Homemade Croissants Recipe delivers buttery, flaky layers with a crisp shell and a tender, slightly sweet crumb. If you want a weekend bake that rewards patience, this suits you, and total time runs about 18 to 24 hours including rests and proof. I baked my first batch in a tiny apartment oven and grinned at every flaky mess on the counter.
Why Homemade Croissants Recipe Is Worth It
Homemade Croissants Recipe turns simple ingredients into a bakery-level pastry that tastes rich, fragrant, and airy. You control the quality of butter, the freshness of yeast, and the level of browning, which means better flavor and texture than most grocery options.
You also learn lamination, a skill that boosts every pastry you make later. The process looks long, but most of it is hands-off chilling while the dough and butter relax.
Ingredients You Need
- All-purpose flour 500 g, about 4 cups spooned and leveled, or use bread flour for a chewier bite
- Whole milk 140 g, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon, cool to room temp
- Water 140 g, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon, cool to room temp
- Granulated sugar 50 g, 1/4 cup, you can sub fine cane sugar
- Instant yeast 9 g, 2 1/4 teaspoons, or use active dry yeast and proof it in the milk and water with a pinch of sugar
- Fine sea salt 10 g, 1 3/4 teaspoons
- Unsalted butter 30 g, 2 tablespoons, softened, for the dough
- Unsalted European-style butter 280 g, 2 1/2 sticks, 82 percent butterfat, for lamination, brands like Kerrygold, Plugrá, or Président work well
- Egg 1 large, for egg wash
- A splash of milk or water for thinning the egg wash
Pantry shortcuts and swaps:
- Use instant yeast to skip proofing and save a step.
- If you only have salted butter, reduce salt in the dough to 1 teaspoon.
- Plant-based option: use high-fat plant butter sticks and unsweetened soy milk, chill them well for best layers.
Equipment:
- Digital scale, measuring cups and spoons
- Stand mixer with dough hook, or mix by hand with a sturdy spatula
- Rolling pin, bench scraper, sharp knife or pizza wheel
- Parchment paper, plastic wrap, and a ruler
- Two rimmed baking sheets, silicone baking mats or more parchment
- Pastry brush, oven thermometer, cooling rack
Quick Tips & substitutions
- Keep everything cold, including your work surface and rolling pin. Chill the dough and butter between turns.
- Match the firmness of the dough and butter. If the butter feels too hard, rest it 2 minutes. If it feels soft, chill it.
- Roll with even pressure from the center out, then square the edges with a bench scraper for tidy layers.
- Dust off excess flour with a soft brush so seams seal cleanly.
- If butter peeks through, patch with a pea-size bit of soft butter and dust of flour, then chill 10 minutes.
- Use bread flour if you want a bit more structure, all-purpose if you want a softer crumb.
- No instant yeast? Use active dry and bloom it in the liquid for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
- Convection oven runs hotter. Drop the temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and start checking early.
How to Make Homemade Croissants Recipe
Step 1: Mix the dough, 8 to 10 minutes
Add milk, water, sugar, yeast, flour, and salt to the mixer bowl. Mix on low until shaggy, then add the 30 g softened butter and mix on medium until smooth and slightly elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough should feel cool and supple, not sticky.
Step 2: Rest and chill the dough, 40 to 60 minutes
Form the dough into a square about 6 inches wide. Wrap and chill 30 to 45 minutes until firm but pliable. This rest relaxes gluten and keeps the dough cool for lamination.
Step 3: Make the butter block, 10 minutes
Place the 280 g butter between two sheets of parchment. Tap and roll it into a 7 inch square, about 1/2 inch thick, with sharp edges. Chill until the butter feels bendy, the same firmness as the dough.
Step 4: Enclose the butter, 5 minutes
Lightly flour the surface and roll the dough to a 10 inch square. Place the butter square on a diagonal so the corners point to the sides of the dough, then fold the dough corners over to meet in the center and pinch to seal. Tap gently with the pin to level.
