Making croissants at home is not for the weak. They’re notoriously difficult to master but the reward is in the trying. And who better to guide you on this journey than chef Dominique Ansel, the pastry chef and owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery, Dominique Ansel Workshop, and Papa D’Amour in New York City. Though perhaps most famously known for his viral Cronuts, Ansel is first and foremost a croissant head. As he tells it, his head bakers have been instructed to send him a picture first thing every morning of the day’s freshly baked croissants. Through his phone, Ansel is able to examine the cross section of the croissant and deduce every nuance of the dough, knowing at a glance if the lamination was done correctly.
If you’d like to reach that level of expertise, it’s wise to get cracking now. Ansel admits making croissants at home is particularly tough because we lack the industrial dough sheeter (which rolls dough with gentle and even pressure) and copious refrigeration of commercial kitchens. But it can be done! Break the process up over several days—the dough and butter block on day one, the shaping and baking on day two. Before you begin, clear enough space in your fridge to fit a large rimmed baking sheet. In the game of man versus temperature, you want to be the winner. The goal is to have the butter and the dough always be the same temperature (and neither too warm nor too cold) so they can be manipulated as a whole.
As always, weighing your ingredients, particularly the flour, is preferable to measuring with cups.
Recipe information
Total Time
8 hours (plus 12 hours chilling)
Yield
15 croissants
Ingredients
6⅓
⅓
1
2½
3
¾
1
6
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Mix 6⅓ cups plus 1 Tbsp. (800 g) bread flour, ⅓ cup (67 g) sugar, 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. instant yeast, and 2½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook to combine.
Step 2
Whisk 2 large eggs, ¾ cup whole milk, room temperature, and 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. mild honey in a small bowl until well combined. Add to dry ingredients, then add 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature. Mix on medium-low speed until a smooth dough forms, 15–20 minutes. (Dough should not be sticking to sides of bowl but might still stick to bottom.)
Step 3
Turn dough out onto a clean surface and roll into a smooth, tight ball with your hands. Using a paring knife, score a large, deep X on top of dough. (This will help the dough expand into a square shape as it rises, making it easier to roll out later.) Pull open cut edges so dough forms about a 6" square. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and cover loosely but securely with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1½–2 hours.
Step 4
Using the heel of your hand, press down firmly on dough through plastic wrap to flatten, maintaining a square no larger than 8". (This step is called degassing and is important for popping any large, irregular air bubbles that may cause croissants to misshapen during baking.) Chill dough 1–1½ hours. (During this time, dough may rise slightly but will not double in size.)
Step 5
Remove dough from fridge, press down firmly again to flatten. Make sure it’s well wrapped in plastic and return to fridge; chill 12 hours (or overnight).
Step 6
Meanwhile, place remaining 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, in a quart-size resealable plastic bag and seal. (Quart-size bags are typically 9x6" so it’s essential to get this size because the butter will conform to it.) Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten butter to fill bag. (Alternatively, place butter between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, flatten butter to about ½" thick, then, using a bench scraper, shape butter into about a 7" square and straighten edges; you want them to be as angular as possible. Tuck edges of parchment under to seal in butter.) Chill butter 12 hours (or overnight).
Step 7
Let butter sit at room temperature to temper slightly (it should be cold but able to bend slightly without breaking), 5–10 minutes.
Step 8
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle a little more than twice in length and the same width as butter block. Remove butter block from bag or parchment and place on one end of dough; fold dough over (like you’re closing a book). Using a sharp paring knife, cut folded edge of dough to create an open side. Using your fingers, pinch dough closed on all 4 sides so butter is enclosed.
Step 9
With steady, even pressure, roll out dough package so it quadruples in length. The finished rectangle should be 28x10" and about ¼" thick. Place dough so a long side is parallel to edge of counter. Fold one short side of rectangle toward middle of dough slab, aligning sides. Press gently so dough adheres to itself. Repeat with other side of dough, leaving a ⅛" gap between ends in the middle. Now, fold entire slab in half along gap. You should now have a rectangular packet of dough that’s 4 layers thick. (This is called a double or book fold and it quadruples the number of layers of butter inside the dough.)
Step 10
Transfer dough slab to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and chill 25–30 minutes.
Step 11
Place dough slab on a floured surface with the “spine” to your right. Roll out dough vertically (top to bottom) until tripled in length to a rectangle about 21x10" and ¼" thick. Turn dough so a long side is parallel to edge of counter. Starting from one short side, fold dough in thirds like a letter, bringing a third up and over center third, then remaining third up and over already folded portion. (This is a simple or letter fold and triples the layers of butter inside the dough.) Using bench scraper, tighten up edges so you have a tidy square. Re-wrap dough in plastic and chill 25–30 minutes.
Step 12
Transfer dough to a floured surface and arrange so spine is to your right. Roll out dough vertically (top to bottom) until tripled in length to a 24x10" rectangle about ¼" thick. Turn dough so long side is parallel to edge of counter. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, trim edges so they’re perfectly straight.
Step 13
On long side of dough closest to you, make a mark with the tip of a butter knife every 3". On long side farthest from you, make a mark 1½" in from edge of dough, then mark every 3" from there. The marks on top edge will line up to the midpoint of each mark on bottom edge.
Step 14
Using knife and ruler, cut dough from top to bottom marks to form long triangles. Transfer triangles to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and chill 15–20 minutes.
Step 15
Place a triangle on a clean surface with wider end facing you. Holding on to wider end with one hand, pull tip of triangle with your other hand to stretch and relax dough. Starting from the wide end, slowly and gently roll up triangle (be careful not to roll it too tight). Repeat with remaining triangles.
Step 16
Place 5 croissants on each of 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. If you have a spray bottle, fill it with water and spray a thin mist over croissants. (This moistens the surface and prevents it from drying out as the croissants rise. They will crack and bake unevenly if surface dries out.) Loosely cover croissants with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size and they jiggle slightly when baking sheet is shaken gently, 1½–2 hours. (Make sure ambient temperature is 70°–75°. Any hotter and butter will melt and leak out of dough.)
Step 17
Place remaining 5 croissants on a flat freezer-safe plate, spacing 1" apart. Wrap with plastic and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months. (You can bake as directed below, but increase rising time by 1–2 hours.)
Step 18
Thirty minutes before croissants are ready to bake, place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 400°.
Step 19
Whisk remaining 1 large egg, a splash of whole milk, and a large pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl until smooth. Using a soft-bristled pastry brush (do not use silicone), lightly brush tops of croissants with egg wash. (They are very delicate at this point, so be gentle.)
Step 20
Bake croissants until golden, 15–18 minutes. Rotate baking sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continue to bake croissants until deep golden brown, 10–12 minutes more. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes before serving.