Description
Quick homemade croissant dough delivers buttery, flaky pastry perfection without complex traditional techniques. Professional bakers and home cooks can craft delicious croissants with minimal effort and maximum satisfaction.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks or 339 g) unsalted European butter (preferably 82 percent butterfat), at room temperature (68°F / 20°C) and pliable
- 4 cups plus 1 tbsp (577 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (360 g) warm water (100 to 110°F / 35 to 42°C)
- ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp (65 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Yeast Activation: Dissolve yeast in warm water, allowing it to bloom and become frothy for precise fermentation.
- Dough Formation: Blend flour, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer. Integrate water-yeast mixture and melted butter until a cohesive, shaggy dough emerges.
- Initial Proofing: Transfer dough to a greased bowl, envelop with plastic wrap, and let rise at ambient temperature until volume doubles, roughly 1½ to 2 hours.
- Dough Preparation: Gently collapse dough, shape into a rectangular form on plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours to develop structure.
- Butter Integration: Whip European butter with flour until achieving a smooth, uniform consistency for seamless incorporation.
- Lamination Process: Roll chilled dough into a expansive rectangle, spreading butter mixture evenly across the surface, maintaining a slight perimeter.
- Folding Technique: Execute initial letter fold by bringing bottom third upward, then folding top third downward, creating multiple delicate layers.
- Layering Enhancement: Rotate dough, roll into another rectangle, and perform a second letter fold to amplify structural complexity.
- Temperature Management: Briefly chill dough in freezer for 6 minutes to stabilize texture and maintain optimal plasticity.
- Final Lamination: Complete third letter fold, rolling and folding to create intricate, delicate pastry layers.
- Storage and Preparation: For immediate use, chill in freezer for 6 minutes. Alternatively, wrap and freeze up to 2 weeks, thawing in refrigerator when ready to use.
Notes
- Yeast Activation Tip: Ensure water temperature is lukewarm (around 110°F) to activate yeast effectively without killing it.
- Butter Preparation Hack: Use European-style butter with high-fat content for flakier, more authentic croissant texture.
- Chilling Strategy: Multiple short freezer breaks between folds help maintain butter’s cold temperature, crucial for creating distinct layers.
- Dough Flexibility Note: Can be prepared ahead and stored frozen up to 2 weeks, offering convenient meal planning and spontaneous baking options.
- Prep Time: Varies based on steps
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 278
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg