Croissant Recipe

Mix dry ingredients

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or a large mixing bowl), whisk together 500 g all-purpose flour, 50 g granulated sugar, 10 g salt and 10 g instant yeast. Place yeast to one side of bowl and salt to the other side if desired to avoid direct contact.

Warm liquids and combine

Warm 160 ml whole milk and 90 ml water to about 30–32°C (just warm to the touch). Beat 2 large eggs lightly. Add the warm milk, water and eggs to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 2–3 minutes.

Add butter and knead

Add 50 g softened unsalted butter and continue to knead on medium-low speed 6–8 minutes until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky but not sticky, and passes a light windowpane (thin stretch) test. If kneading by hand, knead 10–12 minutes.

First chill / rest

Shape dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to relax gluten and make handling easier. Dough should be cold but still pliable.

Prepare the butter block

While the dough rests, place 250 g cold butter between two pieces of parchment. Using a rolling pin, pound and roll the butter into a 20 x 15 cm (8 x 6 in) rectangle about 6–8 mm thick. Maintain cold temperature — return to fridge if it becomes too soft.

Roll out dough

On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to roughly 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8 in), aiming for about 8 mm thickness. Keep corners square as best as possible.

Enclose butter

Place the butter block centered on the lower two-thirds of the dough. Fold the top third of dough down over the butter, then fold the bottom third up over that (like a business letter), fully enclosing the butter. Seal edges by pressing gently.

First turn (single turn)

Rotate the dough so the sealed edge is on your left. Roll the dough into a long rectangle about 45 x 20 cm (18 x 8 in), taking care not to let butter squeeze out. Fold into thirds (letter fold). Wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator 30–45 minutes until firm.

Second turn (double turn optional)

Repeat the rolling and folding sequence: roll to 45 x 20 cm and perform a second single (letter) fold. Chill 30–45 minutes. For flakier layers perform a third single fold (total 3 turns), chilling between each turn. Typical croissants use 3 single folds for 27 layers (3^3).

Final roll and cut

After final chill, roll the dough to a 40 x 25 cm (16 x 10 in) rectangle about 3–4 mm thick. Trim edges to make straight sides. Using a ruler, cut the dough into triangles roughly 10 cm base x 20 cm height (4 x 8 in).

Shape croissants

Take one triangle, make a small snip (1 cm) in the middle of the base, gently stretch the base, and roll the triangle from base toward the tip, keeping tension. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment, tip-side down. Curve the ends slightly to make a crescent if desired. Repeat for all pieces.

Proof

Cover shaped croissants loosely with plastic or a lightly oiled shower cap. Proof at 24–26°C (75–79°F) with 75% humidity until they have nearly doubled and look puffy — typically 1.5–3 hours depending on ambient temperature. Do not overproof; they should still hold some structure.

Prepare egg wash

Whisk 1 egg with 1 tsp water until smooth. Gently brush the croissants with the egg wash using a soft pastry brush, taking care not to deflate them. If using coarse sugar or seeds, sprinkle now.

Preheat oven

Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Place a baking stone or heavy tray in the oven if available for even heat.

Bake

Bake croissants for 12 minutes at 200°C (390°F), then reduce heat to 180°C (350°F) and bake an additional 6–8 minutes until deep golden brown and crisp. Total bake time ~18–20 minutes. If using large or filled croissants, adjust time slightly longer.

Cool

Remove croissants from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool 10–15 minutes before serving so interior sets and butter layers stabilize.