France Croissants
Croissants are probably one of the most versatile and well-known national breads in the world. This French specialty achieves its famous flaky texture by layering the dough with butter and rolling it out multiple times. This gives croissants a similar crisp and light texture as another local invention, puff pastries. Croissants are perfect with any type of filling—sweet or savory—or enjoyed on their own.
Recipe Servings: 12
Prep Time
40 minutes
+ 7 hours resting
+ 7 hours resting
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
7 hours 55 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 1¼ tsp (4 g) active dry yeast
- ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water, divided
- 3 tsp (15 g) sugar, divided
- 1½ tsp (9 g) salt
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) milk
- 1¾ (210 g) cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup (160 g) butter, chilled
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) water
Directions
- Combine yeast, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) warm water, and 1 teaspoon (5 g) sugar in a small bowl.
- Let mixture stand until it becomes frothy.
- Stir together salt, 2 teaspoons (10 g) sugar, and milk in a large bowl.
- Add flour, yeast mixture, and vegetable oil to the milk mixture, mixing well until a dough forms.
- Knead dough until smooth, cover it, and let rise until it triples in size.
- Deflate dough and re-cover it, letting it rise until it doubles in size.
- Deflate dough and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Pat dough into a flat 14x8-inch (35.5x20-cm) rectangle.
- Spread butter over the top 2/3 of the rectangle, leaving a small border along the outside clean.
- Fold unbuttered third over the middle, and then fold the top third down over the middle.
- Turn dough 90 degrees, so that the folds face outward to the side.
- Roll dough into a 14x6-inch (35.5x15-cm) rectangle.
- Fold dough into thirds exactly like before.
- Sprinkle dough with flour, cover it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Unwrap dough and sprinkle it with flour.
- Roll dough into a 14x6-inch (35.5x15-cm) rectangle.
- Fold dough in thirds, turn 90 degrees, roll out, and fold again.
- Return dough to the plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 475° F (245° C).
- Roll dough into a 20x5-inch (51x13-cm) rectangle.
- Cut dough in half and roll out each half to a 15x5-inch (38x13-cm) rectangle.
- Cut each rectangle into 5x5-inch (13x13-cm) squares.
- Cut each square in half diagonally and roll the triangles lightly. They should be about 7 inches (18 cm) long.
- Beat together egg and water in a small bowl to create an egg wash.
- Brush egg wash over the top of each croissant.
- Bake croissants on a baking sheet for about 13–15 minutes, until the croissants are golden brown and flaky.
- Serve warm.
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