There's nothing like pulling a fresh batch of flaky croissants from your own oven - flaky, layered, buttery pastries just like a French bakery. After months of learning, testing and devouring far too many croissants, I'm so excited to share my recipe with you - it has a little tweak to make it slightly easier.
Authentic croissants take some time and practice but it's so rewarding and, unless you've been right there when a bakery has pulled their croissants fresh from the oven (not very common) then knowing the smell, flavour and crisp exterior of a fresh croissant is going to blow you away.
In this guide, you'll find clear instructions, step-by-step photos and plenty of tips so you'll understand not just what to do but why. And if you're craving the same buttery goodness in less time, keep an eye out for my cheats version coming soon.
So take a deep breath, channel your inner boulanger and let's create the kind of buttery, golden croissants that'll make you feel like you just hopped off a plane in Paris. You've got this and the results will be worth every roll and fold.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Buttery, crisp and flaky with that glorious soft inside
- Authentic French croissants with an easier butter block
- Clear step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting tips
- No special tools required (though a stand mixer helps)
- The perfect base for pain au chocolat, kouign amann, pain aux raisins and more
- Stunning bakery-style results every time
- Great for intermediate bakers but with enough detail for beginners to take it on
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Are croissants French?
It might surprise you to know that croissants being French is a hotly debated topic. But technically, yes, they are French.
In the 1800's an Austrian baker opened a bakery in France selling classic Austrian pastries and breads. A crescent-shaped pastry called kipferl in particular became so popular that the French were inpired to create something similar using their laminated dough. And the croissant, named for it's historical crescent shape, was born.
Croissants, along with brioche and Danish pastry have become a branch of pastry all of their own, known as viennoiserie, so named for the Vienna bakeries that had become so popular.
Ingredients & substitutions
Croissants, like Danish pastry have 7 very simple ingredients (8 if you include water).
Jump to the recipe card for full quantities and instructions.
- Flour: Use bread flour for croissants to get a wonderful texture and more crisp exterior.
- Yeast: I use instant dry yeast for this recipe. You can also use active dry yeast without any other changes. If you want to use fresh yeast, you'll need about 3x as much.
- Milk: Use whole milk for richness.
- Butter: The best type of butter for croissants is one with 82-84% fat. Make sure there are no ingredients other than milk or cream. You don't want a butter with added water for instance as that will just make the butter too breakable when cold. To find the fat content, look at the ingredients panel and, if it has one, under the "Quantity per 100g" - you want that to be 82g or higher.
- Egg: There is no egg in croissant dough but you will want one to egg wash the outside.
- Sugar: Just caster sugar or white granulated sugar.
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt will intensify flavours
Before you start
Croissants are not simple to get perfect. They take patience and practice to get bakery-worthy croissants. That said, the first batch of croissants I made were still great and completely edible and it's very hard not to make something that's very delicious.
Practice makes perfect. The more you make them, the better you'll get. You'll start to really understand what's happening inside that dough, what works and what doesn't work. Please don't make croissants thinking it's a one-and-done thing. I promise you'll become addicted to making them better and better each time and when you're rewarded with delicious golden, flaky croissants straight from the oven, it's hard not to want to do it again.
How to make croissants at home
Ok, let's get into how to make croissants. My method sticks to a classic lamination but I've simplified creating the butter block - no pounding and patching, just a very gentle method that keeps things smooth and simple.
Keep in mind the dough and butter should always be cool but pliable. If the butter block can break when you bend it, it's too cold (it will break into small pieces in the dough as you roll it). If it's melting in your hands, it's too warm (it will work it's way into the dough rather than staying as a distinct layer). I've found the temperature of the dough is less of a concern but you don't want it to be warm or warm enough to be rising as your trying to work with it.
When rolling you want gentle pressure and take your time. Keep the dough as straight as you can by tapping in the edges from time to time.
Jump to the recipe card for full quantities and instructions.
