Master the true art of French pastry-making with these golden, flaky croissants featuring delicate, crispy layers. This traditional recipe allows you to enjoy incomparable homemade croissants, far superior to store-bought versions, with that unmistakable buttery richness that only quality butter can deliver.
⏱️505 min
📊Hard
👥12 servings
🍽️Dessert
festivefamily
Ingredients
500 gtype 55 wheat flour
270 glaminating butter
300 mlwarm water
10 gfine salt
10 ggranulated sugar
8 gfresh baker's yeast
1 pièceegg yolk
Instructions
1PREPARE THE DOUGH: In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and granulated sugar. Crumble the fresh yeast into the warm water and pour this mixture into the flour. Mix with your hands or a fork until you obtain a homogeneous, non-sticky dough. This dough should be firmer than classic bread dough. Knead lightly for 2-3 minutes until all ingredients are well incorporated.
2FIRST FERMENTATION: Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest at room temperature (20-22°C) for approximately 1 hour. The dough should not double in volume, unlike bread dough. It should slightly puff up and develop a more supple texture. This step is crucial for developing gluten structure and facilitating butter incorporation.
3LAMINATION - BUTTER PREPARATION: Remove the laminating butter from the refrigerator and work it briefly at room temperature until it is malleable but still firm. Spread it between two sheets of parchment paper into a rectangle approximately 20 x 25 cm with a uniform thickness of 8-10 mm. The butter must have the same plasticity as the dough for proper layering. Return to the refrigerator for a few minutes if the butter becomes too soft.
4FIRST FOLD: Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle approximately 30 x 25 cm. Place the prepared butter in the center, then fold the dough edges over the butter to enclose it completely. Gently roll out to a rectangle of approximately 20 x 60 cm. Fold this dough in thirds (like a letter): fold the lower third onto the middle third, then fold the upper third over it. You have completed your first fold. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5SECOND AND THIRD FOLDS: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and perform a second fold identical to the first: roll out, fold in thirds. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat the operation a third time. After this final fold, refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 2 hours, or preferably overnight. These successive folds create the delicate layers characteristic of croissants. Always count the folds precisely to ensure proper development of the lamination.
6SHAPING THE CROISSANTS: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to a rectangle 3-4 mm thick. Using a ruler and a sharp knife, cut out isosceles triangles approximately 12 cm at the base and 18 cm in height. Roll each triangle starting from the base toward the point, spacing the ends slightly apart to create the characteristic croissant shape. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7SECOND FERMENTATION: Cover the croissants with plastic wrap and let them rest at room temperature (20-22°C) for 4 to 5 hours. They should increase significantly in volume and become light. A simple test: press gently on a croissant—it should slowly spring back into shape. They should not over-puff or they risk deflating during baking. You can also do this fermentation overnight in the refrigerator at 4°C, which makes handling easier.
8EGG WASH AND BAKING: Preheat your oven to 200°C with a baking sheet containing a little water on the lower rack to create steam. Gently brush each croissant with a mixture of egg yolk diluted in one tablespoon of warm water. Bake for 18-25 minutes until golden brown and glossy. Check regularly starting at 15 minutes to avoid over-baking. The croissants should sound slightly hollow when tapped on the bottom, indicating they are cooked through.
9RESTING AND SERVING: Remove the croissants from the oven and let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. They will continue to cook slightly during this resting time. Serve them warm to fully enjoy the contrast between the crispy layers and the tender center. Croissants are best consumed the same day, but can be briefly reheated in the oven the next morning.