Best Butter Croissants Recipes

QUICK BUTTER CROISSANTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in milk, salt, sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup flour and melted butter. Beat to make a smooth batter; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cut the one cup firm butter into remaining four cups flour until butter particles are the size of dried kidney beans. Pour the yeast batter over this and carefully turn the mixture over with a spatula to blend, just until all flour is moistened. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or up to four days.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface; press into compact balls and knead about 6 turns to release air bubbles. Divide dough into four equal parts. Shape one at a time. Refrigerate the remaining dough.
• Roll one part of the dough on a floured board into a circle 17 inches in diameter. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the circle into eight equal pie-shaped wedges. Roll the wedges loosely toward the point. Shape each roll into a crescent and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Allow 1 1/2 inches space between each roll.
• Cover and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size. Approximately 2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Brush croissants with beaten egg. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, until golden.

BUTTER CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Combine the butter and the 3 tablespoons of flour using two knives or a pastry blender.
• Place the butter mixture between two sheets of waxed paper and beat it with a rolling pin until it becomes soft and malleable. Make sure the butter stays cold though. When you're making laminated doughs such as croissant dough, puff pastry dough, or danish pastry dough it's important that the dough stays cold so the butter and the dough form distinct layers.
• Shape the block of butter into a 6- by 8-inch rectangle.
• Place the block of butter somewhere cool or back in the refrigerator while you make the dough. Don't let the butter re-harden though. If the butter re-hardens it will break through the dough when you go to roll it out. You want the butter cold but you also want it to be spreadable.
• For the dough combine the milk, yeast and sugar.
• Let sit 5 minutes or until yeast is dissolved and the surface is all foamy.
• Stir in the salt.
• Stir in the 2 7/8 cups of flour, all at once, until thoroughly combined. You should have a very soft wet dough.
• Cover the bowl of dough and place it in the refrigerator until it's chilled. If the dough is warm it might cause the butter to melt.
• Using a shaker or a sifter, generously flour your work surface. By generously I don't mean a simple dusting. You want a good substantial layer of flour. If you can see the counter top or table top underneath the flour then you need to sprinkle on more. This dough is very wet and if you don't use enough flour on your work surface the dough is going to stick. Don't add anymore flour to the dough itself because the flour you use to roll out the dough is only going to be on the surface of the dough, and it's going to be brushed away.
• Roll the dough into a 10- by 14-inch rectangle. Brush away the excess flour on the surface of the dough with a pastry brush.
• Place the block of butter on one side of the dough and fold the other side over and seal the edges.
• Turn the dough so that the fold is on the left and the part that opens is on the right (like the way a book opens).
• Roll the dough into a 9- by 17-inch rectangle. Be sure to check that it's not sticking to the table. When you you roll out the dough you want to use smooth even strokes and make sure you don't roll over the edge of the dough. If you do you'll crush the layers you're trying to make.
• Use a pastry brush to brush away ALL excess flour off the surface of the dough. This step is important because if you don't it will keep the dough from forming the layers properly.
• Fold 1/3 of the dough on to itself.
• Brush away the flour.
• Fold the other third of the dough on top of that so that the dough resembles a folded business letter. Be sure to keep the edges and corners lined up. This is what's called a "turn". A turn gets its name because each time you roll out the dough you have to turn it a quarter turn so the position of the dough is always the same each time you roll it out.
• Roll out the dough and fold the dough in thirds as you did before.
• At this point you should wrap the dough up and refrigerate it for 45 minutes to an hour.
• Repeat the rolling and folding in thirds like a business letter two more times. Refrigerate the dough for an hour between each turn. Before rolling out the dough each time make sure you always position the dough so that the top flap has the fold on the left and the part that opens on the right. After the 4th turn the dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours or overnight if it's more convenient.
• Roll the dough into a 10- by 20-inch rectangle. Be sure the corners are square.
• Cut the dough into eight squares by cutting it half lengthwise and then cutting each half into 4 squares. A pizza cutter is a great tool for this job.
• Cut each square into two triangles.
• Take one of the triangles and stretch it until the two short sides are as long as the long side ( the hypotenuse in case you've forgotten your geometry).
• Roll up the triangle and curve the ends in slightly to form a crescent shape.
• Repeat with the rest of the triangles of dough.
• Place the croissants at least 2 inches apart on baking sheets that have been lightly sprayed with cooking spray or covered with parchment paper.
• Cover the croissants with towels and place somewhere where it's not too warm. You don't want the butter in them to become soft remember.
• Let croissants rise until they're nearly doubled in size. This may take a few hours. Be patient. I've let them rise for as long as 5 to 6 hours. After about 2 hours the surface of the croissants may start to dry out. If this happens cover them with a damp paper towel and then put another towel on top of that.
• Combine the egg and the teaspoon of water.
• Brush a light coating of egg wash on each croissant. If the croissants are exceptionally puffy you'll need to be extra gentle when you brush on the eggwash. Another option is to put the eggwash in a spray bottle and spray the eggwash on the croissants.
• Bake the croissants in a preheated 425° F oven for 12 to 15 minutes until they're golden brown.

