Homemade croissants – the sort of treat I never would have envisioned making in my kitchen a few years ago but now I can say I’ve done it!! And oddly, now that I’ve made them, I find myself wondering why I didn’t do it sooner. These croissants are perfection – buttery, flaky, just a bit crisp on the outside but yielding to a wonderfully soft interior. The only thing that could improve them would be chocolate and that is next up on the list!
I actually made these last week while house sitting for my in-laws because they have lots of wonderful, uncluttered, usable counter space. My kitchen is fairly large, but doesn’t have much counter space, so a project like this would be a bit challenging (especially since I don’t always work neatly). This recipe is long and there are a lot of steps, but I promise it’s really not very difficult if you take your time and read the instructions carefully. The end result is SO worth the effort. I’ve never made a laminated dough before so I have no basis for comparison, but this dough was wonderful to work with – very silky and smooth and it rolled out beautifully. The only thing I found challenging about the recipe was trying to pound 3 and a half sticks of butter into an 8-inch square. Eventually, it did cooperate somewhat (you’ll see in the pictures that my square is far from perfect) – I found that once I got going and the butter became malleable it got easier, so don’t be too frustrated if it seems impossible at first.
The recipe in the book included many wonderful photos, which really helped me along the way. I tend to doubt myself when I try something this intimidating for the first time and I found the photos reassuring. In an effort to help anyone else who might want to try making croissants at home, I tried to take lots of process photos, which I don’t normally do. Many of the photos were taken at night and styling wasn’t a concern so much as keeping flour and butter out of my camera but hopefully they’ll help clear up any written instructions which are confusing. I’ve also included my notes in green where applicable. By no means am I an expert, but if you want to attempt the recipe and still have questions after reading this post, feel free to ask away in the comments or email me at traceysculinaryadventures@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to help!
Croissant Dough
from Baking, by James Peterson
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup barely warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups cold unsalted butter (3 1/2 sticks)
In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour with the water and yeast just until the lumps of flour are broken up. Set the bowl aside and let rise for 1 hour. (I couldn’t see a noticeable rise in mine after an hour but there were bubbles all over the surface.)
Add the remaining flour, the cream and salt and knead the mixture for 1 minute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
Knead the mixture by hand for 10 minutes or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (on low speed) for about 20 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic by the time you finish kneading. (I kneaded mine with the mixer and it was a breeze. I did give the mixer a brief 2 minute rest after 10 minutes out of an abundance of caution to make sure it didn’t overheat, but the motor never got very warm so it probably wasn’t necessary. The dough is silky and smooth and just gorgeous after it’s been kneaded.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place the butter between two sheets of plastic wrap and using a rolling pin, pound the butter into an 8-inch square.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a 9 x 17-inch rectangle. Place the square of butter on the bottom half of the rectangle. You can use your hands to align the dough and the sides of the butter square.
Fold the top half of the rectangle of dough down over the bottom half so the square of butter is now enclosed. Press together the edges of the square to seal in the butter. Use your hands to even out the square. (You can see my butter peeking out here if you look closely on the side – I hadn’t yet sealed it in.)
Gently pound the square with a rolling pin to stretch the dough and the butter in it. Roll the dough into a 9 x 18-inch rectangle. Next, you want to fold the rectangle into thirds like a letter – start with a narrow end facing you. I began by folding the bottom third up.
Then folded the top third down… You’ve now completed one “turn!”
Turn the dough so the single fold (like the spine of a book) is on your left.
You’re now ready to start the second turn. Repeat the process shown above of rolling the dough into a 9 x 18-inch rectangle, then folding the rectangle into thirds by bringing the bottom up and the top down over it. Use your fingers to make two imprints on the dough to keep track of the fact that you’ve completed two turns.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Once the dough has been refrigerated, remove it and complete two more “turns” – for a total of four turns in all. At this point, the dough is ready to be rolled out and used. Alternatively, you can wrap in plastic and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before you shape and proof (in fact, the recipe notes that 12-24 hours in the fridge before proofing improves the flavor of the dough).
