Flaky French Bakery Butter Croissants

By Rebecca St.Clair

Croissants are a French bakery indulgence you can make at home. That’s right, you have everything you need at home to make the best, pillowy-soft, bakery croissants!

With these homemade light-as-air croissants you can bring the elegance of a Parisian bakery to your kitchen. They have the perfectly flaky, buttery layers and melt-in-your-mouth softness, these croissants are the epitome of pastry perfection.

You will love these plain and dipped into a hot chocolate, with a smear of jam, or alongside your morning cup of coffee for a simple morning luxury.

I make these easy soft croissants often. My daughter LOVES them! So they are on our main ‘breads’ rotation. I always make the same three types of croissant. All from the same main dough. We have plain croissants, cheese croissants, and pain au chocolat (glazed chocolate croissants).

I fell in love with croissants when traveling in Paris, a little over 10 years ago. Ever since, I have been making this recipe. For me, it is the perfect super soft croissant dough. Light and pillowy, with a golden, flaky outside. While still being easy enough for anyone to make at home.

Storage

Croissants are at their best warm and fresh the first day. However if stored properly, you can prolong the freshness.

Room temperature

• Allow the croissants to cool to room temperature
• Store in a bread bag or airtight container not completely sealed so they can breath
• Store on the counter for up to 3 days

Freezer

Make your croissant dough ahead of time, roll into croissants and freeze them. That way you can bake them anytime you would like! Perfect!

• Make the recipe up to the final rise
• Place the dough croissants onto a lined baking sheet and freeze in a single layer for 2 hours
• Remove the croissants and store in an airtight container or freezer bag
• Freeze for up to 3 months
• When ready for use, remove and allow to defrost spread out on the baking sheet
• Allow them to rise until just about doubled and continue with the recipe

Words to know for making Croissants

Détrampe – This is the main bread dough

Beurrage – This is the butter layer that you will be folding inside of the détrampe.

Method

Dough

1. In the bowl of the stand mixer with the dough hook or in a large bowl if making the recipe by hand, add ¾ cup warm water, ¾ cup milk, and ¼ cup sugar. Mix to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add 2 ¼ teaspoons (or 1 packet) yeast, by sprinkling it evenly over top.
3. Wait a few minutes to allow the yeast to soften and become foamy. This will take 5-10 minutes.
4. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 3 ½ cups flour. Mix with the dough hook until a smooth dough forms.
5. Knead in 2 Tablespoons soft butter. Mix a few minutes to form a smooth dough. (I alternate between the slowest speed of my mixer, to one or two speeds up to mix the dough fully.) It will take about 5 minutes if using a stand mixer or 8 minutes by hand.
6. Cover and let the dough rest 30 mins.

7. Onto a rectangular cookie sheet, lined with plastic wrap, spread the dough out with your hands to form a rectangle. Cover and let rest and rise for 1½ hours.

8. Place covered in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

Beurrage

1. Meanwhile, using softened butter, form the butter into a square. (I place plastic wrap inside of a 8in. square casserole dish and squish the butter out evenly into the dish to form an easy square.
2. Place the butter in the refrigerator to chill slightly. The dough and butter should be about the same consistency for easy rolling.

The first roll

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place the chilled beurrage in the centre of the dough square, but turned so it is in a diamond shape.
2. Fold the corners of the dough over the butter layer and press to completely seal it in.

4. Roll the dough out into a long rectangle. (It should be about three times the width of the cookie sheet you are resting it on.)

5. Fold the dough into thirds. (This will give you three laminated layers of butter and dough. Place back onto the lined cookie sheet. (It should fit the dimensions perfectly.)

6. Cover and place back into the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

Subsequent folds

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll it out the opposite way you did last time. Roll it into a long rectangle. (About 3-4 times the width of the cookie sheet.)
2. Fold the dough in thirds or fourths and place back on the cookie sheet.
3. Cover and place back into the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
4. Remove from the refrigerator and roll out in the opposite direction from your previous roll.
5. Roll into a long rectangle. (3 to 4 times the width of your cookie sheet.)
6. Fold the dough into thirds or fourths and place, covered, back into the refrigerator 4 hours or overnight.

Final roll-out

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a very large rectangle. (About 48 cm long and about 34 cm tall) It is not necessary to measure it.
2. With a pizza cutter, or a knife, cut into triangles.
3. In the bottom of each triangle cut about an inch slit upwards.

Forming the Croissants

1. Take a triangle and slightly pull apart the centre slit. Gently roll it upwards onto itself to form a croissant. Continue for all of the triangles of dough.
2. If you are adding ingredients, like cheese, chocolate, or frangipane, add it to the centre of the croissant as you are rolling it.
3. Place all of the croissants spread out onto lined cookie sheets. Cover and let rise for about 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. They should just about double in size.

Baking the Croissants

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
2. (optional) In a small bowl, mix the egg with a tablespoon of water. Gently brush on the top of the croissant dough.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Or until golden.
4. Serve warm!

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