Authentic Croissant Recipe France, Europe
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
One of the true classics of French cuisine, croissants are not at all easy to make, but the result — if done right — is truly worth the trouble. This crescent-shaped pastry is usually made with puff pastry dough, but alternatively, it can also be made with leavened dough. A classic croissant is on the verge of sweet and savory, and it can either be plain or filled with chocolate, jam, cheese, ham, or raisins, although a filled version could not be considered a true croissant. The process starts with mixing the yeast with some milk and flour and leaving it to rise. Next, the yeast is combined with flour, sugar, salt, and the remaining milk, and kneaded by hand or with a mixer until it becomes homogenous. The dough is then left to rise from 2 up to 48 hours under a plastic foil until it doubles in volume. Then, the dough is kneaded once again, rolled into a rectangle, and processed using a technique called turning. A piece of butter is placed in the middle of the rectangle ... Read more
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Cooking tips
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pastry
Even though some recipes suggest using the frozen, pre-made puff pastry, real croissants should be made from scratch. Making the puff pastry is a time-consuming and lengthy process: do not skip or shorten the stages in which the dough is supposed to rest or rise: some recipes even suggest 48-hour preparation. Make at least four turns of the dough to ensure it is properly laminated. Do not press the ... Read more -
yeast
Both fresh and dry yeast can be used for preparing the puff pastry, but they need to be diluted in some tepid milk and left to rise before proceeding with kneading the dough. Make sure to rise the yeast at room temperature since it will not rise properly otherwise. -
butter
It is essential that the butter is at room temperature while preparing the puff pastry: cold butter will not distribute properly and will cause the dough to be stiff. While baking, particles of butter melt and release steam, which creates small pockets called alveoli and gives the puff pastry its distinctive flakiness. Use the best butter you can find, ideally with at least 84% milk fat. Some recipes ... Read more -
rolling
To roll the croissant, place the triangle-shaped piece of dough so the point is facing away from you. Make a small incision in the center of the base and start rolling from the base towards the top. If you are preparing filled croissants, add the filling (chocolate or jam are most common) after you have rolled the first quarter of the triangle. Continue rolling and tuck the top of the triangle into ... Read more -
glazing
Croissants are usually glazed with whisked egg yolk diluted with some water or milk: apply this mixture gently, using a brush, and make sure you distribute it evenly over the entire surface. -
baking
A steady oven temperature of 180˚C/350°F with 65-70% humidity is what leads to perfectly baked croissants. Do not open the oven doors while baking because the puff pastry will deflate.
Recipe variations
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Classic Puff Pastry Croissants
Ready in 6h 10minThis recipe was adapted from Cuisine Larousse website and gives instructions for preparing classic, puff-pastry French croissants from scratch using the turning technique. Make sure you start the preparation on time since the dough needs to rest for 5 hours overall.
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Larousse Gastronomique's Croissants With Leavened Dough
Ready in 4h 40minAdapted from The New Larousse Gastronomique cookbook, this recipe offers an alternative approach to the classic puff pastry croissants. In this version, they are prepared with leavened dough which makes the process significantly shorter.
Classic Puff Pastry Croissants
PREP 50min
COOK 20min
RESTING 5h
READY IN 6h 10min
This recipe was adapted from Cuisine Larousse website and gives instructions for preparing classic, puff-pastry French croissants from scratch using the turning technique. Make sure you start the preparation on time since the dough needs to rest for 5 hours overall.
Ingredients
Classic Puff Pastry Croissants
PUFF PASTRY (500g/1.1 lb)
210g (1 2/3 cup + 2 tsp) flour
85 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tsp) milk
5g (1 tsp) baker’s yeast
30g (2 tbsp) caster sugar
10g (2 tsp) fine salt
125g (1/2 cup + 2 tsp) butter at room temperature
FOR GLAZING THE CROISSANTS
1 egg yolk
Preparation
Classic Puff Pastry Croissants
First, prepare the puff pastry. Take a small bowl and dilute the yeast with some milk. Dissolve the sugar and salt with the remaining milk in another bowl.
Place the flour in the third, large bowl and pour in the milk, sugar and salt mixture followed by diluted yeast. Knead the dough by hand until its texture is even and lump-free. Add some water if the dough seems too firm.
Now, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume, for about 2 hours.
Next, transfer the dough to a floured working surface and press it with your fist. This will release the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation, and the dough will return to its initial volume.
Using a knife, make a cross-shaped cut in the center of the dough. Spread each quarter like a flower petal and roll with a rolling pin until it is 2 mm (1/16-inch) thick, but make sure to leave a small thicker bulge in the center.
Take softened butter and place it in the center. Now, fold each rolled quarter over the butter, so the dough takes a square form.
The next stage is called “turning”. Gently roll the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle three times as long as it is wide. The edges should be as straight as possible. Now, fold the dough in three to form a rectangular envelope to give it the first turn.
Rotate the dough for 90 degrees, roll it out again into a 3:1 rectangle and fold in three as done previously: this was the second turn.
Now, cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in a refrigerator for 1 hour.
Do two more turns as described above, and put the dough back in the refrigerator for another hour.
Now, roll out the dough so it is 6 mm (1/4-inch) thick. Cut into isosceles triangles: the base should be 14 cm (5.5 inches) long, and the sides should measure 16 cm (6.3 inches). Now, roll each triangle starting from the base to the top.
Cover the baking pan with baking paper and place the croissants on top. Make sure you leave enough space in between since the croissants will rise. Whisk the egg yolk with some water and brush this mixture over the croissants. Let them sit for 1 hour until they double in volume. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180˚C/350°F.
Brush the top of the croissants once again with the egg yolks and bake for 20 minutes.
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