Before you begin to shape the dough, line two large baking sheets with parchment. Also, make sure you have a ruler handy. Cut the dough in half. (I took a photo of the dough at this point because I was amazed by all of the layers you could see!)
On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of the dough into a 6 1/2 x 20-inch rectangle. (You can trim the edges of the dough if they’re ragged or really uneven.) The dough will be about 1/8 – 1/4-inch thick and look something like this:
Transfer each large rectangle onto one of the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. You want the dough firm, but not brittle.
When the first rectangle is ready to work with, transfer it back to your work surface with one of the long ends facing you. The next step is to cut the triangles from the dough that will be formed into individual croissants. Starting on the left side of the bottom edge of the rectangle, measure 5 inches from the end and make a tiny notch to mark the base of the first triangle. Measure another 5 inches from that notch and make a second notch to mark the base of the second triangle. Finally, repeat one more time – measure another 5 inches and make a notch. You should now have marked off four 5-inch sections. (Sorry, looks like I didn’t get a picture until I had cut the triangles. I actually think it might be easier to skip ahead and look at that photo to get an idea of the finished product before you read through the next two paragraphs. It sounds a lot more difficult than it is and knowing what the end result looks like gives the written instructions context.)
Turn the rectangle 180 degrees so the opposite long side (the one that hasn’t been notched) is facing you. Starting on the left side, make a notch 2 1/2 inches from the end. Measure 5 inches from the first notch and make a second notch. Measure another 5 inches from the second notch, make a third notch and finally, measure 5 inches from the third notch and make your final notch. This second side of the triangle should now be marked into 5 sections – the 2 sections at the ends will each be 2 1/2 long and the ones in the middle 5 inches long.
You’re ready to cut the triangles which will form the croissants now. Leave the rectangle as is – so the second side you notched is closest to you. The notches on the far side are for the bases of the triangles and the notches on the near side form the tips of the triangles. Use a large knife to cut the triangles by connecting the notches on the near and far sides. You should end up with 6 full triangles, each 5 by 6 1/2-inches, as well as some trimmings on the ends. I took this photo just after I’d cut the triangles. (I followed the process exactly as outlined above so you can work backward from this photo if you’re at all confused. )
Repeat the process above with your second rectangle so you have a total of 12 triangles. Make a small slit in the base of the center of each triangle.
Begin to roll the triangles to form the croissants by curling the two sides of the triangle on each side of the slit away from each other. You want to roll tightly.
Using both hands, continue to roll the base of the triangle – one hand working with the dough on each side of the slit. Point your hands away from each other – at about 45 degree angles from center – as you roll. Rolling in this manner will help make the classic croissant shape. (If I’d had a second person, I’d have taken a shot with my hands actually on the dough but I think you get the idea.)
Roll each triangle so the tip is underneath and then bend the 2 ends toward each other to form a shape like a little crab. Hopefully you can see 3 distinct layers as the dough curls to form the croissant. Arrange the croissants on a sheet pan and cover them with plastic wrap to proof.
You have several options for proofing: overnight in the fridge, ~3 hours in a cool place or ~1 hour in a warm place. The book indicates that overnight proofing is best because the croissants develop more flavor thanks to the slow rising time. (I proofed mine overnight in the fridge and then took them out in the morning and let them sit at room temperature for a few hours before baking.)
(I didn’t notice a huge difference in the size of my croissants after they’d proofed. They looked slightly more puffy so I baked them and luckily it all worked out. If you compare the photos directly above and below this paragraph to the one showing the croissants from the night before you may be able to discern a slight difference in size too.)
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Adjust your oven racks so one is in the top third and one is in the bottom third of the oven. Combine 1 egg with a splash of cream to form an egg wash and brush the proofed croissants. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the croissants are puffed and golden brown. Remove them to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before serving.
wow these are perfect! I tried making them once but I made a disaster. However with your tutorial I m eager to try them again. thanks
Tracey! Thanks for leaving some at the house for us to have the morning after we got back. These were the best croissants I’ve ever had. I knew there must have been lots of butter in them after one bite. They were absolutely fabulous! Better than any bakery. I’ll have to try and make them some day.:-)
I am amazed this is your first time making croissants. Yours are so perfect! Wish I had one for breakfast!
Your croissants look lovely, and must be very tasty. Great step by step instructions…don’t know if I’ll be trying this soon, but if I do, I will come here for directions!
Peace, Stephanie
Fantastic tutorial – you should have turned a few of them into Pain au Chocolat. I prefer them plain, but some people really like to bite into them and have warm chocolate ooze out. Great job!
🙂
ButterYum
Those look just perfect.
Your croissants are beautiful and I love the step by step photos! Will have to add this to my “to tackle” list for when we move soon and have a bigger kitchen!
Tracey, I am SO impressed with your croissants! They look perfect! They’re flaky and golden and everything a croissant should be. I love the step-by-step photos — they’re so helpful. Did I mention I’m really, really impressed? Wow!
Wow, they look absolutely prefect. I’ve made croissants a few times, and they never come out looking quite this nice. I’ll have to give your recipe a try!
I cannot believe those are homemade croissants!! They’re awesome. Thank you for the explanation. And once again, your croissants are PERFECT 🙂
Thanks for the step by step photos!
Girl you ROCKED these! They look perfect!
no, No, NO! I do NOT want to know how to make these. I do NOT want it to look this simple. I do NOT want them to look this good. I do NOT want to see that much butter. NO NO NO. I am going to pretend like I did not see any of this. They look too wonderful and are a particular weakness for me. There are some things I should just NOT know how to bake. This would be probably top on the list! (BTW, they look fabulous…great job!)
these are gorgeous! I am so incredibly impressed and also inspired to try them out myself! Thank you so much for taking the time to take pictures of each step- I hope I’ll find time to make these sometime soon.
Tracey – those look INCREDIBLE. So much better than store bought. Thanks for step/step pics. Your the best.
GREAT GREAT GREAT Tutorial! Tracey, those look phenomenal! So flaky and delicious! Gorgeous! I have to make them!
Beautiful!!! Beautiful!!! Great job Tracey!!! – mary
Just beautiful!!! I am wanting to make these…soon. Thanks for the tutorial,helps tremendously.~Ellie
Wow this is incredible. I am French and I just moved in the US which I love but I miss so much French food and especially the pastries. I thought a home made croissant recipe could never compete with my favorite bakery back in France, but you definitely let me think the contrary! Believe me, I will try yours asap. Thank you so much.
I’m floored. Wow.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Im always trying to find ways to prepare interesting breakfast for my family
I will definitely be trying this. Thank you for the step by step picture directions. I’m a visual person, so this helps a lot.
This looks absolutely amazing!! I will definitely be bookmarking this…and will have to try it soon,very soon. Thanks for the tutorial..love it.~Ellie
Wow! They look delicious! Are you sure the recipe isn’t from Paula Deen? That butter picture nearly gave me clogged arteries just looking at it. HA HA PS- I have serious counterspace envy.
I remember making my first batch of croissants. The procedure was very similar to yours. I love your process photos; I can’t believe you took some of those photos at night. They look so clear!
Great job on your first batch of croissants. You’re already a pro!
I am seriously shocked by how beautiful these looks–wow! Thank you for the excellent instructions..maybe someday I’ll work up the courage to give it a go!
Now if I ony had the guts to do this myself! they look amazing Tracey.
Tracey, those have got to be the most beautiful croissants I’ve ever seen, wow! I can’t believe that was your first attempt, those look so much better than store bought. I’ve never tried making croissants but now I want to, puff pastry is the closest I’ve come. I can’t wait to see your croissants with chocolate, those used to be my favorite treat from a little French bakery that closed years ago and I’ve always thought about trying to recreate them at home, thanks for the nudge.