Make the base dough (détrempe)
The dough, known in French as détrempe, is very simple to mix together. I use a stand mixer with dough hook attachment to save the upper body workout but you can knead it by hand. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl, then knead on the lowest setting until the butter has worked it's way into the dough. Turn the mixer up to the next setting and knead for a further few minutes until the dough is smooth. Rest the dough for 30 minutes under a bowl so that it doesn't dry out. At this point the dough should be very soft and malleable but not sticky. A tiny bit of tacky texture is fine.
Roll and rest
Roll the dough out to about 20x40cm (8x16inch). Transfer it to baking mat or baking apper on a large chopping board or baking tray and freeze overnight (or for at least 2 hours).
The butter block (tourrage)
I learnt very quickly that the traditional method for making a butter block (tourrage in French) was just not my thing and it could be done easier. I tried several methods from pounding a block of butter to cutting a block of butter into slices and aligning them into a shape only to have to pound them to get them level and joined back together, all the while trying to keep it to a set size wrapped in paper. It was a bit exhausting and using the latter method just made the butter break up in the dough. It just doesn't need to be that hard.
Enter my easy butter block method. Grate the butter into a lined 20cm baking pan, press it together with your fingers, then give it a gentle roll. Done in 5 minutes or less.
Grate and press the butter
Start by using the coarse side of a box grater to grate the butter into a 20cm (8inch) baking pan lined with baking paper. Dust your hands with a little flour and scatter a little flour over the butter (this helps to make it pliable). Press it down flat all over, firmly. You want it to come back into an even sheet of butter, no gaps.
Roll the butter
Place a smaller square of paper over the centre then fold the edges in, pressing them down quite tightly. Tip it out onto a work surface and give it a roll to make it and even thickness all over and to fill in any gaps.
Rolling and folding
Before you start, take your dough out of the freezer and leave it at room temperature for about 1 hour. You want it to be cool but not stiff at all - it should be soft and pliable.
The butter block should be the same - cool but pliable - so take it out of the fridge at least 10-15 minutes before you add it to the dough. It shouldn't break when you bend it but it also shouldn't just melt in your hands either.
Add the butter block
Make sure the dough has as square corners as possible and gently roll it to just slightly over 40cm (16inch) long. Give the butter block a gentle pound with the rolling pin to help make it pliable. Place the butter block in the middle of the dough and fold each end over the top, meeting in the middle. Press the seam together with your fingers.
First roll and fold
Turn the croissant dough 90° so the join is running vertically away from you. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle 20x60cm (8x24inch). Imagine the dough in thirds and fold the third closest to you over the middle third. Now fold the top third in half, so the two edges meet. Create a seam there.
The double fold
Now fold the dough in half with the seam inside. This is called a double fold or a book fold. You can see 4 layers of dough. Chill the dough for 10 minutes.
The single fold
Once again, roll the croissant dough out to 20x60cm (8x24inch). Imagine it in thirds again. Fold the closest third up over the middle third, then fold the top third down over the top. This is called a single fold, letter fold or simple fold.
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Making croissants
Now that the croissant dough has been worked it will need a little rest again but your dough is ready to make croissants. Chill for 10-15 minutes. It's best to roll the dough out in two stages or you'll find the dough trying to spring back. This is because of the gluten that has developed in the croissant dough over all the rolling you've done so far. Roll it out to about 1cm thickness, focusing on length, not width at this point. Give it a 20-30 minute rest, then roll it out to about ½ cm thick and you'll need it to be 45cm (18inch) long (which will make it roughly 30cm (12 inch) wide).
Measuring the croissants
Use a ruler to help you cut even triangles. Mark the top edge with a knife every 10cm (4inch). On the bottom edge, start 5cm (2inch) from the side and mark every 10cm (4inch) again.
Cutting the croissants
Use your ruler to line the top left corner up with the first knife mark at the bottom (5cm in). Cut straight along the ruler. Now line up that bottom mark with the next top mark and cut and so on. You should always be cutting on an angle until you have 8 triangles.
