These homemade flaky croissants are the most popular recipe on the blog! This is an easy to follow recipe for how to make super soft croissants and includes tips for successful breakfast pastries with tons of buttery, light, and flaky layers. Serve with your favorite jam or just a cup of coffee for a tasty breakfast treat!
Reader Evelin commented: “It is so delicious and tasty. It is better the ones from bakery. It is the best recipe!!!”
Everything In This Post: What you need to know About Making Croissants
Reader Alexa commented: “Although these croissants take much patience and time to complete, they are the flakiest, most flavorful croissants I’ve ever had. This is the world’s best recipe by far.”
What Makes Croissants So Flaky
Magic. Kidding … Seriously, there is an art to making homemade flaky croissants.
The answer is: it is all about the butter, and rolling and folding the dough.
- The butter – You are going to put a big slab of butter on top of the dough and it is going to seem like way too much – but it is a necessity for a flaky dough. Butter has water in it, that turns to steam, resulting in flaky layers.
- Rolling and folding the dough – The folding technique of the croissant dough is important. We roll and fold the dough 3 times, and with each fold, we create more and more layers. Here are some good photos of the tri-fold.
Is It Hard To Make Croissants At Home
Absent the large dough sheeter’s that are in professional kitchen’s and bakeries, making flaky butter croissants at home is possible and can be easy.
In my opinion as a self-taught home baker, patience is key when making croissants. Or really any flaky pastry dough for that matter. I would not recommend trying to rush this recipe.
So, if you are looking for a quick breakfast bread treat, you may want to try a different recipe. Perhaps some delicious homemade buttermilk biscuits, or the wonderfully savory Irish cheddar soda bread.
Important Steps To Make Croissants From Scratch
There are not a lot of fancy or hard to come by ingredients in this homemade flaky croissants recipe. In fact, you probably already have everything you need in the pantry and refrigerator.
What makes butter croissants so wonderful – and also intimidating – is the time and patience it takes to develop the croissant dough.
Prepare
- Plan Ahead – I recommend making the dough the day before you want to serve croissants, because the dough is best when it has time to refrigerate overnight.
- Make Space In The Refrigerator – You will need to refrigerate the dough as you work. The baking sheet you use to chill the dough will take up some room.
- Use Good Butter – I recommend good quality butter because it has a higher fat content. Thus resulting in light and flaky croissants.
Make and laminate the Dough
- Prepare the Dough – The dough comes together easily in a stand mixer, you don’t have to knead it forever by hand, and it just needs time to proof and rise.
- Make the Butter Square – The magic in this croissant recipe! The butter square is easily prepared by just mixing butter and flour. It is chilled, then placed on top of the dough after it has proofed and is rolled out.
- Wrap the Dough Around The Butter Square – The dough encases the butter. And once you start rolling and folding the dough, the butter is distributed into every layer.
- Roll, Fold, Chill, Repeat – Otherwise known as laminating dough. Laminating dough refers to the folding process of the dough. This gives the dough many, many layers, and is critical for making croissants with tons of flaky layers. The rolling and folding part is often referred to as ‘turns’. We make 3 turns of the croissant dough. Then we chill the dough after each turn. We don’t want the butter to melt!
Refrigerate the Dough
- Refrigerate the Dough Overnight – After your final turn, I recommend refrigerating the dough overnight. This allows the dough to rest, the butter to chill, and flavors to develop.
rolling the croissants and the Final Proof
- Roll Out the Chilled Dough – Roll the chilled dough into a large rectangle, then cut into triangles to make the croissants.
- Final Proof the Croissants – Once you have your shaped croissants, they need more time to rest and proof.
Bake and Enjoy the Croissants
- Bake the Croissants – I have included instructions in the recipe if using a standard oven or convection oven. This may be the only recipe on the blog (so far) where I give this information. And that is because this is the only recipe where I have tested both!
- Enjoy! – As with any homemade baked treat, like bagels, flaky croissants are best enjoyed the day they are baked!
