The Perfect Croissant

Introduction

The croissant is the quintessential French pastry. With its delicate, flaky layers and rich buttery aroma, a well-made croissant is a thing of beauty. While the lamination process takes patience, the reward is a pastry that rivals anything from a Parisian boulangerie.

Ingredients

• 500g bread flour
• 10g salt
• 80g sugar
• 10g instant yeast
• 300ml whole milk, cold
• 280g unsalted butter, cold (for lamination)
• 1 egg + 1 tbsp milk (egg wash)

How to Make

1. Mix flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Add cold milk and knead until a smooth dough forms. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Pound the cold butter into a flat rectangle between parchment sheets.
3. Roll the dough into a large rectangle and place the butter block in the center. Fold the dough over the butter to enclose it completely.
4. Roll out and perform a letter fold. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Repeat this step two more times for a total of three folds.
5. Roll the dough to about 5mm thick and cut into triangles. Roll each triangle from base to tip to shape the croissants.
6. Place on a lined baking sheet, cover loosely, and proof for 2 hours at room temperature until doubled in size.
7. Brush with egg wash and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15-18 minutes until deep golden brown.

Conclusion

Making croissants at home is a labor of love, but once you pull those golden, shatteringly crisp pastries from the oven, every minute of lamination feels worth it. Serve warm with a café au lait for the full experience.