Step 5: Laminate, three single turns, about 1 hour 30 minutes total
Roll the butter package to 8 by 24 inches. Fold it in thirds like a letter, cover, and chill 30 minutes. Repeat this roll-and-fold two more times with a 20 to 30 minute chill between each turn.
Step 6: Final roll and shape, 30 minutes
Roll the dough to about 9 by 36 inches, keeping the corners square and thickness even. Trim a thin strip from all sides to reveal clean layers. Cut long triangles with a 4.5 inch base and about 9 to 10 inches tall, notch each base, gently stretch the tip, then roll from base to tip and slightly bend the ends to form a crescent.
Step 7: Proof, 1.5 to 2.5 hours
Place shaped croissants on lined baking sheets, tip side down, with space between them. Cover loosely with plastic or a large bag. Proof at 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit until they look puffy, jiggle when you shake the pan, and the layers show clear separation, about 2 hours.
Step 8: Egg wash and bake, 20 to 24 minutes
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk the egg with a splash of milk, then brush each croissant lightly, taking care not to pool the wash. Bake 10 minutes, rotate pans, then bake 8 to 12 minutes more until deep golden brown.
Step 9: Cool, 20 minutes
Transfer croissants to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes so the crumb sets. The shells will sing and crackle, which sounds like pastry applause. Try not to cut too soon or steam will soften the crust.
Variations
- Chocolate: Roll rectangles around two batons of good dark chocolate for pain au chocolat, then proof and bake as directed.
- Almond: Fill with a thin stripe of almond frangipane before rolling, then brush baked croissants with syrup and top with sliced almonds and a second bake to set.
- Savory: Add a thin slice of ham and a bit of grated Gruyère inside each triangle, then roll and bake.
- Seeded tops: Brush with egg wash and sprinkle sesame, poppy, or everything seasoning before baking.
- Mini croissants: Cut smaller triangles and reduce bake time by a few minutes.
Ways to Serve
- Split and serve warm with salted butter and jam or honey.
- Pair with soft scrambled eggs and fresh fruit for a bakery-style breakfast.
- Use as a base for a luxe breakfast sandwich with bacon, egg, and cheese.
- Make croissant French toast or a buttery bread pudding with day-old pieces.
- Serve alongside tomato soup or a simple salad for a cozy lunch.
Storage
Let croissants cool fully before storing. Keep at room temperature in a vented container for 1 to 2 days to preserve the crisp crust. Freeze cooled croissants in a zip-top bag up to 2 months, then reheat from frozen at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 12 minutes until warm and crisp. You can also freeze shaped, unbaked croissants after proofing to about 70 percent, then thaw in the fridge overnight, finish proofing at room temp, and bake.
Homemade Croissants Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
- Add the warm milk and melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5–7 minutes until smooth. Shape into a rectangle, cover, and chill for 1 hour.
- Place the cold butter between two sheets of parchment paper and pound or roll it into a flat rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Chill until firm but pliable.
- Roll the chilled dough into a larger rectangle and place the butter slab in the center. Fold the dough over the butter to encase it completely.
- Roll out the dough into a long rectangle, then fold it into thirds like a letter. Wrap and chill for 30–45 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding process 2 more times, chilling between each turn.
- After the final chill, roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into long triangles for croissants.
- Starting at the wide end of each triangle, roll up tightly toward the tip, slightly bending the ends to form a crescent shape. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cover the shaped croissants lightly and let rise at room temperature until puffy and nearly doubled, 1–2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Whisk the egg with the water and gently brush the croissants with the egg wash.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until deeply golden brown and crisp. Cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
Approximate per 1 croissant (1 of 12): 260–290 calories; fat 16–18 g; saturated fat 10–12 g; carbohydrates 25–28 g; fiber 1–2 g; sugars 4–6 g; protein 5–7 g; sodium 200–260 mg. Values are estimates and will vary based on exact ingredients, butter brand, and portion size.