Everything You Need (Only A Few Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter – For this recipe, I strongly encourage a good, quality butter for flavor, texture, and butterfat. I like to use a European unsalted butter. Though any unsalted butter you have will work.
- Yeast – Instant yeast or Active Dry yeast work. If using Active yeast, you will need to ‘bloom’ it in the water for about 5 – 10 minutes – until it gets foamy.
- All-Purpose Flour – I recommend all-purpose flour over bread flour because it will make the croissants super light. Bread flour has more protein which may result in a chewier croissant.
- Granulated Sugar – A little sugar adds a little flavor.
- Salt – Salt is great to balance and enhance flavors.
- Milk – Whole or 2% work. We want the milk to have a little fat for this enriched dough.
- Egg – The egg is used to brush on top of the croissants, to give them a golden and flaky exterior.
Baking Equipment
- Stand Mixer – With the dough hook attachment.
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Rolling Pin
Tips For Success
- Plan ahead – The croissant dough should be rested overnight in the refrigerator.
- Read the instructions thoroughly before starting – There are not a lot of ingredients, but I want you to be comfortable with the process of rolling, folding, and chilling the dough for these homemade flaky croissants.
- Be patient – Because we are working with butter in a flaky dough recipe, we don’t want the butter to melt. Which is why I recommend refrigerating the dough after every ‘turn’.
- Make the dough in the morning – Why? Because it is cooler, and again, we don’t want the butter to melt.
- Use all-purpose flour – This makes the dough nice a light. Whereas bread flour – which has more gluten – would make the croissant more sturdy, and probably chewier.
- Invest in quality butter – These homemade flaky croissants may be one recipe which I strongly advocate a good, quality butter.
- Refrigerate the dough after every turn – Yes, I said that above, but it is worth repeating.
- Don’t stress about the perfect croissant shape – If the dough is not a perfect triangle when you cut it, it will still taste good!
- Enjoy the day they are baked – There is nothing like a freshly baked croissant. Though, should you have leftovers you can make them into almond croissants the next day!
Common Questions For How To Make Homemade Croissants
I don’t recommend it. You are already working with a large piece of dough when you roll it out. Anything larger would be difficult to handle and chances are the butter will melt. If you want more croissants, I recommend you make two batches.
The key to all of the flaky layers in croissants is cold butter. Every time we handle and roll the dough, we are taking the chill of the butter. So, we want to make sure to put the chill back on the butter and refrigerate the dough as much as possible.
I can’t say that there is. To achieve a light and flaky croissant, it does take time. Rolling and folding the dough is necessary. It also needs time to rest. But, most most importantly, the butter must be cold. If you try to rush the process, you may end up with tough and dense croissants that resemble a roll more than a croissant.
The easy answer is quality ingredients have superior flavor. European cultured butter has a higher butter-fat content, and less water. Which results in a rich and flavorful croissant.
I recommend freezing the croissants/dough after you shape them, and before the final proof. And when you want to bake the, thaw them in the refrigerator the night before. Then, let them sit at room temp an hour before you want to bake them.
I like to store my croissants at room temp on a covered cake stand. I find they keep their flaky layers and textures this way. And they will keep for about 3 – 5 days.
What To Make With Leftover Dough
You will have scraps of dough leftover when you are cutting and shaping the croissants. I have a couple recipes that you can use the excess scraps for:
Mini Almond Cream Monkey Bread or Peach Monkey Bread Muffins. Or, you could always toss the dough scraps with cinnamon and sugar and bake for a few minutes. Instant cinnamon sugar snack!
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Homemade Flaky Croissants
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment
Ingredients
Croissant Dough
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast (active dry yeast also works)
- 1/2 cup water, room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup whole milk (I have also used 2% milk)
- 1 large egg, beaten (used to brush the croissants)
Butter Square
- 1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes (slightly cool, not completely at room temp)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
Croissant Dough
- Remove the milk and butter from the refrigerator. Cut the butter into tablespoon cubes and set aside.
- Spray a large mixing bowl with cooking spray and set aside. This will be the bowl used to proof the dough.
- In the work bowl of the stand mixer, add 3 and 1/2 cups of flour. Add the salt and sugar on one side of the bowl. Stir the dry ingredients with a whisk or the dough hook (before attaching) to combine.
- If using Instant Yeast – Add the yeast on the other side of the bowl – away from the salt and stir to combine.
- If using active dry yeast – Sprinkle the yeast over the room temperature water in a liquid measuring cup. Allow the yeast to proof and get foamy – about 3-5 minutes. Add the yeast mix when you add the milk (next step).
- Mix the Dough – Pour the milk and water over the flour. Mix the dough on medium-high speed, until it is smooth, and no longer sticky – about 8-10 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time. If it is very dry, add more water, a teaspoon at a time.
- Rest the Dough – Remove the dough from the mixer and gently form into a smooth ball in your hands. Place in the prepared mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Rest the dough in a warm place for at least 30 minutes. Tip – Warm places to rest dough include: in your oven if you have a 'proof' setting; on top of your refrigerator; on the counter at room temp if it is a warm day.
Butter Square
- Wipe out the bowl of the mixer (doesn't have to be totally clean), and attach the paddle attachment to the mixer. Add the cubed butter and 2 tablespoons of flour and beat until smooth and creamy. Do not overmix – we are not mixing or creaming as we would for cookie dough.
- Shape and Chill the Butter Square – Scrape the butter onto the middle long piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, shape the butter into a flat square – approx. 6-inch x 6-inch wide by 1-inch thick. We are using the plastic wrap to shape rather than our hands so we don't melt the butter. Wrap the butter completely in the wrap and chill in the refrigerator while the dough is proofing.
- Shape the Dough – Once the dough has proofed, pour it onto a generously floured work surface, and sprinkle the top lightly with flour. Roll the dough into a square, approximately 10-inch x 10-inch. Use a pastry brush to brush excess flour off the dough.
- Place the Butter Square – Remove the chilled butter from the refrigerator, and place diagonally in the center of the dough (so the butter looks like a diamond in the center of the dough square). Fold the four corners of the dough over the butter, tightly pinching each of the seams closed tightly.
- Refrigerate the Dough – Place the dough packet on the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 60 minutes.
- Roll and Fold the Dough – Place the chilled dough packet, seams side up, onto a well-floured surface. 1. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and roll into a 16-in x 8-in rectangle, with the long side facing you. 2. Brush off the excess flour. 3. Working from the left and right sides, fold each side into the center of the dough – just like folding a letter into thirds. 4. Place the dough back onto the baking sheet and refrigerate again for at least 60 minutes.
- Repeat Roll and Fold the Dough – You are going to repeat the rolling, folding, and refrigerating process (steps 1-4 above) 2 more times (also called 'turns') – for a total of 3 turns. Each time, you start with the dough long side facing you. When you have completed all turns, brush excess flour off of the dough and wrap the folded in dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least overnight.
- Remove the chilled dough from the plastic wrap and place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut the rectangle in half (to make rolling and shaping the dough more manageable), and place one half of the dough back in the fridge.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle – approx. 13-inch wide x 10-inch tall, and about 1/4 inch thick – with the long side facing you. Trim the edges to make them straight. We are going to make triangle shapes that are 4-inch x 9-inch. The shape of the rectangle and trimming straight edges will accommodate these shape sizes.
- Cut Croissant Triangles – I recommend using a pizza cutter, or a very sharp knife to cut the croissant triangles. Once you have your straight rectangle, make two notches in the bottom of the long side, every 4-inches. On the top of the rectangle, make a notch at 2-inches from each corner. Then, from either of those notches, make one more at 4-inches. You will have a total of 3 notches on the top of the rectangle. You are going to have scraps of dough – and there are recommendations on how to use in the notes.
