Every kind of baking involves its own methods and multiple steps, whether it's cookies, cakes, bread or even croissants, which have plenty of steps too. These days, however, we have helpers that make baking far easier, from measuring tools to automatic dough mixers and other bakery equipment.
Making croissants isn't as hard as you might think: anyone can do it with a recipe from the internet. First, a little history of the croissant, the hugely popular bake that pairs perfectly with coffee, tea or milk.
A Brief History of the Croissant
The croissant's origins go back to 1683, when the Turkish army besieged Vienna for months without managing to take the city. One day Turkish soldiers dug beneath the city walls to tunnel into the city. Bakers working day and night heard the noise and raised the alarm, saving the people of Vienna.
King John III then brought his army to the rescue, and the bakers celebrated by copying the crescent moon on the enemy flag and turning it into a pastry. They called it "Kipferl", the German word for crescent.
"Kipferl" later became "croissant" in 1770, when Marie Antoinette, an Austrian princess, married Louis XVI. Parisians baked the pastry in her honour and called it the "croissant".
Croissant Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 ml) cold milk
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) hot water
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 3 3/4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (9 oz / 250 g) butter, frozen, then left at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before use
How to Make Croissants
Make the dough
Pour the milk and hot water into a large mixing bowl, add the yeast and sugar, stir, and leave for 5 minutes until it starts to foam. Add the flour and salt and mix by hand. Tip everything onto a clean work surface and knead by hand for about 2 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Prepare the butter block
After the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, prepare the butter. Lay cling film on the work surface, grate the frozen butter (left at room temperature for 20–30 minutes) and spread it evenly into a rectangle of about 8 x 5 inches. Wrap it in cling film and chill for about 30 minutes. Then roll the chilled dough into a rectangle of about 16 x 10 inches.
Laminate the dough
Unwrap the butter, place it in the centre of the dough and fold the dough in three. Press the edges together, turn the dough horizontally, press it with a rolling pin, then roll it into a rectangle of about 15 x 10 inches. Fold it in three again, wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hour.
After an hour, unwrap the dough and do one more fold, then wrap and chill for another hour. Cut the dough into four pieces, wrap each and refrigerate for 8–12 hours (frozen, it keeps for about 3 months).
Shape the croissants
Take one piece of dough and roll it into a 16 x 6 inch rectangle. Cut it into three squares, then into triangles. Stretch each triangle with the short side as the base, pulling the opposite point long. Make a small notch in the base, stretch it slightly, then roll up from the base to the tip. The recipe's author recommends keeping the other sheets of dough in the fridge while you shape. Place the rolled croissants on a baking tray, cover with cling film and leave somewhere cool to rise for about 2–3 hours.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 220°C (450°F). Beat an egg and brush it over the croissants. Put them in the oven, then lower the temperature to 200°C (400°F) and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 10–15 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool.
An Easier Way: The Croissant Machine
There is an even easier way to make croissants: let a machine help. A croissant machine is ideal for restaurants and bakeries, saving a great deal of time and effort.
