How to make croissants

Few things are better than having a freshly made croissant with a coffee for breakfast. And not just for breakfast — for lunch or dinner too, because for me it’s one of those bakes that works at any time of day. I would never say no to a croissant. Only if it’s poorly made... So if you’re like me, you can’t miss how to make traditional croissants at home.

I’m not going to lie and say it’s a very easy process, because it isn’t. But it’s not an impossible bake to pull off, especially if we follow every single step to the letter. When making croissants there’s something very important to respect at all times, and that is temperature. Not only of the dough and the butter, which is very important, but of almost the entire process in general.

The croissant is a delicate product, it requires patience and a lot of care at every step of the process. It’s a bake that cannot be forced at any stage, especially not during proofing. The main component of this recipe is butter and, if we exceed the temperature at any point in the process, we’ll go past its melting point. The result will not be a croissant, but a "brioche-type" roll, because the butter will blend into the dough and won’t create layers as we expect it to.

Origin of the croissant

The origin of the croissant, or cruasán as the Real Academia Española determines it should be written, is a product from the viennoiseries family. In this case, laminated. Contrary to what many believe, its origin is not French, but Austrian.

The word croissant means "crescent" in French, due to its waxing crescent moon shape. Its appearance is directly related to the military conflict that led to its creation.

It was during the year 1683, when the Ottoman Empire advanced through Europe, conquering territories in its struggle against the Holy Roman Empire. After devastating Constantinople, the Balkans and part of Hungary, the Ottoman army set its next target on Vienna.

The city was surrounded by a wall, so the strategy of the 20,000 soldiers was to dig tunnels beneath it to reach the center of the city and surprise their enemies in the middle of the night.

The Viennese bakers, like everyone in the trade, were working past midnight to have bread ready first thing in the morning. They began to hear noises and, worried, raised the alarm. Thanks to this warning, the attack was prevented and the city defended. To celebrate this victory, the bakers created a roll in the shape of a crescent moon, the same one that appeared on the Ottoman flag.

The croissant symbolized the way to ‘eat a Turk’, a sweet revenge carried out thanks to the collaboration of the Viennese bakers.

Claudia&Julia bag for cakes and pastries

Ingredients (for 14–15 croissants)

• 500 g bread flour; in my case I used W=290
• 130 g water, cold
• 100 g milk, cold
• 50 g sugar
• 20 g honey
• 8 g dry yeast or 24 g fresh yeast
• 35 g butter, softened
• 10 g salt

FOR LAMINATION:

• 255 g dry butter, cold and pliable, for laminating

FOR BRUSHING:

• beaten egg + 2 tablespoons milk

FOR THE SYRUP (optional):

• 85 g water
• 85 g sugar

Method

DAY ONE

Prepare the détrempe (dough).

1. In the bowl of the KitchenAid, add all the ingredients except the butter for laminating.
2. Knead at speed 1 for 10 minutes. Increase to speed 2 and knead for 5 minutes more. At this step it’s very important to check the dough temperature from time to time; use a digital thermometer. It’s important that the final temperature does not exceed 24º–25ºC. If we see the temperature rising, chill the dough for a few minutes before continuing to knead.
3. Once we have a smooth, developed dough, remove it from the bowl.
4. Fold the dough to form a rectangle, roll it out slightly with a rolling pin, wrap very well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the next day, about 12 hours.

Prepare the butter for laminating.

1. Place the butter between two Teflon sheets, on top of one of them. Cover with the other sheet and start hitting it with a rolling pin to flatten it.
2. Flatten into a square, 20 cm per side. By folding the Teflon itself to 20 cm on each side, we can roll the butter to cover the entire surface and keep it inside it (as if it were a mold or container).
3. Refrigerate the butter until the next day, about 12 hours.

DAY TWO

Roll out the dough and make the first double fold.

