Recipe Details
Classic Buttery French Croissants (Community Pick)
Perfect for lazy, bistro-style breakfasts at home
Photo by Jonathan Melendez
Recipe At a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|--------|------|
| Total Prep & Baking Time | 26 hours 20 minutes |
| Total Ingredients | 11 |
| Yield | 8–12 croissants |
| Serves | 8–12 |
Ingredients
For the Croissant Dough
115 ml warm whole milk
30 ml warm filtered water
1 large egg (room temperature)
325 g strong white bread flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons caster sugar
25 g unsalted butter, softened
7 ½ g easy-blend instant dried yeast
175 g unsalted butter, softened (for laminating)
For the Egg Wash Glaze
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon whole milk
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6 when you are ready to bake your shaped croissants.
Mix and first rise (two methods):
Bread Machine Method: Add milk, water, egg, flour, salt, sugar, the 25g softened butter, and yeast to your machine. Select the standard dough setting, which will handle mixing, kneading, and the first rise. This takes roughly 1.5 hours, depending on your machine model.
Hand-Kneaded Method: Combine egg, flour, salt, sugar, 25g butter, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in warm milk and warm water with a wooden spoon until a soft, pliable dough forms. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size.
Prep for laminating: Turn your risen dough (from either method) out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place it back in the bowl, cover, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up. Remove the chilled dough and roll it into a rectangle roughly 50cm x 20cm (20" x 8").
Laminate the butter (key for flaky layers): Divide your 175g laminating butter into 3 equal portions. Take one portion and dot it evenly over the top two-thirds of your rolled dough, leaving a 1cm (½") border around all edges. Fold the dough into thirds: first fold the unbuttered bottom third up, then fold the top third down over it. Rotate the dough 90 degrees so the open seams are at the top and bottom, then seal the edges gently with your rolling pin. Roll the dough back out to the same 50cm x 20cm rectangle. Repeat this process two more times (using the remaining two portions of butter) to finish laminating.
Critical tip: Chill the dough in the fridge for 15–20 minutes between each laminating step to stop butter from melting and dough from getting sticky. After your final fold and roll, chill the dough for an extra 30 minutes.
Shape your croissants: Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll it carefully into a large 50cm x 30cm (24" x 12") rectangle. Cut it in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 to 6 equal triangles. Working one triangle at a time, brush the surface lightly with egg wash. Starting from the wide base of the triangle, roll the dough loosely up toward the point, then curve the ends gently to make a classic crescent shape. Place shaped croissants on a baking tray, then brush the tops with extra egg wash for a shiny golden glaze.
Freezing for later: If you want to bake croissants another day, you can freeze them at this point. Open-freeze shaped croissants on a baking tray until solid, then transfer them to a rigid freezer container or bag. To bake later, pull out the number you need the night before, place them on a baking tray to thaw overnight, then bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden and puffed.
Bake immediately: If baking right away, place shaped croissants on baking trays lined with silicone baking parchment, and leave them to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bake for 15–20 minutes until deep golden brown and fluffy.
Community Questions & Reviews
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Review 1
These turned out absolutely amazing! Mine didn’t rise quite as much as I hoped they would, but they were still incredible. I had to convert all the measurements for US units, so I’ll share my conversions here to save everyone else the work: 1/2 cup milk (3 7/8 oz), 1/8 cup water (1 1/8 oz), 2 1/3 cup flour + 1 tsp, 7/8 oz butter for the dough, 1 tsp yeast, 6 1/8 oz butter for laminating. I made half plain croissants, and filled the other half with a sweet cream cheese mixture and my homemade strawberry jam. Next time I’m going to add chocolate chips to the cream cheese filling! I brought these into work, and now everyone is requesting them for our weekly Monday meetings. The step-by-step photos were such a big help, thank you for sharing!
Review 2
I would give this 10 stars if I could! This is hands-down the best thing I’ve ever cooked in my entire life. Follow the instructions carefully, and you’ll end up with perfect croissants every time. I honestly would have been totally lost without the photos, they’re such an immense help. I filled mine with Bonne Maman raspberry preserve and a piece of dark Lindt chocolate inside, and they were to die for. I wish I’d quadrupled the recipe—this doesn’t make a ton, and it’s such a great go-to recipe for impressing friends and family!