- Start with the wide end of the triangle and roll up to the point. The roll does not need to be tight, and it does not need to be loose. Just a natural roll of the dough.
- Repeat the above steps for the other half of the dough you put in the refrigerator
- Freezing Note – It it as this time, before the final proof, that you can freeze the croissants. If you are working with frozen croissants, remove them from the freezer the night before you want to bake them. Place the croissants on a baking sheet and thaw in the refrigerator. Then, the next morning you are going to bake them, allow them to come to room temperature for at least an hour (consider this the final proof time for frozen croissants), then follow the baking instructions below.
- Final Proof Shaped Croissants – Place the croissants back on the baking sheets, with the point of the croissant down. Cover the baking sheet with a proofing bag or large piece of plastic wrap. Tip – I use a large turkey roasting bag as my proofing bag. Set the croissants in a warm place to proof, until the croissants have doubled in size and are soft and pillowy – about 60 to 90 minutes.
- Preheat the Oven – Towards the end of the proof time, preheat the oven to 375F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. 350F degrees if you are using a convection fan oven.
- Brush the beaten egg on each croissant and bake for 20 minutes – rotating the pans halfway through – until the croissants are nice and golden. Immediately transfer the croissants to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Long process, but not bad.l and they came out better than I thought!
Thanks Carol – glad you enjoyed them!
It is so delicious and tasty. It is better the ones from bakery. It is the best recipe!!!
So wonderful to hear – thank you Evelin! By far one of my favorite recipes on the blog. Thank you so much for trying the recipe!
Although these croissants take much patience and time to complete, they are the flakiest, most flavorful croissants I’ve ever had. This is the world’s best recipe by far.
I was also wondering if there is any way to make the croissants faster while still being flakey.
Thanks Alexa – they are awesome croissants! If you wanted to try to make them faster, you could try baking them the same day. They may not be as flaky, but probably still good!
These are amaaaaaazing! This is my second time making them. Question. I’ve finished step 5 and have to leave for a few hours. How badly will this affect the results?
Thank you Jenny! Letting the dough sit in the fridge longer shouldn’t be a problem! Hopefully it all worked out for you.
Hi! Does the dough need to double in size on the first proof, before adding the butter or anything?
Hi Emily! No, it does not. It will naturally grow a bit as it rests, but you don’t need to let it sit until it has doubled in size. The first proof just gives the dough and gluten time to relax.
Love tgis recipe I’ve made these a dozen of times
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can they be frozen for future use after the final proofing?
Hi Trina – For freezing, I would recommend freezing them after they are shaped, before the final proof. And when you want to bake them, thaw them in the fridge the night before and let sit on the counter for at least an hour before baking.
This recipe turned out absolutely amazing for my first time making croissants. I was wondering if this recipe is easily doubled?
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Mickelle – So happy to hear the croissants turned out well! Since I haven’t tested the recipe doubled, I can’t say for certain how they would turn out. I will say, doubling the recipe may make working with the dough (and butter) a little cumbersome – it may be a little too big to roll and laminate effectively. You could try doubling the dough and butter square, but I would probably still divide it all in half and make two separate butter+dough packets to make your rolling/folding easier (so, basically making two batches of the recipe). Thank you so much for visiting the blog!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I used active dry yeast and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight, just as the recipe recommended. They turned out beautifully. I tried stuffing some with chocolate, caramel, jelly, and cinnamon sugar and it worked out. Since I dont know what type of oven I have, I went with 365, haha.
Hi Kathleen – I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them! I may have to try the caramel filling next – sounds awesome!
One of my first times making bread and first time making croissants and they turned out amazing!! Curious if I could make the croissants smaller by widening the dough. Wanting to get more croissants out of the recipe since I have a big family.
Hi Kathleen – So glad to hear you enjoyed the croissants! One of my favorites for sure. I think rolling the dough a little wider and making the croissants smaller would work. I would just make sure not to roll the dough too thin so they don’t come out too flat.