I wish I could be an expert with bread dough like you. My dough never looks like that. You make this look so easy, but I don’t think I could ever make croissants. I don’t know if I could either.. so much butter!!
Awesome and deliciously flaky!! Thanks for the step by step.
Those croissants look delicious! I love your instructions… I’ll have to give it a try sometime.
These are absolutely perfect looking croissants. Love your step-by-step tutorial.
You’ve done such a great job with the picture tutorial! You deserve a HUGE HUG! Hugs, Thanks!
These look so good! I’ve been wanting to attempt these, but the recipes are always so long. The pictures really help so I just might give them a try 🙂
Wow, Tracey! Awesome post, and gorgeous pictures. You’ve got me wanting to bake croissants again. (I made them this time last year.) One thing that might help you next time–for the half a stick of butter you needed for the butter block, try cutting the stick in half length-wise so it fits with the whole sticks better. =)
Absolutely amazing! I have been trying to work up the nerve and time commitment to make croissants, hopefully in the not too far future.
Do you like “Baking?” It looks like a great book.
These look so good! Making croisants seemed so unreachable. But you’ve broken it down that I’m eager to give it a try!
~ Carrie ~
wow you did what i’ve always wanted to do – croissants! I have the same book got it for xmas – what do you think of the book?
Having tried these I can say they were every bit as good as they look! Great idea to do the tutorial
so others might feel like it wasn’t an impossible task. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome!!!
Your croissants are absolutely beautiful! You did a wonderful job, and I love the step by step photos. The only laminated dough I have done in the past has been puff pastry for vols-au-vent (pastry cups). I really enjoyed making them, and the end result is always worth the effort!
Absolutely gorgeous croissants! They really are picture-perfect and your photos are sensational. I made croissants once and it felt so good to tackle them from scratch. I think I’ll have to make them again!
I love croissants!! beautiful job 🙂 are you using a light box now? photos look awesome!
Your photo of the dough with all the layers is really nice. And your croissants turned out beautifully! Well done! Love the step-by-step instructions and pics. You make it seem doable… if I could ever find a few hours without the kids running around! 😉
Tracey, you made croissants and they look flaky and delicious! I have made croissants before and do the recipe over 3 days, trying to time out for baking on Saturday morning. What a great recipe and photos to share with everyone too!
You are ready to open your own bakery! These look absolutely perfect! I know laminated doughs aren’t that difficult, but they seem so “advanced” that I’ve never made one at home (we made them at pastry Boot Camp, but that was with a chef looking over my shoulder). You have inspired me to give this a try!
They are so beautiful! What a great post with all the photos – I love the one of the layers in the dough.
I just made some danish dough using a similar method, and plan to make croissants (including chocolate ones) soon. I’ll be back to re-read your post when I’m ready to make them!
Wow! Great job on your croissants! I’ve made homemade puff pastry, but not croissants. I’ll have to add them to my list of things to try!
Those seriously look absolutely perfect, Tracey! LOVE that second photo with the inside view of the croissant. I love layers!
Some of the best looking croissants I’ve ever seen. You’ve definitely got me wanting to make these. Fantastic blog BTW, Barry.
http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com
Tracey, I’m amazed not only at your perfect croissants, but your detailed tutorial! What a wonderful post, and I know you loved the finished product.
Love the tutorial! My dough is in the fridge right now firming up, and I keep on running to the computer in between every step tomake sure I’m doing it correctly. My dough doesn’t look as gorgeous as yours, but I still hope they turn out! Thanks for posting, and for inspiring me to try them!
OMG, I’ve always wanted to learn how to make croissants. “Only-written” recipes never seemed easy enough for me. I’m so happy I found your tutorial. Now, with the pictures, I’m definitely going to give it a try.
I just need a little technical clarification:
Being an EastEuropean, I never understand how much a “cup” is… (I have many different-sized cups lol). We measure in grams, kilos etc. Could you give the recipe with such units of measurement?
And, another thing: I don’t think I can get active dry yeast here – I’ll try ordering online but – any tips how to convert to “normal” yeast?
Please help. Thanks in advance, Tracey 🙂
Hi Pola,
Thanks for stopping by! This particular recipe didn’t provide weight measurements for the ingredients so I’ll do the best I can 🙂
flour – I’m not 100% sure there’s a consensus on how much one cup of flour weighs – it depends on a lot of factors, including what type of flour, whether it’s sifted, etc. I’ve seen ranges from 4 ounces per cup up to 5.5 ounces per cup. 4.5 ounces per cup (which is 128 grams per cup – so 448 grams total for this recipe) is probably a safe assumption here – many cookbook authors go with that measurement.
butter – 1/2 cup of butter is 113 g so since we want to use 1 3/4 cups here that would be 395.5 grams.
water – 1 cup of water is 237 grams
heavy cream – 1/3 cup of cream is 79.25 grams
I used this site for the last two conversions, which you may find helpful if you run across recipes that are in American measurements: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cooking-conversions/cooking-conversions-calculator.aspx
As for your yeast question, I’m not familiar with “normal” yeast so I’m not exactly sure what you mean. I found this site which provides some yeast conversions and may help: http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/01/12/instant-yeast/#yeast-conversions
If that doesn’t answer your question, I’m happy to help if you can give me more information on “normal” yeast. Is it fresh yeast?
THANK YOU Tracey. You’re wonderful 🙂
Yes, I meant fresh yeast, that’s what I’m able to buy here and it works the best for me.
Thanks for providing all the info and links, that’s very helpful.
One more question, though:
In some recipes you use “1 packet of active dry yeast” or “1 package instant yeast”. How many grams/ounce would that be?
I ordered active dry yeast online [really want to try your Golden Brioche Loaves recipe], but there were packets of 100 or 60 g.
Which one do you use?
Once again, thanks for your help and for the whole blog. I’m glad I found it.
I especially love that you don’t only give a “dry” recipe but write about the whole creative process and what you changed in the recipe.
Some food-bloggers just post beautiful pictures of dishes with a recipe, but I always wonder if they really try it ;(
Thanks.
Hi Pola,
You’re very welcome! Thanks for all of the wonderful compliments 🙂
One packet of instant or active dry yeast is 1/4 oz or 7 grams (or 2 1/4 teaspoons). I tend to buy my yeast in bulk and when a recipe calls for one packet I either weigh out 7 grams or measure 2 1/4 teaspoons. If you keep your instant or active dry yeast in the fridge or freezer it will last for quite a while so no worries if you have extra! Good luck with the croissants – I really hope they turn out well for you!
I’ve been intending to make croissants for some time. Thanks for your very informative tutorial. I can’t wait to give this a try…with chocolate, of course 🙂
These look great! I just did my first batch a couple weeks ago from watching the original Julia Childs and Esther How To Video. It took about 2 1/2 days to complete, but well worth it. They use a tad different of a recipe, but pretty similar steps! CONGRATS! I did the chocolate ones too and they turned out fabulous. I wish they lasted longer than a day!
MISSION COMPLETE 🙂
It took me the whole (yes, the whole) day, though.
The croissants turned out amazing, delicate and flaky. It was worth every minute and all the effort. Better than any french bakery. And who said TOO MUCH BUTTER? There’s no such thing as too much butter. We ate them with peanut butter 🙂
Thanks once again, Tracey, for the recipe and your patience and help with all my questions.
I’ll certainly make them again when I have another day off work 😉
Pola
I made these today, and they turned out wonderfully. I used milk instead of water or cream, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. I was amazed at how much the croissants grew once they hit the heat of the oven. Huge! Thanks so much for the helpful tutorial and scrumptious recipe.
WOW, you did an incredible job! Yes, I want to make these too!:)Your photos are great and do make it seem possible that I too can make homemade croissants! Thanks!~ingrid
These croissants look amazing. My only question before I give the recipe a try concerns the baking instructions. The directions say set our racks in the top and bottom thirds, should I be baking two sheet of croissants at once and rotating them throughout the cooking process? Thanks for your time, can’t wait to make ’em! -Patrick, Chicago
Hi Patrick,
Yes, you’re exactly right! The recipe makes 12 croissants and you’ll probably want to split them up between 2 baking sheets. I did 6 on each so they had plenty of room to puff in the oven. Rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back during the baking process if necessary for even cooking in your oven.
Good luck, I hope they turn out well for you 🙂
I just made these for Easter. They turned out perfect! Thanks so much!
Hi Tracey,
I haven’t had much luck with making croissants! Each time I’ve tried the butter seems to poke through the dough when I roll the dough….Any suggestions as to where I’m going wrong??
Look forward to hearing from you.
Best Wishes,
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn,
The only thing I can think of is that maybe your butter has lumps. Lumps harden as the dough rests and then refuse to roll out, poking through the dough as you try to roll it. When you are making the butter square, make sure your butter is cold, but smooth and spreadable. I pounded my butter out with a rolling pin, but the book I pulled the recipe from also suggests working it with the heel of your hand or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer until it is lump free so maybe you could try one of those methods if the rolling pin isn’t working for you.
I hope this helps. Good luck! 🙂
Tracey
Wow Tracey – I’m speechless. These are spectacular – they could compete with the croissants in the finest French bakeries. I do want to make these with you. I am not sure I could pull it off though! I need to read this a few more times – I’m printing it out. :-). Amazing post!!
Thank you so much for this recipe Tracy. I made them once before and loved them; this afternoon I am preparing another batch for brunch tomorrow with a DAME!! =P
Thanks so much for the recipe! I tried it and it turned out great! even with a few changes like decreasing the butter to just 3 sticks. I think I’m going to link my photos to your recipe:)
What kind of flour did you use to make the croissant? all purpose flour or bread flour??? Thanks.
Sorry, that probably could have been more clear. I used all-purpose flour. I’ll update the recipe to specify, thanks!
Wow, what a picture, i can guess how much delicious this food is..
Nice Receipe.. I will do it.
Delicious, You guys are rocking.
Sapna
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This is fantastic – I can’t wait to give it a try! I’ve been wanting to make croissants at home for a very long time and the pictures in this tutorial are absolutely lovely (the written descriptions of how to laminate the dough can get kind of confusing for me!)
Wow these look absolutely amazing!! I thought I was going to be overly intimated when reading this but I might actually give them a short with your thorough tutorial. Thanks so much!!
thank you so much for your help! i made these for my blog today and your step-by-step photos were a lifesaver. they are soooo good!
-nikki
http://www.makeandtakeblog.com
Leah said-
Tracey Thank you so much for all the pictures. This gave me the confidence to try something this complicated, as I am very new to baking. It also gave me a chance to break in the new kitchen aid. While they didn’t come out quite as amazing as yours looked they still impressed all my friends and family. I LOVE your blog and am looking forward to trying tons more recipes! Keep the pictures coming!
@Leah – Thanks for coming back to comment and let me know you tried the croissants. I’m so glad they were a hit with your friends and family 🙂
Hi, I’m all ready to make croissants over the easter weekend! I’m looking at as many recipes as I can and this uses heavy cream which is not common. Any idea what it does to the croissant? How was the texture of the croissant?
Hey, is it okay to leave the dough overnight in the fridge, would it taste worse then? They look great by the way!!
this post was really helpful. thank you so much.
the result is amazing which makes me to give it a try as soon as possible.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I just wanted to say thank you for the recipe and all the pictures! They really helped and were great for reference as I went along. I’ve never made anything like this before and was really intimidated by the whole process when I first read through it, but ended up really having fun. I’m waiting for my croissants to proof right now – I can’t wait to bake and try them! Thanks again. I’m looking forward to making these again soon!
Thanks so much for this easy to follow croissant recipe. I thought I was a total failure after an embarrassing attempt making croissants using the Bread Bible (of which I’m a huge fan, but this one was a bit convoluted). Your step-by-step pictures helped immensely! Even my French husband was impressed with how they turned out.
I love how simple this recipe is. I should note that I divided the butter and did two laminations as well as two more turns. None-the-less, your measurements and all other instructions were ideal, this recipe also worked well to make stuffed croissants (filling made of pumpkin, nutella, and butterscotch, and cinnamon) which I highly recommend. Thanks so much!!
I just made these yesterday!
Well, baked them today. I loved it. THEY ARE EPIC. Really.
http://someofthismaybetrue.blogspot.com/2011/11/kates-croissant-making-cocktail-hour.html
Thank you!
Hello. How come there’s no sugar? Won’t it taste bland?
Wow! I have always wanted to make this a long time ago but the other recipes were intimidating. With that step by step instructions of yours I surely could bake this! Thank you, can’t wait! 😉
Thank you for the most delicious recipe … We had it for breakfast this morning and my family loved it … It was a challenge but I passed ^_^
these look amazing! great job!
Hi Guys,
Thank you for the recipe Tracey.
For some reason, when rolling the dough the 3rd fold onwards, the butter always seems to be going through everywhere…
I doubt it’s meant to do that, but is there a way to prevent it, or something that i might be doing wrong?
I do have flour, and the dough isn’t sticking to the roll until the butter already poking through.
Cheers,
Thanks In advance
~eddy
It looks so easy, after all your instructions and pictures!!! I think I will try to make croissants over the weekend! Thank’s Marianna
Made this today by following your instructions step by step. It’s a great success! I added some nutella to my croissants, though it’s a bit difficult to seal the edges by rolling the dough into the shape with the jam inside.
cant i use something else on behalf of heavy cream. plz do reply.
What a great tutorial! They look amazing. I did croissants the easy way by buying ready rolled butter puff pastry. However In my blogpost I linked to your blog if they wanted a great tutorial. I hipe this is ok? Please see the link below.
http://meandmysweets.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/homemade-croissants.html
Thank u so much I tried them and the result was awesome though I did a minor adjustment like I added a sugar and instead of fresh cream I added milk I reduced the butter to 300 gm. We really enjoyed this croissant. I stuffed them with chocolate
Hi Tracey! Thank you so much for the recipe, the croissants look so good and flaky.
One question, for how long can i freeze the finished croissants dough? Because i really love the idea of making the dough, freezing it, and then whenever i spontaneously crave fresh croissants i would be able to bake them. But, i still want to know when the dough will eventually lose it abillity to create flaky, yummy croissants, otherwise what’s the point right?
Thanks!
@Jordan – Hi! Good question, and to be honest, I’m not 100% sure. The recipe I used didn’t specifically say and I haven’t frozen any to find out. That said, a similar croissant recipe from Cook’s Illustrated says you can freeze them for up to 2 months so I probably wouldn’t go much longer than that. Let me know how it turns out for you!
I just made these today and they are gorgeous and tasty! Thank you for the recipe. (:
Thank you for the recipe. It was fun and easier than I thought it would be! I made it for a birthday daytime activity (everyone I know works over the summer… and I have the summers off).
One thing I didn’t see anyone else mention… When I compared my dough to your picture perfect dough there was one major difference… the butter oozing out of mine! (It was a hot day). I was concerned with this but continued to follow directions and they came out perfect! SO if your dough is oozing with butter… don’t stress! It was a perfect baking experience! Thank you Tracy 🙂
These turned out absolutely gorgeous!!! Your recipe made it so easy to do
Thanks Tracy. I’m just taking some out of the oven now. They look great and I feel like I”ve accomplished something!
I tried three other recipes and all failed (I had one recipe where the dough did not rise and tasted horrible!!!), but yours was perfect!!! I was racing in and out of the computer room following the picture/word instructions and my family quickly devoured them over the following two days.
My own comment is that I made my croissants bigger by after having cut them into triangles, I held them up by the wide end and gently pulled the dough downward (gently squeezing down the dough) and ended up with bigger and flakier croissants (a little redundant I know, sorry!!! >_< ).