1. Roll out the dough aiming for 40 x 20 cm.
2. Place the butter slab in the center of the dough, so that the width of the butter and the dough are the same.
3. Fold the ends of the dough over the butter, bringing each one to the center. Seal the seam well both in the center and on the sides. The dough must be completely sealed on all sides.
4. Make a cut on the two sides of the dough where we haven’t sealed the seam.
5. Roll out with a rolling pin until you reach 65 x 20 cm.
6. Make a double fold. Bring one end of the dough to cover 1/3 of it. Bring the other end to meet the one you just placed. Once there, fold the dough over itself as if closing a book.
7. Trim the sides, press gently with a rolling pin, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Make a single fold.

1. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and proceed to roll out the dough. Pass the rolling pin in a single stroke, from the center toward the ends, avoiding going over the same spot repeatedly.
2. Roll out until you reach about 65 x 20 cm.
3. Bring one end to the center and repeat the same process with the other end, placing it over the previous one. As if closing a tri-fold brochure.
4. Run the rolling pin gently over the surface to join the folds, trim the sides, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
5. If we don’t want to shape the croissants the same day, we can freeze the dough for 3 hours and then place it in the fridge until the next day.

Shape the croissants.

1. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and proceed to roll out the dough.
2. Roll out to approximately 75 x 25 cm, the dough should be about 3.5 mm.
3. thick. Cut triangles with a 9 cm base. At the midpoint of each base, make a cut of approximately 1 cm. This will help us shape the croissant more easily because it will allow us to roll the base without pressing the butter layers.
4. Stretch the dough gently, fold the corners of the cut we made in the center of the base inward, and roll up to form a croissant. Do not roll the croissant under tension.
5. Place the croissants on a perforated baking sheet lined with parchment paper or using a silicone mat.

Carry out the proofing process.

1. Brush only the surface of the croissants, not the laminated part, with beaten egg mixed with milk.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 2 1/2 hours at 27ºC.
3. If we can’t control the temperature and have to do it at room temperature, leave about 4 1/2 to 5 hours at 21ºC, approximately. We will need to keep an eye on them during proofing because this can vary.

De Buyer perforated baking sheet and T&G pastry brush

Prepare the syrup.

1. Add all the ingredients to a saucepan. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil. The sugar should be completely dissolved.
2. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
3. Set aside.

Bake.

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC with fan.
2. Brush again with beaten egg and milk, very carefully; remember we should only brush the top, not the laminated part.
3. Place in the oven and bake for 16–17 minutes.
4. Remove and let cool completely on a rack.
5. If we want to brush with syrup, do it as soon as they come out of the oven and are placed on a rack. The syrup should be at 30ºC when we apply it to the croissants, if we choose to do so.

Notes

• To make croissants we must use a strong flour around W=270–320.
• Not all butters give good results when making croissants. We need a dry butter with 84% fat. If we can’t access it, we should use a butter with a higher melting point than many supermarket butters (this is due to the amount of water they contain). I have tried KerryGold and Pascual; they give good results. I’m sure there are more brands that work well (from the supermarket), but we must keep in mind that a dry butter is what will guarantee good results.
• To succeed with your croissants, always work with cold ingredients and respect resting times.
• We must always handle the dough cold and try not to take too long during rolling processes.
• Ideally, use a metal rolling pin to roll out the dough.
• When we are going to laminate, the butter must be cold but malleable. That is, we should be able to bend it without it breaking. Its temperature should be around 12º–16ºC. If it’s too cold, it will crack inside the dough and we won’t get good results.
• The mixer’s friction raises the dough temperature. If we chill the bowl, it will help us maintain a more suitable temperature for longer.
• We should not press or handle the dough too much once it’s laminated.
• Leave space between the croissants when they are going to proof, as they grow a lot during the rise and after baking.
• Preheat the oven well to help ensure baking is carried out correctly.
• Baking time can vary from one oven to another, it’s important to know yours well and work accordingly.
• Croissants are best eaten the day they’re baked. We can store them in an airtight container or zip-top bag.

It’s true that the process to make croissants at home is somewhat laborious, especially due to the lamination. But of course, it’s not impossible to carry out if we arm ourselves with patience and a bit of muscle in our arms (we’ll need it!).

Can’t wait to see yours!