Golden Homemade Croissants: Layers of buttery goodness

Making the best pastries in the world is a true art form and France has perfected this art more than anybody else. Being the master of pastry isn’t easy but it’s not as hard as you think to do the basics right. One pastry rules them all and is the perfect example of how simple ingredients and processes combine to create something special. The Croissant is the ultimate pastry with its flaky, buttery goodness, there is no better way to indulge in the finer things in life. Your Golden Homemade Croissants will come out great with this recipe and you’ll surprise yourself and everybody else.

Making the best Golden Homemade Croissants is all about layers and patience. Making the dough is easy and it can rest for an hour or ideally overnight in the fridge. To flatten the butter, use a rolling pin to beat it flat instead of rolling. When making the layers (also known as laminating) make sure that the dough and butter line up correctly. Do yourself a favour and refrigerate the dough after 2 or 3 folds when the butter gets too soft. When you’re done, you’ll have the tastiest, flakiest and butteriest croissants ever.

There’s only one way to eat as much butter as possible and these Golden Homemade Croissants are the way. It’s the ultimate French pastry made right in your kitchen.

Golden Homemade Croissants Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Kriya Gangiah Course: SnacksCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Moderate

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooling Time

120

minutes

Baking Time

20

minutes

Total time

3

hours 

Ingredients

• 4 cups 4 all-purpose flour

• ⅓ cup ⅓ granulated sugar

• 4 tsp 4 active dry yeast

• 2¼ tsp 2¼ kosher salt

• 1¼ cups 1¼ unsalted butter, cold

• 1 cup 1 milk (you may need slightly more or less)

• 1 large 1 egg beaten with 1-2 teaspoons of water (egg wash)

Method

• Place the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together until combined.
• Slice the butter into half a centimetre thick slices and toss in the flour mixture to coat.
• Add the milk and stir together until a stiff dough forms.
• Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a long rectangle shape. Fold it into thirds (like a letter), turn 90 degrees, and repeat 4 to 6 times, or until the dough has large streaks of butter in it but it is smooth and flat. (If at any point the butter starts to feel soft, chill it in the refrigerator or freezer until stiff.)
• Lightly brush off any excess flour before folding each time.
• Wrap tightly and chill for 1 more hour, then divide the dough in half and roll each portion out to a thickness of about 0.3cm, in a long rectangle shape (approximately 25cm wide by 55cm long).
• Cut the dough into long, skinny triangles (about 12cm at the wide end). Notch the wide end of each triangle with about a 1cm cut, then roll from the wide end to the pointed end, tucking the point under the croissant.
• Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to proof until doubled in size (1 to 2 hours).
• Preheat the oven to 190°C, and gently brush the croissants with egg wash.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffed, golden brown, and flaky.

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