Review 3
These are amazing, and actually way easier than I expected when you follow the photos. For anyone converting to US measurements, I found that using 1 tablespoon of yeast worked perfectly, and my croissants turned out incredibly fluffy. I make these all the time for friends and neighbors, and no one believes they aren’t from a fancy bakery. I lived in France for a few years, and these taste just like the croissants I had there. They’re perfect for dunking into a fresh cup of coffee! 5 stars all the way.
Review 4
5 stars for sure, these are incredible. Yeah, it takes a little bit of work to make them, but I promise it is 100% worth it. Just make sure you follow the photos as a guide, otherwise it can get a little confusing. I just had these for breakfast and wow—they’re buttery, soft, and exactly everything you want a croissant to be. My entire family ate every last one! Next time I’ll be trying different fillings. :)
Review 5
I was always too scared to make croissants because everyone says they’re so difficult, but I decided to give this recipe a go by hand, and they turned out really great! It was nowhere near as hard as I expected. They came out beautifully puffy and crispy. I made them a little smaller and used a touch less sugar and salt than the recipe calls for, but that’s just my personal preference. Next time I’ll make sure to egg wash every part of the pastry, including the exposed edges—they fan out while baking, and you can really tell the difference in the finished flaky look even if you miss just a tiny spot. I also recommend keeping an eye on them the last 5 minutes, because they brown really quickly once they get going. I wasn’t sure how long to chill between rolls, so I did 15 minutes between each fold and 30 minutes after the third, and it worked perfectly regardless. My family and I loved these, the recipe is so easy to follow, thank you!
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About the Recipe & Creator
This recipe was submitted by a home cook based in Southwest France:
(All personal photos from the creator are embedded at the original source, including images of her garden sunflowers and cats)
I’m British (English-Scottish), born in South Africa, and have lived all over the world—including Hong Kong, Germany, Cyprus, the USA, and Singapore. I’ve been so lucky to travel extensively over the years, and I still have that constant wanderlust!
I used to work as an English Literature and Art History teacher and lecturer; before that, I trained and worked as a graphic designer for many years. Now I live in France with my husband and my daughter, who started university in September 2006. We also share our home with Willow, a very chatty Burmese cat who lets us live with her! I used to have three cats—I recently lost Monty, my beautiful seal point Siamese, and before that I lost Rama, my debonair blue point Siamese. I would love to welcome another Siamese into our home in the future.
My favorite hobbies are reading, writing, painting and drawing, photography, gardening, any creative project, walking, traveling, dining out, and of course, cooking! I love all types of cuisine, but especially traditional British food—no, it’s not all bad! I particularly love cooking that ties in with changing seasons, traditional feasts and festivals, and slow cooking. I also adore French and North African food—truth be told, there isn’t much I don’t love!
My husband and I run a bed and breakfast called Auberge de la Fontaine here in beautiful Southwest France. We specialize in gourmet food and wine getaways, French antiques restoration courses, French language classes, and French cookery workshops. Our entire home is furnished with antique French furniture that we’ve rescued and restored ourselves. Our charming little village has one of the oldest churches in the region, it’s famous for its connection to the St. Jacques de Compostella pilgrimage route, and we’re located right in the middle of the Cognac and Bordeaux wine-growing area.
We have a wonderful garden where we grow all of our own herbs, and most of our own fruit and vegetables. I specialize in growing rare, unusual, and heirloom herbs in our walled garden, plus I grow many varieties of lavender, old-fashioned shrub roses, and heirloom produce.
We’ve lived overseas for many years now, but we still love going home to Northern England, near Scarborough and York, to visit family and friends. When we’re there, we love eating out at all the amazing gastro-pubs North Yorkshire has to offer, and we always make time for a pint of real English ale at our local pub!
A Note From the Creator
Merci Beaucoup
I want to thank everyone who makes my recipes and leaves a review! I try very hard to reply to every single person who takes the time to make, review, and photograph my recipes. But sometimes I get so busy with the B&B and other projects that I’m late to send a personal thank you, and sometimes I forget completely. So I wanted to say thank you to all of you in advance, just in case I’m late or miss your message. I’m always so humbled when someone chooses to make one of my recipes, and I love reading your reviews and seeing your beautiful photos. Thank you so much again!
A quick note about my recipes: every recipe I post, whether it’s an original creation or an adaptation from a book or famous chef, has been tested at least once by me. I want to be the guinea pig, not you! If you have any questions about any of my recipes, please feel free to reach out and I’ll answer as soon as I can. I post all measurements in both Imperial (pounds and ounces) and Metric (kilograms and grams) because I’m British!
The creator has won multiple recipe awards and participated in dozens of community cooking challenges on this platform.