Notch and stretch
Make a little cut in the wide end of the triangle so that it looks a bit like the Eiffel Tower. This will ensure the middle doesn't turn out dense. Now give the triangle a gentle stretch between your hands.
Roll the croissants
Gently pull the two sides of the wide end of the triangle apart and start to roll, then continue rolling all the way to the point.
Proof the croissants
Place the croissants onto a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or baking paper with the point underneath. Let them proof somewhere warm but not hot (24C is perfect but higher than that and you risk melting the butter. Cover with plastic wrap with a small ramekin with hot water in the middle.
When I proof croissants, I use plastic sheet pan covers that allow room for the croissants to rise. The hot water adds humidity which helps prevent the croissants from drying out.
When it's cold in the house (say 19-20C or below), I use a long underbed storage container with a proofing mat underneath so I can control the temperature. Without it, the rising can take many hours. When it's hot, I generally have the AC on and/or proof them in the turned-off oven. On in-between days, I do it close to a window but not in the sun.
Because of the rich nature of croissant dough, they will take longer to rise than a regular loaf of bread but often 1 ½ to 2 hours is enough.
How to know when croissants are proofed
- Croissants are ready when they look puffy.
- If you give the tray a shake, they will have a cute jiggle about them.
- Gently press the croissant with your finger and the dent should slowly spring back to halfway.
Bake the croissants
Very gently brush the croissants with egg wash, then bake for around 20 minutes, turning the tray at the halfway mark. They should be looking golden brown all over. As you practice more and more, the layers in the pastry become more defined.
Tips and tricks
There are so many little things that croissants need to be perfect. Heres a list to keep in mind when you start making croissants.
- Use a kitchen scale for accurate measurements. It really makes a difference. If you choose to use cups to measure your ingredients, there is every chance they won't be quite right. A scale is cheap and a good one will last forever.
- Cold but pliable is important for both the dough and the butter. If the dough is feeling warm or not cool, stick it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Be patient - don't rush the dough. Resting is as important as rolling and folding.
- Use an 82%-84% fat unsalted butter - it's more pliable than a butter with less fat.
- Focus on thickness - when you roll the dough out, make sure it's an even thickness.
- Brush away excess flour - if you're adding flour as you roll to prevent sticking, brush any excess away as you fold.
- Don't be heavy-handed - using too much force when rolling the dough can cause the butter to break or push it to the ends of the dough rather than evenly spread throughout.
- Watch the dough, not the clock - proofing times for croissants can vary depending on temperature and humidity. The croissants should look puffy and jiggly before going into the oven - not necessarily doubled in size.
- The "finger-dent" test - to check if your croissants have proofed sufficiently, gently press the dough with your fingertip. If the indentation slowly springs back halfway, the croissants are proofed and ready to bake. If it springs back quickly, they are not yet proofed and if the dent doesn't spring back, the croissants are overproofed.
- Egg wash carefully - don't eggwash the cut edges as the egg can glue the layers together, preventing the layers from rising properly. Brush the flat surfaces only and do it delicately so you don't poke holes or dents into your dough. You can also use a mini spray bottle.
- Preheat the oven well - turn the oven on at least 30 minutes before baking so the whole oven is evenly heated.
- Practice makes perfect - croissants improve dramatically with repetition. Even "failed" croissants will taste outstanding and probably still look pretty good too.
Other uses for croissant dough
Many, if not all, of the ideas and classic recipes below will be coming to The Buttery Crust in the future, but for now, have a go yourself at some of these ideas.
- Pain au chocolat - roll sticks of good-quality dark chocolate inside rectangular pieces of dough.
- Almond croissants - such a classic, just fill day-old croissants with frangipane, add a little to the top along with sliced almonds and bake.
- Pistachio croissants - as above but using pistachios and the recipe is already on the blog.
