How to Make Croissants--homemade & delicious! (recipe w/pictures)
Long-time HubBuddy jimmythejock asked me how I made some croissants, the pictures of which I had posted on Facebook. I can not claim the recipe—that goes to a Canadian baker named Sarah living in Poland—but I can attest, from personal experience, that this recipe and technique do indeed yield some pretty amazing croissants: flaky, buttery, delicate on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. Just take a look at the picture to the right, and tell me your stomach isn't growling!
The recipe is definitely time-consuming, but it is not very difficult, if you follow the instructions below carefully. I learned that each of the steps really exists for a reason. Yes, there are a lot of steps involved, but none of them are particularly difficult. You'll thank me for taking the time for each step when you bring out some golden brown croissants for your loved ones to scarf down.
Other step-by-step baking guides
- Make Bakery-Style Bagels the Easy Way, with Picture by Picture Directions
HubBuddy K9keystrokes took pictures and posted this gorgeous and detailed recipe for making homemade bagels. Yes, you can make them at home and they are awesome! - How to Make Macarons (French Macaroons) - Step-by-Step Guide with Pictures
These delicate French treats are actually NOT impossible to make. I share the tricks that have helped me make them time and time again.
Ingredients
For 12 medium-sized croissants (smaller than the huge ones you typically see in cafes):
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp oil (I used olive, but something not terribly strong-tasting)
- 1/2 cup milk (or any "milk" - I used rice milk and it turned out fine)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 packet active dry yeast (or 1 1/4 tsp)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 egg
Click on each picture for full-size
Click thumbnail to view full-size
Make the dough
Croissant dough is a yeasted dough, meaning you have to let it rise a couple of times.
- Put the yeast, 1 tsp of the sugar, and 3 tbsp of warm (105F/40C or cooler) water in a small cup. Mix together and set aside.
- Put the flour in a large bowl.
- Warm up the milk in a small bowl or cup, either using the microwave or on your stovetop. It just needs to be warm, not hot.
- Add the salt to the milk and dissolve.
- Add the oil to the flour and mix well.
- Check the yeast mixture. It should have started foaming up a bit. Add it to the flour & oil mixture.
- Add the milk & salt.
- Mix it all together with a spoon or spatula until you have dough that holds together.
- Take the dough out of the bowl, and begin kneading it. Knead it with the heels of your hands until the dough is uniform and sticky. Then, slap the dough hard against your counter about 8-10 times, until the dough is not sticky and has softened.
- Clean out your bowl, and place the dough back in the bowl, Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap, and then cover the bowl with another piece of plastic wrap.
- Set in a warm place (about 75F/24C) for about 3 hours, until it triples in size.
----3 hours later---- - Pull out the dough and place it on your counter. Either using a rolling pin or your hands, roll/press it out into a square or rectangle, about 8-10 inches (20-30 cm) per side.
- Fold the square into thirds, like you're folding a letter to put in an envelope.
- Place this folded dough back in the bowl, cover it loosely, cover the bowl, and allow it to rise for another 1 1/2 hours or so, or until it has doubled in size.
----1 1/2 hours later---- - Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a cold plate, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer (only for about 10-15 minutes, max).
Incorporate the butter and start folding
- Place the butter on your counter, and beat it with a rolling pin (yes, smack it). The goal is to beat it into a "sheet" of cold, but pliable, butter. It doesn't have to be a perfect sheet at all, just without huge lumps. Make sure it doesn't get so warm that it melts - it should stay a solid. (Pro tip! Place the stick of butter between two sheets of wax paper, and use your rolling pin to spread it out into a thin layer of cold butter. Avoids a lot of mess!)
- Take the dough out of the freezer, and using your rolling pin, roll the folded-into-thirds dough into a square of similar size as last time.
- Spread the butter into the top two-thirds of the dough square. Then fold the top third of the dough (with the butter) down, and then the bottom third up (just as you did before, but this time, you're encasing the butter in it). Ideally, both the butter and the dough should be the same temperature (cold but not freezing) and same texture (firm but pliable). Pinch the sides so the butter is full encased inside the dough.
- Turn this "folded letter with butter in it" around 90 degrees. Flour your counter and the dough a little, and then using your rolling pin, very carefully roll out the dough into another square. You have to do this carefully to avoid liquefying the butter and having it squirt out! Take it slow and make sure your countertop is not warm!
- Fold this square into thirds again, and, if the butter is still clearly firm inside the dough, roll it out again. If the butter has softened, cover up the "folded letter" and place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes so it firms up again.
- Repeat this process 2 more times, cooling the dough in the freezer if you need to, to make sure the butter doesn't melt. After putting the butter in the dough, you should fold it into thirds and roll it out into a square four times. Naturally, the colder your kitchen and countertop, the less time you'll need to do this, since you'll need to toss your dough in the freezer less often.
