Beginner Friendly Croissants
Today, we’re making homemade croissants, but with the hope of making them a bit easier, so you feel more confident if it’s your first time baking them!
Equipment
- Food Scale! for best results, please measure ingredients with a food scale
Ingredients
- 250 grams All-Purpose flour 2 cups
- 250 grams Bread Flour 2 cups
- 11 grams Instant yeast 1 tbsp
- 140 grams Whole milk 0.59 cups
- 140 grams Cold water 0.59 cups
- 50 grams Sugar 1/4 cup
- 10 grams Fine sea salt 1 1/2 tsp
- 55 grams High quality unsalted butter, cold and chopped into cubes 1/4 cup
Butter Block
- 226 grams High quality butter 2 sticks, or 16 tbsp
Instructions
Prepare dough:
- Prepare the dough by adding all the dough ingredients (except the 55g of butter) to a stand mixer. Knead until the dough comes together. Then cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add the 55g of butter and continue kneading for 10-15 minutes until the dough is soft and supple. Score the top of the dough to help it rise evenly when it doubles in size in the fridge.
- Cover the mixer bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 1 1/2 hours at room temperature. Then, refrigerate it for 3 hours.
Prepare Butterblock:
- While the dough is resting, prepare the butter block. Chop the cold butter and roll it out into a rough 8x8 inch slab between parchment paper. Set it in the fridge until ready to use.
Begin layering your dough and butter-block:
- After your dough has rested in the fridge for 3 hours, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to double the size of your butter block. Add your butter-block to the center of your rolled out dough; Fold the ends of the dough into the center so that they meet without overlapping. (make sure your butter isn't too cold where it will snap, if too cold let sit at room temp for 8 min) Lightly beat and roll out the dough lengthwise to about 18-22 inches, working quickly to keep the butter and dough cold. Trim the uneven edges from the top and bottom of the rolled-out dough.
- Take both ends of the dough and fold them towards the center so they meet in the middle. Then, fold the dough vertically along the seam to create a "book" shape, ensuring you have 4 layers. Lightly roll it out, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, lightly beat and roll out the dough again. Since both the butter and dough are cold, you may need a bit more effort to roll it out evenly. Now for your last fold, we are going to create a letter fold. To perform a letter fold, start with a rectangle-shaped piece of dough. Take one end of the dough and fold it towards the center, then fold the opposite end over the first fold, similar to folding a letter to fit into an envelope. This creates multiple layers of dough. Shape it into a rough square and refrigerate overnight wrapped in plastic wrap.
- The next morning, roll out the dough to a 13x16-inch slab. If the dough feels too warm at any point, refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes before continuing to roll it out. we don't want to be working with warm dough.
Shape your croissants:
- Once rolled out, cut the dough into 4-inch rectangles, then diagonally down the middle to create triangles. Stretch out the tail and top of each triangle slightly before rolling up the croissants. Make a small slit at the top of each triangle before rolling to aid in shaping.
Proof and bake:
- Arrange the rolled croissants, tail down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Loosely cover them with plastic wrap to allow room for rising. Let them proof inside your oven (turned off) for 2 1/2 hours.
- After 2 1/2 hours, brush the croissants with egg wash, avoiding the exposed butter layers to prevent them from sticking shut. Bake at 375°F for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Allow them to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into them.