- Ham and cheese croissants - add a slice of ham and cheese before rolling.
- Kouign amann - sprinkle a seasoned sugar mixture between the folds, then into a buttered muffin pan and fold squares of dough into a muffin pan.
- Cinnamon croissant rolls - Sprinkles strips of croissant pastry with cinnamon sugar and roll up like a scroll.
- Croissant wreath - shape portions of dough into a wreath shape, fill with something delicious and bake.
- Mini croissants - great for parties.
- New York rolls (Supreme Croissants) - roll the dough in a spiral shape, bake and then fill with pastry cream or other delicious fillings.
- Pain aux raisins - roll raisins inside the dough, then roll up into a spiral.
- Cruffins - croissant dough rolled and moulded into a muffin pan, then dust with cinnamon sugar.
- Cronuts - croissant dough in a donuts shape, fried, glazed and sometimes filled.
- Croissant cubes - croissant dough baked in a cube shaped mould then filled and topped.
- Crookie - a croissant filled with chocolate chip cookie dough and baked to chewy perfection.
- Fill stale croissants with any number of fillings and bake until crispy like these raspberry chocolate croissants.
Storage and reheating
The dough
Croissant dough can be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. You can also roll the croissants and freeze them for up to 3 months. Freeze them first on a baking tray, then transfer them to a bag or container once solid. If you proof them before freezing, they can be baked from frozen or thaw in the fridge overnight and bake first thing in the morning.
Baked croissants
Baked croissants will store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. They also freeze very well. Freeze on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or air tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating croissants
To get nice, crisp layers again with that soft inside, reheat croissants in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 10 minutes. Never reheat in the microwave, or you'll just end up with soft all over.
Troubleshooting
Learning to make croissants is a labour of love and you will have hiccups along the way. I have made countless batches of croissants - each one taught me something new. I put together this troubleshooting guide to help you understand what went wrong so you can make changes to your next batch.
Your dough may not have been cold enough, it may have proofed in too warm an environment or the butter may have broken when rolling. Chill longer between folds, never proof higher than 24C/75F, and use gentle pressure when rolling.
Thay were probably underproofed. Croissants should look puffy and a little jiggly before baking. If your kitchen is cold, extend the proofing time or use a warm (not hot) spot.
Overproofing will make croissants lose their structure and they will collapse during and even after baking. The dough becomes too fragile to support the layers, leaving them flat instead of tall and flaky.
This can happen with the dough is too warm and/or rolled too aggressively. Work quickly, keeping the dough cool and avoid pressing too hard on the dough.
Dense croissants are usually caused by overworking the dough, the layers have pressed together or they were underproofed. Roll with gentle pressure and allow plenty of resting time.
Cracked butter is caused by the butter being colder than the dough and not pliable enough. Let the dough sit for a few minutes then try rolling again using gentle pressure.
This is due to gluten-development. The more you work a dough, the tighter the glutend strands become, making the dough more elastic. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes so the gluten can relax and try again. You don't want to force it.
This is likely due to the dough not being rolled into an even layer resulting in thin and thick spots. Take care to make sure the dough is rolled evenly.
Your oven may run hot or the croissants were too close to the top element. Bake them on the middle rack and test reducing the temperature slightly if needed.
This happens if your baking sheet is too thin or it was placed too low in the oven. Use a sturdy baking sheet (I use these insulated baking sheets for mine) and bake on the middle rack.
They're probably underproofed or too much yeast has been added. Measure yeast accurately and allow a full, slow rise for the best flavour.
