These Croissant Buns make for an excellent baking project for a cozy winter weekend. Start by making a homemade laminated dough on Friday evening and they’ll be ready to devour over the weekend.
I’ve had an obsession with buttery, flaky pastries for as long as I can remember. I like to complain that we don’t have a decent bakery here on the island, but really, it’s a blessing in disguise. I would never be able to demonstrate enough self control to live in a place that has homemade pastries available anytime I want.
However, sometimes I really do wish there was a good bakery nearby in order to instantly satisfy my cravings for all things buttery and flaky. Because making them yourself? It’s far from instant. This recipe falls under the “labor of love” category. If you, like me, love buttery, flaky pastries and long, challenging baking projects, then this post is for you. Read on. 
Morning buns aren’t super common here on the east coast. They’re much more of a midwestern / west coast thing. They fall into the same category as cinnamon rolls, but morning buns tend to be a little lighter, not as sweet, and usually made with a puff pastry or croissant-like dough. I made this recipe first since it had “best” in the title, but it used more of a brioche dough, and while they certainly weren’t bad, they just weren’t what I was after. That’s why I’ve specified croissant morning buns in the title, because that’s what these are: a glorious mashup between a croissant and a sticky bun.
Croissant dough is what’s known as a laminated dough, like puff pastry or danish. Lamination refers to the process of rolling and folding thin sheets of butter in dough to create puffed layers and crispy flakes once baked. This is perhaps one of the more intimidating baking procedures, and while I’m certainly no stranger to the struggle, it’s a fun and rewarding technique to learn. Don’t get frustrated if yours don’t turn out perfect the first time – it’s normal. Baking, like anything else, is a practice. But unlike most other things, even when the results are less-than-perfect, they’re usually still pretty delicious – and that always counts as a win in my book.
This recipe is a slight adaptation from the famous Tartine morning buns. Tartine is the be-all-end-all of the bread and pastry world. My friend Brieann used to work at their flagship bakery San Francisco and a few years ago she gifted me one of their cookbooks. The Tartine books are all beautiful and intensely detailed for anyone seriously interested in baking, whether as a career or hobby. While I am technically a professional and I did take a baking class in culinary school, I still consider myself to be more of a hobbyist when it comes to baking. I love working with my hands and experimenting with different techniques, but I find it too finicky and frustrating to ever do on a larger scale.
This recipe isn’t quite as labor intensive as it may seem, but it does take a good bit of time, most of it inactive. Your best bet is to start on a Friday evening, work on it all day Saturday, and then have it ready to bake off Sunday morning. As long as you don’t have to leave the house for longer than an hour on Saturday, the process can actually be pretty leisurely, and definitely a lot of fun.
The first step of the recipe is to make a preferment, which adds structure and flavor to the dough. From there, the dough is made and then the lamination happens. This step is the trickiest, but don’t let it scare you. The key, as I’ve learned, is to have the butter at the right consistency. You want it somewhere between firm and soft, cool, but not cold, and definitely not warm. It needs to be malleable enough to spread into an even layer, but not so soft that it’s like icing a cake. The best way to achieve this is by beating cold butter in a stand mixer for a few minutes. Focus on getting this right and you shouldn’t have any problems.
The butter gets spread out onto the dough and then folded again and again. This is what creates all those gorgeous flaky layers. After each fold or “turn”, the dough will need to chill a bit before doing it again. The folding itself is really pretty quick and easy, but it’s the overall process that can seem daunting.
The laminated dough then gets rolled up with a filling of (more) butter, cinnamon, sugar, and orange zest, then gets plopped into a buttered and sugared muffin tin. Once baked, the dough puffs up to become light and crisp, while the butter and sugar caramelize together to create the most incredible flavor and texture. The shattering crunch of the outer layers, the tender inner crumb, the sticky sweet caramel on the bottom, and the little bits of butter that gush out when you bite down. Come. Onnnnnn.
These morning buns are everything you could ever want on a lazy Sunday, and I promise they are most definitely worth the effort.
Click here for the filling recipe.
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Homemade Laminated Dough: Croissant Buns
- Total Time: 120 minutes
- Yield: Makes 12 1x
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
Flaky, buttery croissant buns, perfect for brunch or a special occasion. Homemade laminated dough elevates this classic treat.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp milk
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry or instant yeast
- 2/3 cups (148 ml) all purpose flour
- 2 tsp active dry or instant yeast
- 1 1/4 cups (296 ml) milk
- 3 cups (710 ml) all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
- 22 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cool but pliable
Instructions
- MAKE THE PREFERMENT
- Heat milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warm (80-90°F (27-32°C)).
- Transfer to a medium bowl, then stir in yeast. Let sit for a minute, then mix in flour until smooth.
- Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 2-3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
- MAKE THE DOUGH
- Place the preferment in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Add yeast and mix on medium speed for about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides and hook as needed.
- Add half the milk, then continue mixing on medium speed until fully incorporated.
- Add the remaining milk along with the flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter, then mix on low speed until it forms a shaggy dough, about 3 minutes.
- Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Turn the mixer back on low speed and mix until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 3-4 minutes.
- Cover and let rise until the volume increases by half, about 1-2 hours.
- Dust a large work surface with flour, then place dough on top.
- Press into a rectangle about two inches thick.
- Wrap in plastic, then refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
- LAMINATE THE DOUGH
- About an hour before laminating, place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with a paddle attachment until smooth and slightly softened.
- Transfer to a piece of plastic and form into a rectangle.
- Refrigerate if the house is warm, otherwise leave it at room temperature until ready.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and transfer to a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll dough into a 20”x10” rectangle with the long side facing you.
- Spread the butter over the left two thirds of the dough, leaving the right third bare.
- Fold the bare third over the buttered center, then fold the remaining buttered side over that.
- Gently pinch the seams together to encase the butter.
- Turn the dough 1/4 of the way, then roll into another 20”x10” rectangle.
- Fold the rectangle into thirds, then wrap loosely in plastic wrap, transfer to a sheet pan and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Return the dough to the work surface, dusting with more flour if needed.
- Roll out into another 20”x10” rectangle and fold into thirds one more time.
- Rewrap in plastic wrap, then transfer to the refrigerator for an additional 1-2 hours or overnight.
- ASSEMBLE THE MORNING BUNS
- Mix together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
- Brush the insides of a 12-cup muffin tin lightly with butter, then sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and roll out to a 16” x 12” rectangle.
- Brush the rectangle with melted butter, then sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the top.
- Roll dough into a tight log, then pinch the seams together to seal.
- Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Remove log from the refrigerator, then use a sharp knife to cut into 12 even pieces.
- Place each piece into a muffin cup, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and let proof somewhere warm until puffed up, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Place the muffin tin on a foil-lined sheet pan, then transfer to the oven.
- Bake until deep golden brown, about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Generously dust the tops with granulated sugar as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Let the buns sit in the pan for about 2-3 minutes, then gently remove them and let cool upside down on a wire rack.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- For optimal flakiness, ensure your butter is cold but pliable when laminating the dough. Room temperature butter will result in a less layered texture.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make this dough by hand, but it will require significantly more effort and time.
- These croissant buns freeze beautifully! Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bun
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 25
- Sodium: 200
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 50
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of flour should I use for the laminated dough?
Use all-purpose flour for the laminated dough to achieve the right balance of structure and flakiness.
How do I know when the dough has been properly laminated?
The dough is properly laminated when you can see distinct layers of butter and dough after rolling it out, and it should be elastic yet easy to roll.
Can I substitute the butter in the croissant dough?
For the best results, it’s recommended to use high-quality unsalted butter for the layers, as substitutions can affect the texture and flavor.
