissants if they are becoming brown quickly.
The measurements are guides, so there are no leaks and no waste. After all, this dough does take a lot of effort, so we want to get the maximum out of it. For example, we use a 12-inch square for our 8-inch butter block so we can be sure the butter will not peek out. You could also use a 6-inch butter block with a 10-inch square. Alternatively, you can roll the dough to a 10 x 14 rectangles with a butter block of 5 x 7-inches.
Troubleshooting
My croissants are too dark brown
Some home ovens, especially the fan assisted oven, can cause croissants to become dark quickly. You can tent the croissants with parchment paper or foil. For the next batch, instead of reducing the temperature, it is best to brush with egg white.
My croissants melted, all the butter has melted
If the butter has melted and the pan has lots of melted butter, it means the oven temperature was too low or the oven was not properly preheated. Ensure your oven is preheated for at least 20 minutes before you put the croissants in.
My croissants are too big
If you follow the above measurements you should get a standard croissant that 4-inches that 9-inches long. You can also make mini croissants by cutting smaller rectangles/triangles as well. For example 4 x 3-inch triangles.
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Easy Homemade Croissants Recipe
Print Pin RateDescription
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups (500 g) All-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) Sugar
- ¼ cup (60 g) Butter (½ stick) unsalted, room temperature
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 ¼ tsp (7 g) Yeast (1 packet)
- 1 cup (240 ml) Milk warm full-fat
- ½ cup (120 ml) Water warm
- ½ cup (60 g) All-purpose flour for kneading
Butter block
- 1 ½ cup (340 g) Butter (3 sticks) unsalted
- 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
Extra
- 1 Egg for egg wash
Instructions
Prepare dough
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine water, milk, and yeast.
- Add the sugar - combine well.
- Add salt to the flour, then add the flour to the mixer bowl (see video).
- Combine on medium-high speed until all flour is incorporated (if necessary add a tablespoon or two of flour to help the dough release from the bowl).
- Then, knead on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Now, add the room temperature butter, one cube at a time.
- Continue to knead for another minute.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball.
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Prepare butter block
- In the same mixer (no need to clean), add the butter.
- Cream for 30 seconds to ensure no lumps, then add the flour.
- Cream 30 seconds more (do not over cream).
- Use an 8-inch baking pan or scale to measure parchment paper. Fold it so it has an 8-inch square guide (see video).
- Transfer butter onto the parchment paper.
- Use a spatula to spread the butter to an 8-inch square using the guide you created.
- Fold the paper over the butter - into an 8-inch square. Then, use the rolling pin to spread the butter into the corners. (see video)
- Place in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.
Laminate the dough
- Remove the dough from the fridge.
- Roll to a 12 x 12-inch square.
- Place the chilled butter block diagonally on the square.
- Then, fold the dough over - seal the edges well (see video).
- Now, roll in one direction so you have a long 10 x 20-inch rectangle. Dust off excess flour as you go.
- First fold - Fold the dough lengthways into thirds like a business letter (see video).
- Wrap and place into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough lengthways again with the short side facing you - (see video) to about 10 x 20-inch long again.
- Second fold - Fold the dough into thirds again like a business letter (see video).
- Place in the fridge for 30 minutes if necessary.
- Then, roll the dough again lengthways with the short side facing you to about 10 x 20-inches long.
- Third fold- fold the dough one last time into thirds again like a business letter (see video).
- Chill in the fridge for an hour or until well chilled. This can be chilled for up to 24 hours.
Measure the dough
- Roll the dough to 6 x 12-inches. Divide into 2. Place one in the fridge while you work on the second one.
- Roll the dough into a long rectangle about 10 x 17-inches (we actually need 9 x 16-inches the extra is to cut edges).
- Cut the edges on all sides, making sure that you have a 9 x 16-inch rectangle (see video).
- Mark at every 4-inch so you have 4 x 4-inch rectangles. (see video)
- Then, take each rectangle and cut diagonally, which will give you two triangles (see video).
- Each triangle makes a croissant (total - 8 croissants).
Shape the croissants
- To shape the croissants - take each triangle.
- Stretch it lengthways slightly, cut a slit or notch at the wide end.
- Then, hold the two sides or that slit and roll onto itself until you reach the tip (similar to a jelly roll).
- You can bend the two ends towards you to make a curved shape.
- Alternatively, you can roll without making a slit or notch and keep the two ends straight. (see video)
Proof and bake
- Place the croissant on a baking tray making sure the tips are on the bottom.
- Cover and let proof at room temperature for an hour.
- Then, place into the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven at 200 C/ 392 F.
- Brush the croissants with egg wash.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 200C / 392 F. Then, reduce the temperature to 190 C / 375 F for 15 minutes more until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven - cool on the pan for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Tips for making homemade croissants
- Knead the dough soft, not firm consistency. This will make it easier to roll. So, avoid adding too much flour.
- Chill the dough well before lamination, this will help the butter in the dough chill and make it easier to roll.
- When laminating the dough, ensure the butter is cold but not hard. Seal the butter properly so it does not come out.
- While chilling the dough is important, overchilling can cause the butter to shatter into pieces when rolling.
- Fold the dough - for the purpose of home baking we have used the classic book fold. This is done three times for croissants. There are other types of folds that we will cover in future recipes.
- It is very important to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes between folds so the butter is cold but still spreadable not hard.
- When the dough is done, after folding three times, the dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
Alternatively, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. I divide my dough into 3 and use one portion at a time (6 croissants). - Don't roll the dough too thin. This will give you more croissants but the layers will be lost.
- Ensure the tips of the croissants are at the bottom of the baking pan to prevent them from opening up.
- I like to proof at room temperature first then chill for 30 minutes before baking. This works better for a home oven.
Note
- Make-ahead croissants - Croissants are perfect to make a day or a few days ahead of time. You can let the dough rest overnight before lamination as well as after lamination.
Once laminated the dough can be cut into portions of two or three and frozen for up to three months. This will be perfect to make fewer croissants.
Shaped croissants once proofed can be frozen as well. Keep them on a baking tray in the freezer. Once frozen put them into freezer-safe storage bags for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking. - Yeast - Any yeast will work for this dough. You will need 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast which is about 7 grams. Alternatively, you can use 21 grams of fresh yeast also known as baker yeast.
- Recipe adaptations and referenced - adapted from King Arthur Flour, referenced - Bread Bakers Apprentice and Flour, water, salt and yeast,
Equipment
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Debbie
I have never made crossiants from scratch but you have inspired me . Thanks to your step by step instructions this was a breeze. Lovely recipe!
Veena Azmanov
You are welcome, Debbie.