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How to make Croissants
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment helpful but not essential
- Or mixing bowl
- Dough scraper
- Ruler or tape measure
- Knife or pizza cutter
- Insulated baking trays helpful but not essential
- Silicone baking mat helpful but not essential
- Proofing mat helpful in cold weather but not essential
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH (DETREMPE)
- 335 g bread flour (~11 ¾oz / ~ 2½ cups)
- 50 g white sugar (~ 1 ¾oz / ¼ cup)
- 5 g salt (~1 tsp)
- 8 g instant dry yeast (2 ⅔ tsp)
- 125 ml water (½ cup)
- 80 ml whole milk (⅓ cup)
- 21 g unsalted butter cold and cubed (1 ½ oz)
BUTTER BLOCK (TOURRAGE)
- 200 g unsalted butter (82-84% butter fat) (14oz)
FINISH
- 1 egg yolk
- 20 ml whole milk or thickened cream/heavy cream
Instructions
- THE CROISSANT DOUGH (DETREMPE): Place the flour, sugar and yeast to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a standmixer. Place the salt on the opposite side of the bowl to the yeast. Add the water, milk and 21g of cubed butter. Beat with the dough hook attachment on low or your hands until the butter has worked it's way into the dough.
- Turn the stand mixer up to the second setting or knead by hand for a further 5-8 minutes until the dough is mostly smooth, elastic and the sides of the bowl are clean. If kneading by hand, it will just become less sticky over time and look mostly smooth and elastic.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and place the bowl upside down over it. Rest for 45 minutes at room temperature.
- Once rested, roll the dough out to a rectangle, 20x40cm (8x16 inch). Transfer to a sheet of baking paper or baking mat on top of a baking tray or chopping board, cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight (or for at least 2 hours).
- THE BUTTER BLOCK (TOURRAGE): Line a 20cm (8 inch) square baking pan with baking paper (see note below if you don't have one).
- Grate the 200g of cold butter (under the butter block ingredients section) on the coarse side of a box grater into the lined pan.
- Dust your fingers with flour, and sprinkle just a little flour over the grated butter. Press the butter down all over firmly, pushing it into any gaps and molding it back into a flat piece of butter. It doesn't need to be perfect at this point.
- Tear off a square of baking paper a little around 12cm (5 inches) and place it on top of the butter, then fold in the baking paper at the sides over the top so your butter is fully encased.
- Turn the wrapped butter block out onto a clean surface and gently bash it with a rolling pin, the roll with a rolling pin on both sides to make sure it's flat and even. Chill until required.
- ADDING THE BUTTER BLOCK TO THE DOUGH: Take the frozen dough out of the freezer at least 1 hour before you want to start rolling and folding. Make sure its corners are as square as possible and that it is at least 20x40cm (8x16in).
- Take the butter block out of the fridge and give it a gentle bash again with the rolling pin (not hard, you shouldn't break the paper). Unwrap the butter block and place in the centre of the dough (if needed, pull out the side edges so the butter doesn't overhang the dough).
- Fold each of the ends over the butter to meet in the centre and press the seam together as best you can. Run a knife gently down the folded edges just to release a bit of tension - no need to cut all the way through.
- FIRST FOLD: As long as it still feels cool to the touch (if not, chill for 10 minutes), roll the dough out to 20x60cm (8x24in). Keep it as rectangular as possible, tapping in the sides to straighten them from time to time. If you find it feeling sticky or sticking to the work top you can dust with a little flour but if it's happening too often it probably needs to be chilled more. Turn and flip the dough as required.
- Choose the ugliest side of the dough and face that upwards (this will then get encased inside so you end up with a smooth dough). With the short side closest to you, imagine the dough in 3 sections - fold the closest third up and over the middle third.
- Now, fold the top section in half so that the two ends meet (not over the top of the middle but to meet the first one you folded to create a join). Press those two ends together gently to form a seam.
- Finally, fold it in half away from you (so the bottom edge meets the top edge).- You should now have 4 visible layers and this is called a double-fold or book fold.
- Chill for 15 minutes.(Or, you can freeze the dough to proceed with another day if you prefer. Make sure it thaws - it should be malleable but still cold before you start rolling again.)
- SECOND FOLD: Score the folded edges with a knife again. Roll the dough out once again to 20x60cm (8x24in). Keep it as rectangular as possible, tapping in the sides to straighten them from time to time.
