Our recipe for homemade croissants

Do you love croissants and want to make them yourself? Here’s a recipe for homemade croissants, along with our advice and tips on how to make them perfectly!

🥐 But where do croissants come from?

According to the legend, croissants were invented in Vienna in 1683 during the Ottoman siege to celebrate the Austrians’ victory over the Turks, and then popularised in Paris in the 19th century. The modern version of the recipe, with its characteristic croissant shape, is supposed to have been perfected by Parisian bakers in the 1830s, who replaced brioche dough with puff pastry. Since then, croissants have become an emblematic symbol of French cuisine and are loved all over the world. Follow this guide to make butter croissants worthy of a French bakery.

Ingredients

– 250g wheat flour (ideally T45)
– 5g salt
– 10g baker’s yeast
– 30g sugar
– 10 cl warm milk
– 1 egg
– 115g soft butter
– 1 tablespoon warm water

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar; add the milk and yeast previously diluted in a tablespoon of warm water.
2. Knead the dough until it is smooth and supple. Knead by hand or in a food processor on a slow speed.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature. The dough should double in size.
4. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1 cm thick. Place the butter (not too soft) in the centre of the pastry only, and fold over the edges to enclose it completely.
5. Roll out again into a rectangle, without moving the butter. Fold into 4; to do this, fold the 2 ends of the rectangle towards the centre and then fold into 2.
6. Make sure you have the big fold on the right, then repeat the previous operation.
7. Leave the dough to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
8. Roll out the dough very thinly into a large rectangle, then divide it again into 2 rectangles.
9. Cut out triangles with a minimum base of 8 centimetres, then roll each triangle from the base to the tip.
10. Place the croissants on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and leave to rise for around an hour and a half at room temperature.
11. Preheat oven to 210°c (410°F).
12. Baste the croissants with the egg diluted with a little water.
13. You can now put the croissants in the oven for between 10 and 15 minutes. When they are golden brown, you can remove them from the oven.
14. Leave to cool before serving.

And bon appétit!

Our tips

• Make sure you take the butter out about 1 hour beforehand so that it is at room temperature but not too soft or too hard.
• Be precise in your measurements – precise quantities are essential for successful croissants!
• Take care to space the croissants well apart on the baking tray, as they will puff up a lot during baking.
• Place a container of hot water in the oven while the croissants are baking to create a moist environment. This will help to form a crispy crust for even more deliciousness.
• The more you experiment with this recipe, the easier it will become. So keep practising and this recipe will hold no secrets for you!

Now you know all our tips for making homemade butter croissants. If you follow the recipe and our advice, they’ll be delicious and perfect!

Discover where to find the best croissants .