Buttery, Flaky Croissants

Several years ago, I worked at a French-style bakery in Seattle. There, I was part of a team that rolled, cut, and formed giant slabs of buttery dough into hundreds of perfectly uniform croissants each day. Our croissants were so light, airy, and crisp that a single bite would send buttery shards flying into your lap, and people lined up and down the block for them. When I left that job, I began teaching baking classes—first with the King Arthur Baking School, where I taught courses from a set curriculum, and later at a local supermarket chain, where I educated bakers with my own arsenal of recipes. My most popular class, which ran on and off over three years, was on how to make French croissants at home.

 What many people don't realize is that making croissants at home is very different from producing them in a bakery. Croissants are made through a process called lamination, which entails encasing a slab of butter in dough, then folding it and rolling it out—what's referred to as a "turn" or a "fold"—to create alternating layers of dough and butter. The turns are repeated several times (the exact number will depend on the baker) and are responsible for a croissant's signature flaky texture and honeycomb-like structure. To make the process more efficient, professional bakers use special machines called sheeters to help roll out massive portions of dough. The process is similar to that of puff pastry, except croissants are yeasted, resulting in a pastry with an airier, softer, and more tender bite when baked. Because home bakers don't typically have access to a sheeter, making croissants at home requires hand-laminating, a much more time-consuming and labor-intensive process.

My recipe below is tailored explicitly for home bakers. It combines the knowledge and tricks I've picked up over the years that make the process easier, more manageable, and ensure consistently great croissants. It's a long process, but if you follow the directions carefully, you're sure to be rewarded with crispy, buttery, flaky pastries.

First Things First: What Is Lamination?

Lamination is the process of creating layers of butter and dough. There are two key parts: the "lock in," when the butter is first encased in dough, and the "turns," which involve rolling out and folding the dough to form layers. Here's a brief overview of what that process entails.

The Détrempe

A croissant begins with a détrampe, a dough that essentially serves as the vehicle for the butter. It typically consists of flour, sugar, butter, salt, yeast, milk, and water, and comes together easily by hand. After a very brief knead, the dough rises at room temperature until visibly puffed—just until it's noticeably larger than its original size—then is refrigerated for at least six hours and up to 14 hours, allowing it to ferment slowly. From this point on, the dough must remain cold to prevent the yeast from becoming too active too early, which can create large air pockets that make the dough hard to work with.

The Butter Block

Making the butter block involves sandwiching cold butter between two sheets of parchment paper, then beating it with a rolling pin to flatten it. Beating the butter helps plasticize it, making it more pliable—essential for the lamination process—without the need to let it sit out and soften. Once the butter is nice and bendy, you can switch to rolling it out instead.

You're looking to create a neat square. This usually requires a bit of what I call "surgery": Trimming the wonkier sides and reapplying them elsewhere to help create a more even shape. Once you've assembled a square, you'll wrap the butter in parchment paper and chill it while you roll out the dough.

The Lock-In and Lamination

Now that you have a neat butter square, you're going to roll the dough out into a rectangle with the same width as your butter but about double the length. You'll enclose the butter by placing it in the middle, folding the exposed ends of the dough towards the center, and pinching them closed. Voila! You've now encased the butter in the dough.

The Turns

A turn refers to rolling the dough to elongate it, folding it onto itself, then covering it tightly with plastic and chilling it. 

There are two types of folds. The first is called a "letter" or "simple" fold, and calls for folding the length of the dough into three, like a letter. This triples the number of layers in the dough. The second is called a "book fold," which involves folding the right and left ends of the dough together so they meet in the middle, then folding the dough in half so it resembles a book, quadrupling the layers. 

The dough for my croissants requires three turns, each a letter fold, and must chill for at least an hour between each one. This ensures the dough stays cold and allows the gluten to relax, keeping the dough workable. Because the dough is rotated with each turn, you do need to keep track of the dough’s orientation as it passes between the counter and the fridge: Always make sure that the folded edge of the dough is oriented vertically when you go to roll it out.

What Is the Ideal Number of Layers in a Croissant?

The number and type of folds you use will impact the final structure and texture of your croissants. With three letter folds, these croissants have 81 distinct layers. Here's the math:

Lock-in: 3 layers
Turn 1: 3 existing layers x 3 new layers from the fold = 9 layers
Turn 2: 9 existing layers x 3 new layers from this fold = 27 layers
Turn 3: 27 existing layers x 3 new layers from this fold = 81 layers

In my testing, I also tried versions with two book folds, producing 48 layers, and another with two letter folds and one book fold, resulting in 108 layers. The croissants with 48 layers had a very open, well-defined crumb, but a tougher texture and a less buttery taste. On the other hand, the croissants with 108 layers had a slightly tighter structure but an extremely tender texture.

The version I settled on, with 81 layers, looks very similar to the 108-layer version, and is ever so slightly less tender. Still, I ultimately settled on 81 layers because the dough is easier to handle with only three letter turns, which is ideal for novice croissant bakers.

An Overview of the Schedule

Making croissants is a big undertaking and takes almost three days from start to finish. I recommend making them over a weekend, beginning on a Friday evening and finishing on Sunday afternoon. Here's my ideal schedule:

Day 1: Make the Détrempe

• At around 8:00 p.m., mix and knead the dough. This only takes about 30 minutes—less if you're an experienced baker.
• Let the dough rise at warm room temperature just until visibly puffed, about 30 minutes, then cover it with plastic and refrigerate for at least six hours and up to 14. 

Day 2: Lock-in and Lamination

• At around 8:00 a.m., create the butter block and perform the lock-in.
• Perform three turns. Rest dough at least 1 hour and 15 minutes and up to 4 hours between each turn.
• Rest the dough in the refrigerator for at least eight hours and up to 18 hours.

Day 3: Rolling, Cutting, Forming, Proofing, Baking

• At around 8:00 a.m., roll, cut, and form the dough into croissants.
• Let croissants proof at warm room temperature (75 to 80°F/24 to 27°C) until super puffy,  3 to 5 hours.
• Egg wash and bake.

Your Star Ingredients: Butter and Flour

Use European Butter When Possible

Butter accounts for roughly a quarter of the dough's total weight and is key for both flavor and texture. I recommend using European-style butter, which typically contains 82 to 85% butterfat, compared to American butter's 80%. This small disparity in butterfat actually makes a huge difference. The higher fat content yields croissants with a much richer flavor and a crispier exterior. While nearly any high-fat butter will work nicely, I have a strong personal preference for Kerrygold, which I have found to be more pliable at cold temperatures than other brands. 

The water in the butter also plays a crucial role. As the croissants bake, the water evaporates and turns to steam, causing the pastry to puff up and the layers of dough to separate. Without the steam, it would be impossible to achieve a perfect honeycomb interior structure.

Choose the Right Flour

Flour is the other key ingredient. You'll want to use something with a protein content of between 11 and 12%—Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Baking both make all-purpose flours with just under 12% protein. If these options aren't available to you, I recommend using bread flour.  

When we talk about a flour's protein content, we're really talking about gluten. The higher a flour's protein content, the higher its gluten potential—or the ability to develop gluten, which is what gives a dough both strength and elasticity. A croissant needs both of these qualities: It must be stretchy enough to undergo lamination without breaking, and strong enough to support the weight of all that butter, especially as the dough expands during proofing and baking. 

I'm often asked why pastry flour isn't used for croissants. Pastry flour has a low protein content and is great for delicate baked goods, such as biscuits and cookies, which can become tough when made with higher-protein flours. If you made a croissant with pastry flour, the dough wouldn't be strong enough to support its own weight, and the pastry would bake up dense and small.

Tips for Successful Croissants

Divide the Dough in Half

Making croissants takes an enormous amount of time and effort, and for me, any recipe that yields fewer than a dozen croissants isn't worth it. That said, a batch of dough large enough to produce 12 croissants requires more counter space than most people have. After years of teaching croissant-making, I've found the best way to make this process more approachable is to divide the dough in half before lamination and proceed with two batches in tandem. Smaller portions of dough are easier to handle and require less counter space. And once you're already making croissants, working with two pieces of dough isn't that much more effort than handling a single large one.

Don't Knead the Dough Excessively

Unlike a classic bread dough, you don't want to knead the détrempe until it's smooth and elastic. Kneading helps build a strong gluten network by straightening out the proteins glutenin and gliadin, but activating too much gluten early on will make the dough overly elastic and springy during lamination. This can make it difficult to roll the dough to the correct dimensions. (This tends to happen toward the end of lamination anyway, as gluten continues to develop, but to a lesser extent if you've avoided over-kneading at the start.)

So, how do we ensure the dough is strong enough? Consider that gluten develops in two ways: through agitation and time. Lamination itself—the act of rolling and folding—builds a strong gluten network in a similar way to kneading. And the longer a dough rests, the more gluten it develops naturally (which is the principle behind no-knead bread).

Let the Dough Rest

Part of the reason croissants take three days to make is that the dough requires resting and chilling. There are two reasons for this. First, the dough's temperature must be tightly controlled. If the dough warms up, the butter can melt—either oozing out of or blending into the dough— causing the layers to lose definition. Additionally, the yeast may become too active, creating gas that can make the dough puffy and difficult to work with. Ideally, the butter and dough should have a similar texture, which is only possible when both are very cold.

The second reason for prolonged rest is gluten development. Every time you perform a turn, you activate more gluten, which makes the dough feel tight and elastic. This springiness makes the dough difficult to roll—the dough often snaps back to its original size. Resting allows time for the gluten to relax, making the dough more extensible and easier to work with. Note that while the recipe states that the dough should rest for at least one hour between turns, it will be even easier to roll out if left to rest for longer—up to four hours—between turns.

Plasticize the Butter by Whacking the Dough With a Rolling Pin

Fridge-cold butter tends to be very hard and brittle, which presents a real challenge during lamination, where the goal is to create thin, even layers of butter inside the dough. Rolling a packet of croissant dough straight from the fridge can cause the layers of butter to crack, leading to uneven lamination and a less neat internal structure. It can also cause lots of butter to leak out of the croissants while they bake. Beating the dough with a rolling pin before rolling it out helps to plasticise the butter–or make it more pliable–and minimizes the risk of cracking. 

If your butter is exceptionally rigid straight from the fridge, let it sit on the counter for five minutes or so to warm up slightly. If the butter feels firm but slightly malleable, you're good to start whacking.

Flour Can Help—but It Can Also Hinder

By the second or third turn, the layers in the dough are extremely thin and delicate. If the dough begins to stick to your surface or rolling pin, those layers can easily tear. A light dusting of flour is essential to prevent sticking, but it's equally important to brush away excess after each turn.

Flour's main job is to prevent sticking, and it does so effectively. However, during lamination, this can become a liability, as the dough needs to adhere to itself to form clean, defined layers, and too much flour between them can make the dough harder to work with and create holes in the croissant's interior structure.

It's All in the Proof

One of the most important steps in this process is the final proof (or the second rise), which can take a long time—up to six hours!—but is absolutely crucial to the final structure of your croissants. During this stage, the croissants slowly and steadily fill with air before being baked. If you cut this time short, the internal structure won't have enough time to fully expand, meaning that your croissants could end up dense or gummy. Plus, an under-proofed croissant can inflate rapidly and sometimes unpredictably in the oven, causing the dough to unroll, rupture, or simply expand into odd shapes.

All this said, it can be tricky to determine when a croissant is done proofing. You're looking for it to at least double in size and appear extremely puffy. If you press a corner of the dough, your finger should leave an imprint that very slowly refills with air. If you shake the pan, the croissants should jiggle slightly. You'll also notice the layers of the dough become increasingly visible—they'll appear to separate as the dough expands.

You'll know the dough is over-proofed if the croissants appear to immediately deflate when the pan is shaken or the dough is poked. If this happens, get them in the oven right away! They won't be the world's most beautiful croissants, but they'll still taste great.

Bake Them "Bien Cuit"

Having arrived at the final step of this three-day affair, you want to get the bake just right. The most common mistake people make when baking croissants is undercooking them. While some may prefer a light or "blonde" bake on their pastries, an underbaked croissant won't fully expand or set in the center, resulting in a tight crumb and gummy texture. To ensure they bake thoroughly, I start them at 375°F (190°C), which provides a dramatic oven spring—when dough expands rapidly in a hot oven—and also sets the pastry quickly, preventing too much butter from melting out of the croissants during baking. After 15 minutes, I reduce the heat to 325°F (160°C) to let them finish cooking through without becoming overly dark. That said, don't be afraid of a nice golden brown croissant, which the French would refer to as "bien cuit," or "well done."  

A properly baked croissant should be a deep golden brown with darker caramel hues where the pastry has been egg-washed. If you see any white or very pale areas—especially between the layers—they need more time in the oven!

Beyond color, another indicator of doneness is weight. A well-baked croissant should feel light and airy. If it feels heavy for its size, it likely needs a few more minutes in the oven. Testing this while the croissants are still hot can be tricky, so use a clean kitchen towel, an oven mitt, or a pair of tongs to prevent burns.

Eat Them or Freeze Them

The best time to enjoy a croissant is while it's still fresh and warm from the oven. As a croissant sits out, it gradually absorbs moisture from the air, making it noticeably less crispy. Anything you don't plan to eat within a few hours is best stored in the freezer, where it can last up to two months. Just be sure to wait for the croissants to cool completely before placing them in a resealable bag and freezing. When you're ready to enjoy one, put it in a cold oven and set the temperature to 350°F. Once the oven reaches temperature, wait a few minutes more—your croissant will be just as crisp, buttery, and flaky as when it was first baked.