Homemade Butter Croissants

Before you start

A croissant is a lightly sweetened yeast dough laminated with a sheet of butter, folded so that dough and butter alternate in many thin layers, then rolled into crescents, proofed and baked. In the oven the water in the butter turns to steam and pushes the dough layers apart, which creates the open, honeycomb interior and flaky crust. Good croissants come from cold control as much as technique.

This formula uses a cold overnight rest for the dough before lamination, then one book fold and one letter fold, which gives 12 butter layers: enough for a clear honeycomb without the layers merging. Keep the dough and butter at a similar, pliable chill so they stretch together; butter that is too cold shatters into pieces, and butter that is too warm soaks into the dough. Proof below 27°C (80°F) so the butter stays in place.

Ingredients

• Dough500 g (4 cups) bread flour — or a high-protein all-purpose flour
• 55 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine salt
• 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 140 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) cold water
• 140 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) cold whole milk
• 40 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter — soft
• Butter block280 g (1¼ cups) cold unsalted butter — European-style, about 82% fat
• Egg wash1 large egg — beaten with 1 tbsp milk

Method

1. Day one: mix the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the mixer bowl. Add the water, milk and soft butter and knead on low for 3 minutes, then medium for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth and moderately elastic. It should not reach a full windowpane; too much gluten makes lamination hard.
2. Pat the dough into a 2 cm (¾ in) thick rectangle, wrap it and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. The slow, cold rest develops flavor and relaxes the gluten.
3. Day two: fold a sheet of parchment into an 18 cm (7 in) square packet. Slice the 280 g cold butter, lay it inside and pound and roll it into an even square that fills the packet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes; it should bend without cracking, about 13 to 15°C (55 to 59°F).
4. Roll the dough into a 20 x 40 cm (8 x 16 in) rectangle. Place the butter square on one half, fold the other half over and pinch the edges to seal the butter in completely.
5. Roll the package into a 20 x 60 cm (8 x 24 in) strip with even pressure. For the book fold, fold each short end in to meet slightly off center, then fold in half along that seam. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
6. Turn the dough so the folded edge is on your left. Roll it again to 20 x 60 cm, then letter-fold it in thirds. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. If you see butter breaking into patches, the butter was too cold; if it smears out the sides, it was too warm.
7. Cut the dough in half crosswise and keep one half chilled. Roll the other to about 25 x 50 cm (10 x 20 in) and 4 to 5 mm thick, lifting it often so it shrinks back before cutting. Trim the edges to expose the layers.
8. Cut tall triangles with a 10 cm (4 in) base along the long edge. Cut a 1 cm notch in the center of each base, stretch the triangle gently, and roll it up from the base toward the tip without pressing. Set it on a lined sheet with the tip tucked underneath. Repeat with the second half.
9. Brush with egg wash and proof uncovered in a draft-free spot at 24 to 26°C (75 to 79°F) for 2 to 3 hours. They are ready when nearly doubled, jiggly when the sheet is shaken, and the layers are visible along the sides.
10. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Brush again with egg wash, avoiding the cut layers. Bake one sheet at a time for 18 to 22 minutes, rotating once, until deep golden brown all over including the seams between layers. Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes.

Tips for success

• A cool kitchen, around 20°C (68°F), makes lamination far easier. On warm days chill the dough for 15 minutes whenever it starts to feel soft or sticky.
• Underbaked croissants are the most common disappointment. Bake until the crust is a deep brown; pale croissants are doughy inside and collapse as they cool.
• Freeze shaped, unproofed croissants on a sheet, then bag them. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and proof in the morning, allowing an extra hour.

Substitutions

Bread flour

All-purpose flour gives a more tender, slightly less tall croissant and an easier dough to roll. Reduce the water by 10 g, since it absorbs less.

European-style butter

Regular American butter (about 80% fat) works but contains more water and softens faster. Chill more often, and expect slightly less defined layers.

Instant yeast

Use 9 g active dry yeast dissolved in the water, or 20 g fresh yeast crumbled into the flour.

Variations

Ham and cheese croissants

Lay a thin slice of ham and a strip of Gruyère at the base of each triangle before rolling, and bake 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Whole wheat croissants

Replace 125 g of the bread flour with fine whole wheat flour and add 10 g extra milk.

Troubleshooting

Butter leaked out and pooled on the pan

The croissants were underproofed or proofed too warm, so the butter melted before the dough set. Proof below 27°C (80°F) until jiggly, and bake promptly.

Dense, bready interior without honeycomb

The butter broke or merged into the dough during lamination, or the dough was underproofed. Keep butter and dough at similar temperatures and proof longer.

Dough keeps springing back when rolled

The gluten is tight. Wrap it and chill for 20 minutes, then roll again. Do not force it, which tears the butter layers.

Croissants unrolled in the oven

The tip was not tucked under, or the rolls were stretched too tightly. Roll gently and place the tip underneath.

Storage

Croissants are best on the day they are baked. Keep them in a paper bag at room temperature for up to 2 days and recrisp at 175°C (350°F) for 5 minutes. Freeze baked croissants for up to 1 month and reheat from frozen for 8 to 10 minutes.

Safety notes

Contains wheat, milk and egg. Do not taste the raw dough.