Final rollout, cutting, and twisting
- Refrigerate your dough a final time (30 minutes in the freezer, or 2 hours in the refrigerator).
- Roll it out into a larger rectangle: 10x15 inches (25x40 cm)
- Cut it into 3 rectangles of approx 5x10 inches (12x25 cm) each.
- Place 2 of the rectangles on a plate and into the refrigerator.
- Flour your counter, and roll the 5x10 rectangle into a larger rectangle of about 8x15 inches (20x40cm)
- Cut that rectangle into half, and then each half into two triangles.
- Roll each triangle into an isosceles triangle (two long equidistant sides, and a short third side)
- Starting on the short side, roll up your dough triangle until you hit the tip.
- Curl into a crescent shape.
Final rise, egg wash, bake & cool
- Allow your shaped crescents to rise for 1-3 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).
- Preheat your oven to 475F (245C) - yes, pretty hot!
- Place your crescents onto a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper.
- Beat the egg with 1 tbsp of water.
- Brush your crescents with the egg wash.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the croissants have taken on a nice golden color.
- Allow to cool on a rack for about 10 minutes.
- ENJOY! I personally love them plain, but some like them with a pat of butter, some jam/jelly, or even Nutella.
Nutritional information on croissants
per batch
| per croissant
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
calories
| 1980
| 170
| |
protein
| g
| 32
| 3
|
fat
| g
| 123
| 10
|
carbs
| g
| 181
| 15
|
sodium
| mg
| 3600
| 300
|
Comments
You were not kidding when you said there were a lot of steps. I'll have to set aside a full day to attempt this recipe. The pictures are very helpful.
- Author
SOOO worth it, though! While it's time consuming, "work time" is actually not that long at all. You just have to wait several times: twice for the dough to rise, and a couple of times for the dough to cool down in the fridge/freezer.
You've blown my mind, livelonger! I can't WAIT to try this!!! It looks like it'll take a whole weekend, with all the different risings and whatnot, but the process looks fun, and since you've shared such helpful images and tips, I don't think I could screw it up!! Gosh, and I bet they smell DIVINE when they're baking. Also, huzzah for the nutritional info! That's a neat feature. Croissants are... indulgent, but well worth it!
- Author
Thanks, Simone! It's actually lots of little, easy steps, with lots of waiting in between. Not a lot of work. But, you do have a bounty that you're going to have to share (although apparently the finished croissants do freeze nicely). They do smell awesome, and they taste even better!
Quite the project! I'll have to set aside some time for this in the near future... or maybe Simone and I can get together and share the load... and the bounty!!!
- Author
Hey, a two-person team making a huge bounty of fresh croissants...sounds like a great way to get *really* popular with your friends! ;)
Just had dinner and still makes me hungry looking at these, though I do have a weak spot for fresh bread substances. Sounds fairly easy to make as well, think I'll have to give this a go the next time I'm b-b-q'ing to use instead of rolls.
I was always put off making these because of the time it takes, but since I love them and I cant buy lactose free croissants anywhere, I'm going to give it a go. Thanks for the great hub and easy to follow steps!
I have been hoping to get the croissant recipe since my son loves it. Thank you!! Wow, it is a lot of work. I think I will try it together with my son during the coming school holidays. It'd be an achievement for us when it turned out well.
- Author
xcubist: Yes, they're a flaky version of rolls and I think your BBQ guests will love them.
michifus: Have fun! Yes, substitute any non-dairy milk, and you're probably fine with butter--it has a negligible amount of lactose--or substitute some sort of margarine.
Ingenira: It's time-consuming but actually not a ton of work (and not difficult at all). I suggest doing a big batch and then freezing them, to get the most out of your effort.
Well, can I order some? They sound absolutely warm and delicious! Don't think I'll bake...but would surly love to eat them. They do look delightfully crispy on the outside and that's my favorite. Thanks for interesting read!
this is an excellent and descriptive hub on these rolls!! I love bread and these are a fav but Ive never been able to get it right...but I think its cause I haent put the dough in the fridge...so the butter and the ough weren't the same temp! thank you for such an excellent instruction! I will try again
- Author
frogyfish: You're welcome! Thanks for your comment. Hope you reconsider trying to bake them.
RNMSN: I know...that was my problem the first time I made them. The butter was too soft, and came squirting out of the sides. Fortunately, tossing it in the freezer for a half-hour did the trick and I was able to salvage them. Good luck next time!
Okay I really need to graduate to making homemade croissants. My kids love them, we make veggie pigs in a blanket. But, I always buy the store-bought dough that's not nearly as healthy. Great directions, too. I wonder if it would work with soy milk?
- Author
wordscribe43: Yes, absolutely you can use soy milk! (I used rice milk and they turned out perfect) You can also roll them around veggie hot dogs and turn out a great pigs in a blanket, too - hadn't thought of that.
They're yummy! We just use Not Dogs, partially because I love the name!
Incredible...there was no way I would of hazarded a guess on the number of step necessary when I started the read. Thanks for the photos as the visuals were a perfect fit.
rlw
Delicious and Yummy Yummy...
Thanks for sharing !
I tired this once but don't think they turned out so well. A lot of work, but they sure are beautiful. Must try again.
There is a terrific little french bakery next to where I live where I buy yummy croissants, but I would certainly love to tackle your croissants recipe sometime to see if I could pull it off.
I will have to try this sometime! Great hub- especially the step by step descriptions and pictures of the baking.
Thanks I love to try new recipes
Oh they sound really yummy! I will have to try and find time to make them at work! as I am a cook and my folks would love them.
thanks! will try it soon...
Wow! These are beautiful-- the picture of the light, flaky insides make me want to go start baking. The nasty, greasy kind you get at the grocery store just don't cut it once you've made or had a fresh one prepared correctly.
Jason, Thanks for sharing your recipe, the croissants look great and very tasty indeed, I am sure the kids will love helping me make them.
You did say there was a lot of steps though and you weren't kidding lol but the end product looks like it is all worth the work and the wait.
I will let you know how they turn out lol if the kids don't eat them before i get a chance to taste them.....thanks again.....jimmy
This is so useful but please tell me how many tablespoon is half a packet of yeast?
for me its 1 tablespoon.
Thank you for the hub. sometimes i am scared to try recipes thinking it will not come out well but your pictures give me enough proof. thanks again.
- Author
Thank you for the suggestion! I just added it: each packet is 2 1/2 tsp of yeast, so a 1/2 packet is 1 1/4 teaspoon (or less than half a tablespoon, which is 3 teaspoons).
Thank you..
its really explained in details. i will try very soon.
love sara
Send some for me too sara I live quiet close to ur place.
Great pics! I have never tried making them before, but this may well change now, thanks to the pics. Voted up
Thanks for all the great detail in your croissant recipe. The pictures are excellent and make me want to try and wade through all the different steps to enjoy a tasty homemade croissant.
can I just order a dozen of these from you and let FedEx take care of the detail.... lol ;-)
I just added your site to my "favorites"! I can't wait to try this. I'm getting ready to publish a "No-Knead Wheat Bread" recipe. I love making bread products. YES! YES!!! Voted up!!!
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CZCZCZ: Lots of steps, but really not difficult. Give 'em a shot!
Drax: They *do* freeze really nicely, but I swear if even I can pull this off, anyone can.
cclitgirl: Let me know how they turn out! I'll have to check out your Hub. Our challenge this month is to make sourdough with natural yeast. Looking forward to it!
Thanks for the yummy recipe. This sounds like a perfect appetizer for Christmas. Croissants are my favorite.
- Author
Chanell: They are, and wait till you tell people you made them from scratch! I think they're much better than dinner rolls, too.
I love it!
How I missed this hub I do not know! It is awesome! I love the picture by picture directions, it makes it so much easier to follow. Those finished flaky croissants, warm and fresh out of the oven look divine! This is going on my to-do list immediately. A perfect yeasty-good hub!
Shalom and HubHugs~
K9
- Author
It's an honor! I modeled this Hub on yours, K9keystrokes. I hope your croissants turn out as delicious as they did for me. They are worth every calorie!
Shalom and HubHugs!
:)Thanks my Friend~
You make it all look so easy with those step by step directions and pix and ooooh how I love croissants. What a fabulous hub. I'm drooling :-)
Great hub, they look so yummy! I have to try this recipe :)
- Author
robie2: Believe me, if it weren't easy, I could not have done it (I'm currently in the process of royally screwing up sourdough, so don't underestimate my lack of talent in the baking department!). Give 'em a shot sometime!
sabrani44: Let me know how it turns out for you!
Its really nice recipe will try as soon as possible.
wow, inspiring! I also had a good chuckle in the directions that included "several slams to the counter"...
Livelonger, OMG you were not kidding that is one long recipe, and may I add one I would never attempt to make myself. They do look yummy, thanks for sharing! Voted up!
This is very interesting. I've never known how to make croissants. Thanks for the recipe and the nutritional information too!
The pictures make my mouth water. We have to make breads without dairy due to allergies so this would be one to experiment with in making great tasty croissants. True to your word, it's simple but takes time. Thanks for writng.
Wow, this is a really helpful hub. I've never considered making croissants myself...I'm just really good at eating them! Voted up and useful.
You are a hardcore cook, livelonger! I've read about this process but thought it too difficult. Now you've inspired me! I plan to fill mine with chocolate.
- Author
Thanks, vespawoolf. I actually participate in a monthly bakers' challenge (Daring Bakers) and this was the challenge late last year. It is far easier than you'd expect, although time-consuming. Chocolate croissants sound delicious!
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