Hands-down, croissants were the one thing I was most excited to learn attending a French culinary school program. Making homemade croissants is a true labor of love, but there's nothing more satisfying, from the perspective of both a baker's soul and her (or his!) tastebuds. That beautifully lacquered dough, creating endless layers of buttery, light and flaky deliciousness...

When you set out on the journey to make croissants, there are a couple of helpful hints that will make the process a bit easier and yield the best results at home.

To begin, purchase the best quality unsalted butter available, with the highest percentage of butterfat, at least 82%. Will it make a difference? Absolutely. European varieties such as Plugra (which we used exclusively at L'Academie) or Kerrygold are excellent options, as is Cabot European Style, boasting a butterfat content of 83%. If you happen to live near an Amish community, Amish varieties of butter contain anywhere from 82-85% butterfat, so they are another excellent option. Store brand or other popular brands of butter typically contain more water, yielding a lower percentage of butterfat, normally around 80%. Yes, these specialty butters are typically more expensive, but if you are spending valuable time and effort making these gorgeous French pastries, don't skimp (aka ruin it) by trying to save a couple dollars on butter. The rest of the ingredients you probably already have on hand!

Next, be sure to give yourself plenty of time. As mentioned, making croissants is a bit time consuming, with multiple stages required for rolling, folding and chilling your precious dough, so make sure you block out your day for several hours. You'll have some downtime while your dough is resting in the fridge or freezer, so keep your distractions to a minimum while actively working with your dough to avoid allowing your butter to warm up and begin to melt. If at any point it seems as though your butter is getting too soft to work with, take a quick break by covering the dough with plastic, pop it into the freezer for 10-15 minutes, and then keep working.

I've written the recipe out step by step, including exact measurements with lots of pictures to make the process as easy as possible to follow. Keep track of where you are in the recipe by marking off each step as you go. A clean worksurface dusted lightly with flour, a rolling pin and a ruler will be your best friend!

INGREDIENTS:

Croissant Dough

• 65 g Whole Milk, Cold
• 121 g Ice Water
• 8 g Instant Yeast
• 375 g Bread Flour plus an additional few tablespoons for dusting a clean worksurface (All Purpose Flour may be substituted)
• 37 g Granulated Sugar
• 8 g Kosher Salt
• 37 g Unsalted Butter, cut into small cubes

Butter Block

• 185 g High Quality Butter, High Butterfat Content, 82-83% unsalted and kept refrigerated
• 2-3 Tbsp. Light Dusting of Flour

Egg Wash

• 1 Lg. Egg
• 1 Tbsp. Water at Room Temperature
• Scant Pinch of Kosher Salt

Instructions:

Be sure to read through all of the instructions carefully before beginning. Croissant dough is a delicious labor of love that requires multiple stages of chilling, measuring, folding and cutting the dough. It may be a good idea to check off each step as you go to ensure you haven't missed any steps as you work.

Step 1: Gather and weigh all of your ingredients carefully using a kitchen scale.

Step 2: Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add both the water and the milk, along with the yeast. Next, add the flour, sugar, salt and lastly, the butter. Mix on the lowest setting for about 5 minutes, stopping the machine before the last minute to scrape down any dough that may be sticking to the bottom or sides of the bowl.

Step 3: Lightly dust a clean worksurface with a little flour, then remove the dough from the mixer and place it on the counter. The dough will appear a big shaggy. Using the palm of your hand, gently press the dough down and away, then fold the top over, drawing your hand back and rolling the dough towards yourself. Rotate the dough and repeat this step, 3 or 4 times, just until the dough is cohesive, appears a bit smoother, and begins to form a ball.

Using both hands, tuck palms under the bottom of the dough and rotate in a circle, gently pulling the dough inwards towards the center as you shape it into a round ball. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and place into the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes, but up to two hours.

Step 4: In the meantime, place the 185 grams of cold, unsalted butter onto a piece of folded parchment paper. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the surface on both the top and bottom of the butter very lightly with flour, and then fold the piece of parchment over the butter.

Step 5: Using the rolling pin, gently begin tapping the butter into a 6" x 6" square block, rotating the parchment every so often to keep the proper shape. Use the ruler to measure the dimensions, and if needed, use the edge of the bench scraper to push the butter back into a square. Work quickly to ensure the butter stays cool and pliable without getting too soft.

Once you have your square of butter, keep it wrapped in parchment and place into the refrigerator to firm up. You won't need your butter until step 8.

Step 6: After allowing the dough to rest, remove it from refrigeration, unwrap it, and place the ball onto a clean worksurface dusted lightly with flour. You'll also need your rolling pin and a ruler handy. Reserve the plastic wrap, as you'll use it again after rolling the dough.

Holding your rolling pin with both hands, gently press down across the center of the dough, rocking back and forth, essentially walking the length of the dough by creating slight indentations along the surface. Flip the dough over and repeat, then turn back over to the original side. This step will begin to stretch the dough into a rectangular shape without overworking it.

Step 7: Begin rolling the dough into a long rectangle, 12" x 6". As the dough extends, use your fingers to pinch and create four corners of the dough, ensuring you don't end up with rounded edges. Use your ruler to keep close dimensions, using your bench scraper as needed to push the sides or ends of the dough back, accordingly. Flip the dough once or twice, lightly brushing with flour to ensure that the dough itself is not sticking to the worksurface.

