Description
Crisp, golden homemade flaky croissants elevate breakfast with French bakery magic, bringing delicate layers of buttery perfection to your morning table. Delightful pastries invite you to savor each delectable, expertly crafted bite of pure culinary pleasure.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) warm milk
- 1 cup (225 grams) unsalted butter, cold
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Dry Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Create a foundational dough mixture by combining dry ingredients in a spacious mixing vessel, ensuring even distribution of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
- Incorporate warm milk and softened butter into the dry mixture, transforming the ingredients into a cohesive dough through gentle but thorough mixing.
- Develop the dough’s texture through vigorous kneading, working the mass until it achieves a smooth, elastic consistency with a silky surface.
- Allow the dough to undergo initial fermentation, covering it and permitting expansion in a warm environment until its volume noticeably doubles.
- Prepare a butter block by carefully positioning chilled butter between parchment sheets, methodically rolling it into a precise geometric square.
- Refrigerate the butter block until it reaches a firm, manageable consistency that will integrate seamlessly with the dough.
- Execute the lamination technique by strategically positioning the butter block within a rolled-out dough rectangle, meticulously folding the edges to encase the butter completely.
- Perform a series of deliberate rolling and folding motions, creating intricate layers that will ultimately produce the signature flaky texture.
- Implement periodic chilling intervals between each lamination round to maintain the structural integrity of the butter and dough layers.
- Transform the refined dough into elegant triangular shapes, carefully rolling each piece from its broad base toward the delicate pointed tip.
- Shape the triangles into classic crescent forms, ensuring a tight, uniform configuration that will support optimal rising and baking.
- Provide a gentle proofing environment, allowing the shaped croissants to expand and develop a light, airy internal structure.
- Brush the risen croissants with a lustrous egg wash to enhance their golden appearance and create a beautiful sheen.
- Bake in a preheated oven, monitoring the transformation from pale dough to a richly bronzed, multi-layered pastry with crisp, delicate edges.
- Rest the freshly baked croissants momentarily, permitting them to stabilize and develop their full textural complexity before serving.
Notes
- Select high-quality, cold butter with high fat content for maximum flakiness and rich flavor.
- Keep ingredients and workspace cool during lamination to prevent butter from melting and losing layered structure.
- Use instant or active dry yeast that’s fresh and properly activated for optimal dough rise and texture.
- Handle dough gently and avoid overworking to maintain delicate layers and prevent tough croissants.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 16
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg