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If you’ve ever wanted to bring a touch of Paris to your own kitchen, this easy croissant recipe is the perfect place to start. With crisp, golden buttery layers and those signature thin layers that pull apart beautifully, these flaky croissants are everything a classic French pastry should be. Whether you’re planning a brunch board, or just up for a fun baking challenge, this labor of love will guide you through every folding process, chill, and bake. Bonus: they’re even better fresh out of your oven than from your favorite bakery.
The Chemistry of Homemade Croissants
The magic lies in laminated dough- that’s dough layered with cold sticks of butter through repeated double folds and letter folds. As the yeast dough bakes, steam from the layers of butter causes the layers of dough to puff and flake. Using all-purpose flour and cold milk helps with structure, while European-style butter or unsalted butter adds rich buttery flavor. The key is to keep everything cold- especially the butter block- and allow proper chill time between each fold to maintain separation. An egg wash and pastry brush at the end ensures that glossy, golden finish.
Ingredients
All-purpose Flour
Builds structure as it absorbs liquids and expands. All-purpose flour falls in the middle of bread flour (high in gluten) and cake flour (low in gluten). It’s exactly what it is named, all-purpose, the most universal flour that can be used in most baked goods.
Water
Adds moisture and helps wake up the yeast.
Milk
Adds moisture to the batter or dough. Milk adds protein and sugar (lactose) to your treat. It encourages browning and adds a bit more sweetness to your baked treat.
Granulated Sugar
Adds sweetness, provides a caramelized flavor and crisp texture. Sugar assists with rising when creamed with butter. It helps add moisture to your treat and helps it evenly spread as it melts into a liquid in the heat of the oven. Sugar also helps with naturally preserving your baked treat.
Fine Sea Salt
Enhances flavor, adds balance, masks any bitter flavors. Salt is the most powerful and oldest preservative. Always make sure to use fine sea salt so it melts down at the right speed in the heat of the oven. If you use larger granule salt, it will not melt down fully when baked and will leave salt crystals throughout your treat, making it crunch like you dropped it into sand. All of my favorite salts are from Redmond and I have a discount code for you to get 15% off.
Yeast
Provides flavor and carbon dioxide, making your dough rise. It must be mixed with a warm liquid and sugar in order to activate.
Unsalted Butter
It is always important to use unsalted butter when baking. If you use salted butter, you have no way of knowing how much salt you are adding to your dough or batter and it will result in an overly salted treat.
Butter adds fats to your dough or batter which helps with moistness, flavor and texture. Butter melts at body temperature, which creates a ‘melt in your mouth’ sensation.
When baking with butter, the temperature is important. If the butter is too warm, your treat will melt too fast and overspread in the oven, leaving you with a greasy, flat mess. If your butter is too cold, it will have the opposite problem and not melt down enough, leaving your treat too thick.
Recipe Troubleshooting
- Butter melts during lamination? Your kitchen may be too warm, or your butter block may not be cold enough.
- Croissants leak butter – keep your dough and butter chilled.
- Flat croissants? That’s usually due to under-proofing or skipping a rest period during the dough rise.
- Dense or bready texture? You may have over-kneaded or worked the dough too much.
- They’re not flaky– Revist the folding process and be sure to chill properly.
- The layers didn’t puff up– Your chill time may have been too short.
- Shaping challenges? Sticky dough or incorrect folds often cause misshapen or uneven croissants.
- How many times do I fold croissant dough? Typically, 3 times using the letter fold method. Refer to the graphic below for a step-by-step guide.
- Can I make croissant dough ahead of time? Yes! This recipe calls for overnight croissant dough, and it actually improves with time.
- Why are my croissants flat? Likely due to skipping a fold or proofing in a warm place that was too warm or too short.
- They taste like bread, not croissants. Ensure you use the correct type of butter; it should be higher in fat or a European-style butter.
- Can I add fillings? Yes! Chocolate, almond paste, or even ham and cheese make delicious shaped croissants.
- Too much work– True, but when that crescent shape hits the plate, it’s all worth it.
Serving Suggestions
This flaky pastry recipe is everywhere- from Christmas morning and Valentine’s Day brunch to TikTok croissant baking hacks. In the fall, they shine with pumpkin spice, and in the summer, they pair well with a chicken salad sandwich. Other serving ideas:
- Cultured butter and homemade jam
- Ham and cheese for a Croque croissant
- Nutella and whipped cream
- Seasonal berries and a drizzle of honey
- Mini sandwiches or a charcuterie addition
Storage Tips
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes. Avoid microwaving- preserve those crisp buttery layers.
Freezer – Shape your croissants, freeze them on a tray, and then store them in a bag. Remove from the freezer and let it sit on the counter, covered with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, for 2-3 hours before baking. You can also freeze baked croissants and reheat them as needed – perfect for last-minute guests.
Make Ahead– Prep the dough one day, laminate and shape the next. Want to plan ahead? Freeze before baking, then rise overnight in the fridge and bake fresh in the morning.
Recommended Products
All-Butter Croissants
Beginner croissant recipe is an actual labor of love. The process may take time, but once you taste that first golden, flaky bite, you’ll be hooked. Whether you’re inspired by a life-changing trip to France, eager to master the traditional way, or want a baking project that’s as satisfying as it is delicious, these perfect homemade croissants are worth every fold. Bookmark this laminated dough tutorial, grab your mixing bowl and let the buttery magic begin.
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Flaky Homemade Croissants from Scratch
Ingredients
- 8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp instant yeast
- 2 cups European butter or unsalted grass-fed
- egg wash (1 egg and 1 tbsp milk)
Instructions
- In a bowl of a standing mixer with the dough hook add 1 3/4 cup warm water, 1 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tbsp + 1 tsp instant yeast. Mix until combined.
- Add 8 cups all-purpose flour and 1 tbsp fine sea salt. Mix until a shaggy dough starts to form.
- Pour in 2 tbsp melted butter and knead until a dough forms.
- Remove the dough, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and rise for 2 hours.
- Place the dough in the fridge and let it rest overnight.
- The next day take the dough out and allow it to come back to room temperature.
- In between 2 pieces of parchment paper, roll the 2 cups of room temperature into a 9×7 inch rectangle. Place the wrapped butter onto a cookie sheet and into the freezer.
- Roll the croissant dough out into a 13×11 inch rectangle.
- Remove the butter from the freezer and place in the middle of the dough.
- Fold the two long edges of the dough over the butter until the dough meets in the middle. Roll the dough out to a 13×11-inch rectangle.
- Fold up one long side of the dough 3/4th of the way up. Meet the folded dough with the other long side 1/4th the way in. Then fold the piece of dough in half. Roll the dough out until 1/2 inch thick. Keeping it in a rectangle.
- Envelope fold the dough and then roll it back out 1/2 inch thick. Keeping it in a long rectangle. Use a rolling pin with guides to achieve the right thickness.
- Cut the dough in half and place it on a cookie sheet, stacking with parchment paper in between. Place in the freezer for 2 hours.
- Remove the dough after 2 hours and let it rest and warm up to room temperature so that you can roll it out.
- Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut each half of the dough into another half, making four even rectangles. Using a ruler, measure 3 inches and mark with a knife nick on each long side of the dough pieces.
- Using the ruler, align the top edge corner with the first 3-inch mark and cut the triangle formed by the ruler edge using a pizza cutter. Repeat until 8 triangles are cut from each piece of dough, totaling 32 triangles.
- In the base of each triangle, cut a nick in the center. Pull the sides of the nick up and start rolling the dough tightly until you meet the tip of the triangle.
- Set each roll on a light-metal-colored cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 8 rolls per sheet.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another hour or two.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prepare an egg wash whisking 1 egg and 1 tbsp of milk together.
- Paint each croissant with the egg wash using a pastry brush.
- Place the croissants in the oven 1 pan at a time and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove and let cool for 5-10 minutes before enjoying.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
I’d love to see it! Follow @_mrs.madi_ on Instagram and tag your photos with #mrsmadi.
Jayden
So light and fluffy! One of the best crossaints I’ve had!
Madison Reid
WOW! What a compliment. I agree, making them homemade and from scratch makes them so much more delicious.