“Un croissant, s’il vous plaît!” (“One croissant, please!”) is a sentence that will be very important on your next trip to France. But in the meantime, you can make the delicious buttery pastry yourself — no professional baking skills required. Below you will find recipes for not only the classic breakfast staple, but also for a sweet and a savory version, both of which make for a perfect afternoon snack.
Homemade Croissants
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment paper
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
- 8 oz Butter
- Yeast Dough
- Flour for the work surface
- 1 Egg Yolk for the egg wash
- Milk for the egg wash
Instructions
- Place the block of butter in the middle of a large piece of parchment paper. Loosely wrap the edges of the paper over the butter, first from the top and bottom, and then from the sides, making sure to leave plenty of space in the "package."
- Turn the block over and beat the butter with a rolling pin several times before rolling it out into a rectangle inside the paper.
- Knead the prepared yeast dough once again and sprinkle your work area with plenty of flour. Place the dough on the work surface, sprinkle flour over the top, and then roll it out into an oval shape with a rolling pin. Unpack the butter and place it at the top of the dough oval. Fold the bottom end over it, squeeze the dough edges together, and rotate it 90°.
- Sprinkle flour on the dough once again and roll it into a long oval. Fold the top and bottom ends toward the middle so that they slightly overlap, and then fold the bottom portion towards the middle once again. Repeat these steps 4 times until you have a long rectangle and then refrigerate the set dough for 20 minutes.
- Cut the rectangle diagonally into two halves and set the second dough half aside. Reflour your work surface and the first dough half and then roll the dough out into a rectangle. Cut the dough rectangle into single triangles. Make a 1 inch incision down the middle of the short side on each triangle, and then roll up the triangles from the short side to the top.
- Brush each croissant with an egg wash (beaten egg yolk and milk) before baking.
- Bake the croissants on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan at 375°F for 25 minutes.
VIDEO
You’ve probably always thought that making your own homemade croissants would be far too difficult, but that could not be further from the truth — although it takes a little patience, even enthusiastic beginners can give it a go! No matter which option you choose, you can expect to receive nonstop praise and compliments for these heavenly baked goods the next time you’re at the breakfast table.