Professional Baker Teaches You How To Make CROISSANTS!

French Croissant recipe, the classic recipe from Chef Anna Olson!

Ingredients

Détrempe

3 ½ (525 g) cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 ml) water, room temperature
½ cup (125 ml) 2% milk, room temperature
5 Tbsp (62 g) sugar
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp/8 g) instant dry yeast
1 ¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Beurrage

1 ¼ (285 g) cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg whisked with 2 Tbsp of water, for brushing

Directions

Détrempe

1. For the détrempe, fit a stand mixer with the hook attachment and stir the flour, water, milk, sugar, and yeast on low speed to blend, then add the salt. Increase to one speed higher and knead for about 4 minutes, adding the butter mid way through kneading – the dough should just clean the sides of the bowl. Shape the dough into a rectangle (it will be soft), place it on a parchment lined baking tray and cover with a tea towel and then plastic wrap. Let the dough sit out for 90 minutes, then chill for at least an hour, up to 8 hours.

Beurrage

1. For the beurrage, shape the butter into an 8-inch square. Chill until ready to use if preparing in advance, but pull from the fridge to soften. Ensure that the butter offers the same resistance (is the same consistency) as the chilled dough – while the temperature of each may differ, the “give” should be the same.

2. On a floured work surface, turn out the chilled détrempe and roll out to a square about 14-inches across. Place the beurrage in the centre of the square, but rotated so that the points of the butter square fall at the middle of each flat side of the dough. Bring the corners of the dough together, wrapping the butter like an envelope and gently pinch the edges. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 20-inches long and fold the dough into thirds (this is called a single fold). Return the dough to the baking tray, cover with the towel and plastic and chill for at least an hour, up to 8 hours.

3. Repeat rolling and folding the dough into singles folds 2 more times, rotating the dough 90 degrees each time before rolling and chilling the dough for at least an hour and up to 8 hours before each fold. Let the dough rest for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours after the final fold before using.

4. For 12 plain croissants, measure out about 20 oz of dough and store the rest in the fridge. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle about 16-inches by 12-inches. Cut the dough in half horizontally and then cut 6 triangles from each.

5. Make a 1-inch score on the short side of each triangle, and roll up the croissant from this side. Curve the croissant so that the point of the triangle is at the bottom and pointing the opposite direction as the curve in. If you wish, you can pinch the croissant ends together so they hold the curve shape. Place these on a parchment –lined baking tray, leaving at least 3 inches between each other and cover these with a tea towel and then plastic. Let the croissants rise for 2 hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Brush the croissants with the eggwash and then bake them for about 15 minutes until a rich golden brown.

7. The croissants are best enjoyed the day they are baked. If you wish to prepare ahead, you can make the dough, fold it and let it rise, and then cut and shape the croissants. Freeze the croissants on a baking tray, then pack in a container. The croissants should fully thaw and proof for about 3 hours before then baking.

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[madhavishukla]

She's speaks clearly and to the point, there's no annoying background music and does it with ease, love it !

[BasedGenius]

I like how she explains every process and the science behind the ingredients. You know this woman knows what she's doing.

[omnnnooy]

Instead of studying, I am watching how to make CROISSANTS.
the cook is so passionate about what she is making, I love the way she talks and explains things :)

[raisasengupta]

The crossiants rested more than I rest in a week

[vhrilke]

this is honestly like a therapy to me. her voice is relaxing and the silence is peaceful

[belbush]

I just made these😋. Writing while eating a fresh ham and cheese croissant.
For those who are interested, a couple of things...
While working with butter, I discovered mine was white while Anna’s was very yellow. Use YELLOW (higher fat content. Grass fed cows v. White butter (corn fed cows, lower fat content).
I did not wait 8 hrs. I did 4 hours and last fold 12 hrs (as Anna suggests in her written recipe). When I pulled the dough out of fridge, I discovered my dough looked nothing like Anna’s (hers was so risen😳). I googled and it seemed like I overworked the dough. So note not to roll it too hard and too thin. And it was suggested that 3 roll/fold would be enough (I did four).
So I expected a total fail. Didn’t think my croissants will rise at all. Well, they did a bit during the last two hours of proof and, boy, they really rose in the oven! They came out PERFECT😋. I am basically happily stunned 🤪. What’s more, the filling didn’t leak out at all. Almond and chocolate croissants are nice and tidy.
I made plain, almond, chocolate and ham and cheese. I also rolled the remnants of the dough into balls and stuck them in the oven. Why waste😉? Got 6 little “rolls” - husband already ate 3.
Anna, thank you for your video. I would have never dared to make these but you made it look way easier than I ever imagined! Thank you!!!

[michelepaulson]

I will never again complain about the cost of croissants.! Seriously intense.

[ritafam]

Anna Olson, you are the best teacher in cakes and pastry

I am not afraid to try baking cakes anymore.

Just admire your talent, your style, your clarity in explaining the methods.

[Rai]

I like how straightforward she is. Enjoyable to watch. And not too much talking talking. Will try.

[gge]

I’ve made croissant dough from scratch and it’s definitely time consuming but worth doing at least once in your life.

[brandmyderizi]

Hi, i made these croissants and they were pretty good. Although i have a few recommandations:
1) Add less salt
2) For the pêne de chocolat add more chocolate than you think is enough
3) If you want it to taste like something add more sugar
4) Work as quickly as you can when you form them- the butter melts very easily
5) If your fridge has the option to go down in temperature, set it at least at 4 degrees C- i found that when it was cold it bought you more time to roll, fold and shape.
6) Preheat your oven 20-30 min before, it really matters
7) Make a schedule so you can organize and controll the rise period. Try to do the dough early in the morning and rest each time for 2-3 hours. Then put it in the fridge overnight and so its perfect to have for breakfast.
8) If you dont have a 8 inch by 8 inch pan just do it with parchment paper






By the way im 12 years old! No kidding

[kiko]

I just love how she explain things. It makes it so much easier to understand something that looks difficult to make.

[DDejana]

I just made them. It took me almost 3 days but they taste amazing! Thanks so much for the recipe!

[GoldenPalm]

People 3 months ago:

“Ain’t nobody got time fo that”

People now: “I got a little time”

[eamon]

Just did the last fold! Tomorrow is finally the day that I get to eat them. I waited the whole 8 hours after each fold, and I'm agonizing with the wait here. Respects to you, Anna.

[Liliofi]

made this amazing recipe twice now, they are absolutely amazing! The croissants are buttery and flaky just the way they should be! a good tip is to don't let the last rising take longer than 2 hours because then they will lose their pretty shape. also, I kept the 8 hours between each rising and I'd say they completely worth the wait! it is not a lot of work, but it takes time for sure! highly recommend doing it though!

[ghingmontalban]

Since the pandemic started, I challenged myself to do things that I don’t normally do. So now, I have a vegetable garden, painted 6 acrylic paintings on canvas, recorded songs and started my own business. But then I realized, I forgot about baking. I wanted to start with my favorite chocolate croissant and couldn’t wait to make it in my kitchen. So I looked it up and found this video. I was taking down notes for the recipes and instructions as the video went on. After I watched it, I took the challenge.... to order it from a French bakery for delivery 📦 🚚 👍🏽😜😂

[funintended]

I must say a clear short n crisp n perfect useful learning recipe of croissants on you tube....ever.

[adamchurvis]

I genuinely appreciate your experience and technical capabilities, and your ability to transfer knowledge to those who want to learn.

[beatriceoduor]

The best speaker and a real teacher. A real mom teacher. Following in Kenya