Description
Making croissants at home takes some dedication and practice, but once you get the hang of it – it’s incredibly rewarding.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Preferment:
- 200 ml water (Note: Ensure water is at room temperature, ideally not exceeding 22°C)
- 40 g fresh yeast (or 16g active dry yeast)
- 150 g all-purpose flour (sifted)
Detrempe:
- The preferment from above
- 80 g white sugar
- 25 g salt
- 350 ml milk (room temperature)
- 70 ml water (room temperature)
- 600 g bread flour (sifted)
- 350 g all-purpose flour (sifted)
Beurrage:
- 600 g butter (softened but slightly cold to touch)
Egg Wash:
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Making the Preferment:
- In a bowl, mix water, yeast, and flour until well combined.
- Cover with plastic wrap.
- Let it rise at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Preparing the Detrempe:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, dissolve sugar and salt in the milk and water.
- Add the prepared preferment, bread flour, and all-purpose flour. Mix until combined.
- Using the mixer, knead on low for 2 minutes and then on medium for 3 minutes. (If kneading by hand, do so for a maximum of 8 minutes.)
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
- Prepping for Beurrage:
- Transfer dough to a floured surface and shape into a 40 cm square.
- Sprinkle lightly with flour and roll into a 1 cm thick rectangle.
- Spread the softened butter over two-thirds of the dough, leaving one third unbuttered.
- Fold the unbuttered third over the middle section, and then fold the remaining buttered third on top (a simple fold).
- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1½ hours.
- Folding Process:
- After refrigeration, position the dough 90 degrees from its previous orientation. Roll gently into a 1 cm thick rectangle.
- Repeat the simple fold and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Repeat the above two steps twice more.
- Resting the Dough:
- After the final fold, wrap the dough and refrigerate overnight.
- Shaping Croissants:
- The next day, roll the dough on a floured surface into a 40×110 cm rectangle. If the dough resists, fold and refrigerate for 20 minutes before continuing.
- Cut the rectangle into 20 cm wide strips. Then, cut triangles from each strip.
- For each triangle, make a small cut at its base. Roll the two flaps outwards from the center, gently pulling the triangle tip to elongate it as you roll.
- Place formed croissants on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, ensuring enough space for rising.
- Final Rise & Baking:
- Mix eggs and milk for the egg wash. Brush a thin layer onto the croissants.
- Let them rise at room temperature (22-26°C) for about 2 hours.
- After proofing, gently brush croissants again with egg wash.
- Preheat oven to 190°C (with fan on). Bake croissants for 6 minutes.
- Reduce temperature to 170°C and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown. Adjust based on your oven.
- Serve & Store:
- Enjoy your croissants fresh. If needed, freeze and reheat for a delightful, buttery treat!
Notes
- Ensure the water for the preferment and the milk and water for the detrempe are at room temperature, ideally no higher than 22°C.
- For beurrage, butter should be pliable yet slightly cold. Refrain from microwaving.
- Always sift flours before use to ensure a smooth texture.
- Prep Time: 90 min
- Rise Time: 16 hours
- Cook Time: 16 min
- Category: Pastries
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 croissant
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 230mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 40mg