- With the short side closest to you, imagine the dough in thirds again. Fold the bottom third up over the middle. Fold the top third down over the top.- You should now have 3 visible layers and this is called a single-fold, simple fold or letter fold.
- Chill the dough for 10 minutes in the fridge.
- TURN THE DOUGH INTO CROISSANTS: Score the folded edges of the dough again. Roll the dough out to 30x45cm (12x18in) keeping the sides as straight as possible. Make sure to roll it to an even thickness all over of about 5mm (~⅕ in)
- Put the longest side closest to you and the shorter sides to the left and right. Place a ruler along the long edge furthest from you. Use the tip of a sharp knife to make small nicks at 10cm intervals (for 8 larger croissants) or 8cm intervals (for 10-11 smaller croissants). This is just a guide at this stage.
- Now, place the ruler along the long edge closest to you. Starting 5cm in from the side edge (for 8 croissants) or 4cm (for 10-11 croissants), make small cuts again every 10cm or 8cm (whichever you chose at the top). The cuts along the bottom edge should line up with the halfway point between the cuts along the top edge.
- Use the ruler as a guide and cut cleanly with a pizza cutter or sharp knife from the top corner of dough to the first cut at the bottom (which is 4 or 5cm in from the side). If using a knife, don't drag it, press down to cut 2-3 times along the line as needed.
- Now, line the bottom of that cut up with the next top cut and cut along the edge of the ruler again so you have a long triangle. Repeat this process over and over until you have all the triangles cut. You should have 8 triangles with some small offcuts at either end or 10 with a larger offcut at the far end.
- ROLL THEM UP: Start by making a little cut in the widest end of each triangle so that if you pull them apart slightly, it looks like the Eiffel tower.
- Lift a triangle by it's longest edge and gently drag your other hand down the triangle to stretch it a little, not too much. Lay it down on the work surface again, pull the two corners of the wide end just very slightly away from each other, then roll it up tight but not taut. Gently press the little tail underneath. Sit the croissant onto a lined non-stick baking sheet (an insulated baking sheet is perfect here) with the tail underneath.
- Repeat with all the triangles. Proof the dough at room temperature or up to 24C for 1 ½-3 hours. The cooler it is the longer the dough will take to rise but you don't want it to get too warm or the butter will melt. They are ready when they look puffy, pillowy and they jiggle when you shake the tray. You can gently press the dough with your fingertip and the indentation slowly springs back halfway, they're ready to bake.- You can freeze the croissants at this point. Let them thaw on the day of baking or overnight in the fridge then continue.
- BAKE: When you can see they're getting close to being fully proofed, preheat the oven to 170C fan forced (or 190C/375F with no fan) - I find fan best for croissants. Try to preheat at least ½ an hour to make sure the oven is fully heated throughout. You can transfer the croissants to the fridge if you need to slow down the proofing process.
- Mix together the egg yolk and milk (or cream), then gently brush it over the croissants.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown on the outside. Let them cool before cutting.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- If you don't have a 20cm pan, draw a 20cm/8in square on a sheet of baking paper, flip it over and grate the butter into the square. Press it down lightly, folding the edges in to help, then top with the smaller square of baking paper and fold in the edges. Press it down and you can use the rolling pin to help you roll it out to the edges and corners. Try not to let the butter force the sides of the paper to push out.
- Offcuts: No need to throw those hard-fought scraps of laminated dough out, try pushing them together without ruining your layers and turn them into pain au chocolate. Or, grease a few muffin pan holes well with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Cut squares of dough and fold the corners into the centre. Push the squares into the muffing pan holes and sprinkle with more sugar. Proof then bake - you have a sort-of kouign-amann.
- Nutritional values are based on 8 croissants.
May Wong says
I feel excited and want to try to make it.
Marie says
I'm so excited for you, May. Let me know how you go with it. Always hear if you need help.