Quickly Make Perfect Croissants at Home | I Baked Perfect Croissants

 Quickly Make Perfect Croissants at Home- Perfect Croissants

Baked Perfect Croissants

Quickly Make Perfect Croissants at Home are the ultimate reward for patience—a golden, crescent-shaped pastry with a crisp, flaky exterior that gives way to soft, buttery layers inside. This recipe takes you through a hands-on process of creating a simple yeasted dough and folding in a generous amount of cold butter to achieve that signature texture. It’s not a quick bake; the dough requires multiple rounds of rolling, folding, and chilling to build up delicate layers, followed by a slow rise to puff them up. The result? A warm, fragrant batch of Baked Perfect Croissants that rival a French bakery, perfect for savoring plain or with a smear of jam.

Ingredients

• 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour


• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar


• 2 teaspoons salt


• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast


• 1 1/4 cups (300ml) cold milk


• 1 1/4 cups (300g) unsalted butter, cold (for laminating)


• 1 egg (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Make the Dough:
   In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Gradually add cold milk, mixing until a shaggy dough comes together. Knead on  lightly floured surface for five minutes until smooth and elastic. Form a ball, wrap with plastic, and chill for one hour.


2. Prepare the Butter Layer:
   Sandwich the cold butter between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to flatten and shape it into an 8x8-inch (20x20cm) square. Keep it firm and cold in the fridge until the dough is ready.


3. Laminate the Dough:
   Roll the chilled dough into a 10x10-inch (25x25cm) square. Place the butter square diagonally in the center, then fold the dough corners over it like an envelope, sealing the edges. Roll this packet into an 8x20-inch (20x50cm) rectangle. Fold it in thirds, like a letter (your first turn), wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. Repeat this rolling and folding process two more times, chilling between each turn to keep the butter firm.


4. Shape the Croissants:
   After the final turn, roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1/4-inch (0.5cm) thick. Slice it into long triangles, each about 5 inches (12cm) wide at the base. Roll each triangle from the wide end to the tip, then gently curve the ends to form a crescent. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet with space between them.


5. Proof the Dough:
   Cover the shaped croissants loosely with a towel and let them rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours, until they’re noticeably puffy and almost doubled in size.


6. Bake:
   Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Whisk the egg with a splash of water and brush it over the croissants for a shiny, golden crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until they’re a rich golden brown and crisp to the touch.


7. Enjoy:
   Quickly Make Perfect Croissants at Home Let them cool slightly on a wire rack before digging in—though they’re irresistible warm!