The Gay Gourmand

Several years ago, I took a croissant class and learned the process and recipe. I was so excited to take what I learned and make them at home. For years, the dough never came out right, the croissants never proofed properly and out of the oven came these dough bricks. It was so frustrating after all the prep work. 

I stopped trying after a while but knew one day I’d master them. Cut to about a year ago, I discovered Dini’s croissant recipe. She took a class at Le Cordon Bleu on viennoiserie, which is a fancy word for pastry work.

The first time I made these and took a bite of my croissant right from the oven, I swear I was transported back to Paris even if just for a moment. The flaky buttery layers, the warmth of the bread and the overall texture were just pure perfection. When I started my hobby of sharing recipes with you all and creating video tutorials roughly a year ago, I knew I wanted to show you how to make these croissants. I also knew it was going to be a lengthy video because there’s a lot that goes into it.

So here’s what I recommend:

1. Watch the video at least once all the way through before you even get started.
2. I’ll show you all the equipment and ingredients you’ll need – both are more simple than you think.
3. I’ll walk you through every step along the way while describing what I’m doing and why.
4. Plan ahead. The recipe makes 6 croissants. You can make them in 2 days or stretch it out to 3 if you want to wake up to fresh croissants on day 3. I opted for 3 days. 
5. You can even freeze any croissants you don’t proof at the end. You’ll just take out the frozen croissants the night before, let proof the next morning and bake as you normally would below.

If you have any questions whatsoever, don’t hesitate to leave a comment on any of my social media channels. I know you’ll love this recipe as much I do. Enjoy and have fun!

Ingredients

Croissant Dough

• 85 g lukewarm milk (1/3 cup)
• 60 g lukewarm water (1/4 cup)
• 6 g active dry yeast (roughly 2 tsp)
• 5 g honey (1 tsp)
• 25 g butter (1 1/2 tbsp) melted and cooled (European/high fat butter)
• 20 g granulated sugar (generous 1 1/2 tbsp)
• 250 g all purpose flour (2 cups and a spoon, leveled)
• 5 g salt (roughly 1 tsp)
• Chocolate batons if you’re making pain au chocolat

Butter Block

• 140 g butter (10 tbsp)

Egg wash

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream

Directions

Croissant Dough

• In a mixing bowl, dissolve 5 g honey (1 tsp) in 85 g milk (⅓ cup). Whisk in 6 g active dry yeast (about 2 tsp) and let sit for 10–20 minutes until the yeast activates.
• Add the remaining dough ingredients to the bowl in this order:
  • 60 g water (¼ cup)
  • 25 g butter (1½ tbsp)
  • 20 g white sugar (generous 1½ tbsp)
  • 250 g AP flour (2 cups, spooned and leveled)
  • 5 g salt (about 1 tsp)
• Stir with a spoon or spatula until a rough, shaggy dough forms.
• Knead the dough by hand in the bowl for 1–2 minutes until it comes together.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for about 4 minutes, or until smooth. The dough should be soft and easy to work with. Return it to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has at least doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press out the air. Transfer it to the larger sheet of parchment paper and shape it into a rectangle.
• Fold the parchment over the dough to create a 7 x 10 inch envelope and roll the dough so it fills the rectangle as evenly as possible.
• Wrap the parchment-covered dough tightly in plastic wrap, place it on a quarter sheet pan, and freeze for several hours or overnight.

Butter Block

• Slice 140 g butter (10 tbsp) into thin pieces.
• Arrange the slices inside the marked 5 x 6.5 inch rectangle on the smaller sheet of parchment paper and fold the parchment over the butter.
• Pound the butter with a rolling pin until pliable, then roll it evenly inside the parchment.
• Push the butter into the corners and maintain an even thickness throughout.
• Refrigerate the butter block until completely firm or overnight.

