This easy croissant recipe saves a few steps over traditional croissants. There is no initial rise for the dough, and you don't have to make a butter block to enfold in the dough. Everything gets a quick mix, gets multiple layers rolled into it in just a few steps, a single long rise, and baked to crispy, deep golden perfection. All the goodness of traditional croissants in a fraction of the time.
354gramsall-purpose flour12.5 oz or about 3 cups measured by whisking, spooning, and sweeping
19gramsgranulated sugar.75 oz or 4 1/2 teaspoons
1 ½teaspoonssalt (I use Mortons)9 grams or 0.3 oz
255gramswhole milk, cold from the fridge9 oz or 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
2 ½teaspoonsinstant yeast7.75 grams or 0.3 oz
128gramsunsalted butter, cold from the fridge4.5 oz or 1 stick and 1 Tablespoon
For the Eggwash
1egg
2teaspoonsmilk
pinchof salt
Instructions
To Make The Dough
If using active dry yeast rather than instant yeast, whisk it into a portion of the milk and let proof until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Otherwise, in a large bowl, whisk the instant yeast together with the flour, salt, and sugar.
Pour in the milk (or milk plus the yeast/milk mixture).
Cut the butter roughly into 5-6 chunks and toss that into the center of the bowl of ingredients.
Use a the blade of a knife or the handle of a wooden spoon to gently but thoroughly mix the dough together so almost all of the flour is incorporated.
Lightly flour the counter, scrape the dough out into a pile, and sprinkle a bit more flour over the dough.
Rolls and Folds
Roll out the dough into a rough square shape about 10"-12" on a side, using the rolling pin to press down on the large pieces of butter to start flattening them.
Use your bench knife to fold the dough in half from left to right and then into quarters from top to bottom.
Turn the packet of messy dough 90 degrees and roll out into a square about 10"-12" in diameter.
Fold that square into thirds like a letter, rotate the dough 90 degrees, and roll into another square of the same size.
Repeat twice more for a total of 3 letter folds. Rest the dough in the fridge for 20-30 minutes if the butter is getting to soft or the dough resists rolling out. Always end your turn by rotating the dough 90 degrees.
Roll the dough into a long rectangle roughly twice as long as it is wide.
Fold each end in toward the center and then fold those two halves closed like a book.
Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll out into a rectangle about 3/8" thick and roughly 20" wide by 12" long. Do NOT get too hung up on the length. We're making easy croissants, so relax. :)
Cutting and Shaping the Croissants
Trim off all the uneven edges to leave you with a rectangle of dough about 18" wide and 9" long.
Cut into long skinny triangles about 4-5" at the base. You will end up with 2 "half croissants," one on either end. You can roll those like regular croissants or treat them as scraps. I ended up with 7 croissants.
Cut a 1" notch into the base of each triangle.
One at a time, either gently roll each triangle into a longer, thinner triangle or hold the triangle up and gently run your hand down the length of the dough to gently stretch it both longer and thinner.
Pull the notch apart a little. This will allow you to more easily curve the croissants.
Starting from the base, roll the triangle up to the tip. Use your hands to curve the croissant as desired--some people like to bring the two ends around to meet in front to make more of a round croissant bun. Your call.
Egg Wash and Rise
Place each croissant on a parchment-lined half-sheet pan with the point underneath to keep it from unraveling.
Whisk the eggwash ingredients together and brush each croissant with a thin layer.
Let the croissants rise at around 78F for 90 minutes.
After 90 minutes, the croissants should have risen pretty impressively. If not, let them go for another 30 minutes.
Then preheat the oven to 425F with a rack in the center. Brush the croissants with another thin layer of egg wash.
Baking the Croissants
When the oven reaches temperature, bake the croissants for 10 minutes.
Then turn the oven down to 350F, rotate the pan to promote even baking, and bake an additional 15-17 minutes until deeply golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool a good 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Storing
Croissants are best eaten the day you make them but will be just fine the next day. Allow leftovers to cool completely and store in an airtight container on the counter.If you need to keep them longer, freeze them in zip-top freezer bags for up to 2 months.
Doubling the Batch
You can successfully double the recipe to make 14-15 croissants. After you make the dough, cut it in half, cover and refrigerate one half, and work with the other half so the dough doesn't become unwieldy. Roll, fold, and shape the second half of the dough while the first batch is proofing.