There are many ways to make croissants, but the most common is by rolling out a piece of dough and folding it in half. This is then rolled out again and folded into thirds. The dough is then rolled out one more time and cut with a knife before being shaped into crescents.
The french croissant recipe is a french pastry that is made with butter, flour, and yeast. To make these treats, the dough is rolled out into a long rectangle and then folded over on itself repeatedly to create layers of dough.
Chef Anna Olson’s wonderful restaurant has a French Croissant on the menu, and she’s going to show you how to make it from scratch!
Follow along with the recipes listed below.
Ingredients
Détrempe
- 3 12 cup all-purpose flour (525 g)
- 1 cup (250 mL) room temperature water
- 12 cup (125 mL) room temperature 2 percent milk
- 5 tbsp sugar (62 g)
- 1 pkg instant dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp/8 g)
- 14 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 g) at room temperature
Beurrage
- 1 14 cup (285 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- Brushing: 1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp water
Instructions
Détrempe
- Fit a stand mixer with the hook attachment for the détrempe and combine the flour, water, milk, sugar, and yeast on low speed, then add the salt. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead for approximately 4 minutes, adding the butter halfway through kneading — the dough should just clean the bowl’s sides. Form the dough into a rectangle (it will be soft), put it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover with a tea towel before covering with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for 90 minutes before chilling for at least an hour and up to eight hours.
Beurrage
- Form the butter into an 8-inch square for the beurrage. If making ahead of time, chill until ready to use, but remove from the fridge to soften. Make sure the butter has the same resistance (consistency) as the chilled dough – the temperature of each should be the same, but the “give” should be the same.
- Turn out the cold détrempe onto a floured work surface and roll out to a 14-inch square. Place the beurrage in the centre of the square, but rotate it so that the butter square’s points lie in the middle of each flat side of the dough. Gently squeeze the edges of the dough as you bring the corners together, enclosing the butter like an envelope. Fold the dough into thirds after rolling it out into a 20-inch long rectangle (this is called a single fold). Return the dough to the baking pan, cover with a cloth and plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to eight hours.
- Roll and fold the dough two more times into single folds, turning the dough 90 degrees each time before rolling and chilling the dough for at least an hour and up to 8 hours before each fold. Allow at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours for the dough to rest after the last fold before using.
- Measure out approximately 20 oz of dough for 12 basic croissants and save the remainder in the fridge. Roll out the dough to a 16-inch by 12-inch rectangle on a floured work surface. Horizontally split the dough in half, then cut 6 triangles from each side.
- On the short side of each triangle, make a 1-inch score and roll up the croissant from this side. Curve the croissant such that the triangle’s tip is at the bottom and faces the opposite direction as the curve. You may squeeze the croissant ends together if you want to keep the curve form. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing at least 3 inches between them, and cover with a tea towel before covering with plastic. Allow 2 hours for the croissants to rise.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 C). Brush the croissants with the egg wash and bake for 15 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown.
- The ideal time to eat croissants is on the day they are made. You may create the dough ahead of time, fold it, and let it rise before cutting and shaping the croissants. Place the croissants on a baking pan and freeze until firm, then store in an airtight container. Before baking, the croissants should be completely thawed and proofed for approximately 3 hours.
The croissant origin is the story of how this French pastry came to be. It’s a long and complicated story, but it’s worth reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
How croissants are really made?
Croissants are made by rolling out dough, then folding it over on itself repeatedly. The dough is rolled out to a thin layer of about 1/16th of an inch thick. This process is repeated until the dough reaches a thickness of about 3 millimeters.
What is the trick to making a perfect croissant?
The key to making a perfect croissant is using the right ingredients. You should use butter, eggs, sugar, and flour.
What are Cronuts made of?
They are a pastry made from a croissant dough, deep-fried in oil and coated with sugar.
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