Once the dough measures 12" x 6", cover tightly with the reserved plastic wrap, and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Move the pan to the freezer, where you'll chill the dough for no less than 30 minutes.

As we begin incorporating the butter in the next step, we want to get the dough as cold as possible, while still being pliable, to prevent the butter from melting.

Step 8: After thirty minutes in the freezer, your dough should be quite firm but not solid. Remove the prepared square of butter from the fridge and place it directly onto the center of the dough, ensuring the height is aligned so that no butter hangs over the top or bottom of the dough.

Step 9: Using a chef's knife, trim the sides of the dough on either side of the square of butter. Keeping your worksurface clean and lightly dusted with flour, gently roll out the pieces of dough so that they are more rectangular in shape, pinching the rounded corners and pulling them outwards, squaring them off. Place the pieces of dough on top, sandwiching the butter in between, and pressing the seam in the center of the dough to form a more cohesive layer.

If the butter appears to be softening, return the dough to the fridge for 10-15 minutes, just to chill and make rolling easier for the next step.

Step 10: When ready, roll the dough to a 16" x 6 ½" rectangle. You'll again find it easiest to walk the rolling pin down the length of the dough by rocking it back and forth and then rolling. Flip to roll both sides. Rotate the dough 90° and roll until you've reached the required width.

Trim up the ends as tightly as possible, to keep clean, straight edges.

Step 11: Fold the dough over into equal thirds, lining up the top fold to be as flush to the edge as possible.

Using a chef's knife, carefully cut a slice into the folded edges on both sides, not all the way through, but enough to score the sides. If the butter appears to be softening, melting at all near the edges, you may opt to pop the dough back into the freezer for another ten minutes before continuing on.

Step 12: Roll the dough to a 10" x 7" rectangle, trimming up the edges, then divide the dough evenly in half, creating two 5" x 7" pieces. Stack the two pieces. You'll already begin to see the layers developing.

Rotate the dough a half turn, so that the longest length is facing you, and roll the dough again until it measures a 10" x 5 ½" rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap, return to the fridge, and allow the dough to chill for thirty minutes.

Step 13: After the dough has chilled from the previous step, remove it from the refrigerator, and roll to a length of 16", keeping your worksurface lightly dusted with flour. Trim up the short edges about a half an inch on each end, leaving you with a 15" length of dough, with sharp edges and corners.

Step 14: Using the ruler and a knife (or bench scraper), mark the dough at two equal intervals, cutting the dough into 3 equal pieces approximately 5" wide. Carefully brush away any excess flour from the dough, then stack the three cut pieces on top of one another. Excess flour between the layers will make it harder to press the individual pieces of dough together cohesively when rolling.

Step 15: Gently roll the dough to approximately 9" x 7", using your bench scraper along the sides to keep the sections as aligned as possible. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 45 minutes. At this point, the butter will likely have softened a bit, needing to be chilled for a bit longer than usual.

Step 16: After this last refrigeration, remove the dough and roll into a 14" x 9" rectangle on a lightly floured worksurface. Trim up approximately ½" from each of the shorter ends, squaring off the corners and providing a clean edge.

Assuming a 13" length of dough, use your ruler and a knife (or bench scraper) to mark the dough in the center, creating two equal halves, and mark each half again, ending up with 4 equal portions, 3.25" wide. Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut each portion in half, corner to opposite corner, yielding 8 offset triangles.

Step 17: Starting at the widest end, roll the dough towards the narrow point, tucking and gently pressing to secure the spiral. Lightly pinch the tip and tuck it beneath the croissant roll.

Place the croissants onto a clean, parchment lined baking sheet, tip side down.

Step 18: The next stage for the dough is proofing. Place the prepared pan into a cold oven, using only the internal oven light to create enough warmth to help the dough relax and rise. Place a small baking dish filled with boiling water beneath the tray to provide moisture and steam, recreating a similar environment to a professional baker's oven.

Check the dough after about 90 minutes. Don't worry if you see a little melted butter beneath your croissants. If you press your finger gently onto the surface of the dough, and the indent begins to slowly fill back in, the proofing is almost complete. Remove the pan from the oven, place on the counter, then remove the pan of water.

Step 19: Preheat your oven to 400℉. Just a few minutes before the oven reaches 400℉, prepare a quick egg wash. Whisk together the egg, water and salt, then lightly brush the egg wash onto the top of each croissant.

Reduce the temperature down to 375℉ just before placing the pan back into the oven.

Step 20: Bake the croissants for 25 minutes, adding 1-2 minutes additionally, only if needed, to reach a glossy, golden-brown color.

Remove from the pan from the oven and allow to cool before enjoying.

If not eating right away, cool croissants completely and store in a tight-fitting container or Ziploc bag, up to 2-3 days. Reheat room temperature croissants in an air fryer for 3.5 minutes. Avoid using the microwave, if possible.

Note: Croissants are best enjoyed the day they are made, but if storing, wrap individual portions in plastic wrap, and then save in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Reheat in an air fryer or oven, not the microwave.

Overnight Method

Don't have 6-½ consecutive hours to make croissants in a single day? No worries. You can split up the prep and bake, completing steps 1 through 17, up to shaping your pastries and then placing them into the refrigerator overnight, wrapped tightly, and then begin the next day with step 18, at the proofing stage. Allow two hours for the croissants to come to room temperature, then continue and bake as instructed.

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