Enclosing the Butter

• The dough and butter should be cold and have similar firmness before laminating. If the dough is frozen solid, leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften slightly.
• Remove the butter from the refrigerator just before laminating and gently beat it with a rolling pin until flexible while still cold.
• Remove the parchment from the dough and place it on an unfloured or lightly floured work surface. Roll it back to 7 x 10 inches if needed.
• Unwrap the butter block but leave it attached to its parchment backing.
• Place the butter on one half of the dough, leaving a very small border around the edges. The parchment should still be facing upward.
• Press the butter lightly onto the dough so it adheres, then carefully remove the parchment.
• Fold the uncovered half of the dough over the butter, completely enclosing it. Press the edges closed and gently pat the surface so the butter bonds with the dough.
• If the dough feels warm or soft, wrap it and chill for about 30 minutes before continuing.

First Lamination

• Brush excess flour off the work surface and trim the edges of the dough slightly so the sides are straight.
• Fold about ⅛ of the dough inward toward the center (2–3 inches).
• Fold the opposite end inward so the edges meet without overlapping.
• Use a paring knife to cut small slits in the four folded corners to release tension.
• Brush away excess flour and fold the dough in half.
• Tap the dough firmly to keep its shape and cut slits in the two folded corners.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably 60 minutes.

Second Lamination

• Flour the work surface generously and place the dough on it.
• Press along the length of the dough with a rolling pin to make the butter pliable.
• Keeping the short side as the width (4 inches / 10 cm), roll the dough to 15 inches (38 cm) long while maintaining a width of about 5 inches.
• Make sure the dough remains straight and does not stick to the work surface.
• Brush excess flour off the dough.
• Fold one-third of the dough toward the center (about 5 inches / 12.7 cm) and cut the folded corners to release tension.
• Brush away flour again and fold the remaining third over the first fold. Cut the new folded corners as well.
• Wrap and refrigerate for another 30 minutes, preferably 60 minutes.

Sheeting the Dough

• Place the dough on a well-floured surface with the visible folded layers facing you.
• Press along its length with a rolling pin to soften the butter and dough.
• Roll the dough to approximately 1 cm thickness, keeping the width at the near edge around 8–9 inches.
• Wrap and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes so the gluten can relax.
• Roll the dough again to a final thickness of 4–5 mm.
• Maintain a width of approximately 9.5–10 inches (23–24 cm) and use flour as needed to prevent sticking.
• If the dough becomes soft or starts shrinking at any point, refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before continuing.

Cutting the Croissant Dough

• Trim a very thin strip from both long sides so the dough measures 9 inches / 23 cm wide with straight edges.
• Mark 3.5 inch / 9 cm intervals along one long edge.
• On the opposite edge, make 9 cm marks positioned halfway between the marks on the first side.
• Connect the marks using a ruler and sharp knife to create triangles.
• Cut along the lines with a pizza cutter or sharp knife, pressing straight down rather than dragging the blade.
• You should end up with approximately 6 triangles plus one leftover piece. (or 4 butter croissants and 2 pains au chocolat)

Rolling and Proofing

• Brush excess flour from both sides of each triangle.
• Cut a 1 cm slit in the center of the base of each triangle.
• Begin rolling from the base while gently pulling the corners outward to widen it slightly.
• Continue rolling while keeping the tip centered.
• Avoid rolling the croissant too tightly or too loosely.
• Place the croissants on a lined half-sheet pan, up to 6 per tray, with the tip tucked underneath.
• Press gently on the tip to seal it without flattening the croissant.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place another half-sheet pan on top, leaving enough room for expansion.
• Proof at approximately 25°C / 77°F until doubled in size, usually 2–3 hours.
• Properly proofed croissants will look puffy and jiggle slightly when the pan is shaken.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C at least 30 minutes before baking.

Baking

• Prepare the egg wash by mixing: 1 yolk and 2 tbsp of heavy cream
• Gently brush the croissants with the egg wash using a soft pastry brush.
• Bake at 375°F / 190°C in a conventional oven for 20–30 minutes, or until deeply golden brown. Rotate the tray halfway through if needed.
• Let the croissants cool on the tray for several minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
• Allow them to cool further so the interior structure can set properly.
• Enjoy! I know you will!