I’ve just turned my dough for the second time and I am SO excited to see how these end up! I was so surprised by how great the dough feels- so squishy and elastic! I’ve never had dough turn out that well! I’ll report back how they turn out!
Can I use shortening instead of unsalted butter?
hi tracey…tqvm for the best tutorial…look deliciousss also…i even share your recipe in my fb..tq again..muaah!!
Thanks! Going to be making these.
I just found this recipe via Pinterest and am definitely going to keep it!! I fell in love with croissants years ago but never gave thought to making them until recently when I’m more aware of the additives in food (especially the overly fake butter flavor I just had in a store bought croissant!). Thanks for the recipe and step by step photos. Now I’m off to check out your other recipes.
Thanks a million! I tried it, and it turned out absolutely gorgeous.
I never thought I could make croissants by myself, but with your instructions it was easy.
Just a word of caution: I don’t use plastic wrap with any fat, or any mechanical pounding, since it is easily dissolved by oils, and plastic goes into the food – similar with pounding, it drives plastic into the dough.
I let the butter at room temp, and then use my hands to flatten/shape it. I wrap the dough in moist kitchen towel to put in the fridge.
Plastic wrap is possibly the worst plastic to use for food, never mind that many people do it. (People do so many other things that you and I wouldn’t do.)
Thanks a lot! Maddie
If I don’t have active dry yeast with me,can I use instant dry yeast ? What is the method for that and what how much should I use ? thanks alot ! (:
@Jolene – Absolutely! I sub instant yeast for active dry about 99% of the time when I bake. The only modification you need to make is to use a smaller quantity of instant than you would active dry – by about 25%. So, in this recipe, I’d go with 3/4 teaspoon of instant yeast.
Good luck, hope you enjoy them! 🙂
I found your website from a youtube video by joyceyvonna. I’ve never made a croissant, but the pictures help tremendously and I am excited to try this. I would like to make these as “whole wheat croissants”. Do I just substitute with whole wheat flour or something else? Thank you, I’m new at baking and learning as I go. Looking to make these for sandwiches. If I need the croissants larger, do I just make the triangles bigger and then roll? Appreciate all your help!
Hi. Very informative. Because it was my very first time making croissants; I used my bread maker then did the last part of the instructions. I do have a couple of questions. Will it hurt the end product îf the dough was turned more than four times? Even through my croissants came out buttery and delicious, they had a big hole in the middle… not filled like yours.Also could this recipe be cut in half?
Thanks. Diane
These croissants look very delicious. I want to make them ASAP but I don’t eat yeast. How do I substitute?
Thank-a-Bunch
Gen
@Gen – I’m not sure there is a substitute for yeast, it’s pretty much essential here. Sorry.
PERFECT RECIPE!!!! I tried Anna Olsen’s from the food network and it was a BIG FAIL! This recipe and steps were perfect! Turned out AMAZING!! Thank you!!
hey tracey i follow your recipe but it didnt works…the butter melt when i put it in the dough…what should i do with it??
@Anonymous: It’s so hard for me to say since I wasn’t in the kitchen with you. Were you working in a really warm kitchen? Given the amount of butter in the recipe I probably wouldn’t recommend trying it on a hot summer day 🙂 You could try popping everything in the fridge to chill if it starts getting melty, but I’d probably just wait and try on a cooler day. Make sure you’re not starting with super soft butter either. It’ll get softer as you manipulate it, so you want the butter cold to begin the recipe.
Could you use whipping cream for the heavy cream? That is usually all I ever see in my grocery store, when it comes to “heavy cream”. Looking forward to trying these out, though that seems like a lot of butter, were these greasy at all like the butter amount was too much?
Thank- You for the step by step. My Mom told me this summer that she has always wanted to make croissants. But the recipes always sound so complicated. So I found your instructions, and my teens and mom and I spent an enjoyable day making croissants. They turned out AWESOME! And we will probably do it again sometime. Thanks for taking the mystery out of such a complicated recipe.