PERFECT BUTTER CROISSANTS

Steps:

• It is important to use only a small amount of yeast in croissants so that the dough never rises before it is placed in the oven. If dry yeast is used, follow directions on package. If fresh yeast is used, cream it with sugar and salt to make a syrup.
• Place 3 1/2 cups flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Add yeast, sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the butter (cut into pieces and softened) and enough cold milk to make a medium-firm dough-NOT as firm as bread dough, but not sticky. Knead dough for a few minutes, only until smooth, not elastic (You can use a stand mixer initially & finish kneading by hand on a floured surface until the dough is smooth, about 3-4 minutes.) If the dough is kneaded too long, the croissants will not be tender and flaky. Place dough to rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
• While dough is resting, shape butter into a flattened brick, rolling it in some of the remaining flour to prevent sticking. Place butter on a sheet of wax paper. Sprinkle it with flour and cover with another sheet of wax paper. Then roll out butter into a square ¼ inch thick. Cut square in half. Wrap pieces in wax paper and place in refrigerator.
• Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a cloth well dusted with flour or a well-floured surface, making a rectangle about 3 times longer than it is wide. Brush excess flour from surface of dough. Place a piece of butter in the center. Fold ONE end of dough over butter. Place remaining butter on top. Fold second end of dough over butter. Press edges together to seal.
• Place dough on cloth so that the short ends are parallel to the edge of the table nearest you. Roll out on floured cloth into a long rectangle as before. Brush off excess flour. Fold both ends to meet in the center. Then fold once more, in half, as if you were closing the pages of a book, making 4 layers.
• Press all edges together. Wrap and chill for one hour. Place dough on floured cloth, again being sure that the short ends are parallel to the edge of the table nearest you. Roll out dough into a long rectangle. Fold ends to meet in the center, then fold once again as before.
• Chill dough at least 2-3 hours, or until it is very cold.
• Cut dough in half. Roll out each half separately into a sheet 1/8 of an inch thick (chill half not being worked on). Cut into long strips 5 inches wide. Divide strips into triangles using a sharp paring knife or a pizza cutter. Roll up widest side of the triangles toward opposite point fairly tightly, stretching slightly as you roll to make them longer. DO NOT try to shape further for now. First, chill rolls in freezer for ½ hour.
• Then, removing only 4-5 at a time, make each into a thinner, longer, and more compact shape by rolling it firmly against the surface with open palm of hand. Place on a greased baking sheet, curving each into a croissant. Chill again until very cold (you could actually freeze the formed rolls at this point).
• Set oven to 475°F Brush rolls with egg yolks mixed with cream. Place in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 400°F Continue baking about 8-9 minutes longer, or until croissants are golden brown. Let cool (and complete carry-over baking) before eating.

BUTTER CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Roll out and cut dough:
• Cut dough in half and chill 1 half, wrapped in plastic wrap. Roll out other half on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as necessary and stretching corners to maintain shape, into a 16- by 12-inch rectangle. Brush off excess flour with pastry brush and trim edges with a pizza wheel or sharp knife.
• Arrange dough with a short side nearest you. Cut in half horizontally and chill 1 half. Cut remaining half vertically into thirds, forming 3 rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally in half to make 2 triangles, for a total of 6 triangles.
• Shape croissants:
• Holding short side (side opposite tip) of 1 triangle in one hand, stretch dough, tugging and sliding with other hand toward tip to elongate by about 50 percent.
• Return to work surface with short side of triangle nearest you. Beginning with short side, roll up triangle toward tip. Croissant should overlap 3 times, with tip sticking out from underneath; you may need to stretch dough while rolling.)
• Put croissant, tip side down, on a parchment-lined large baking sheet. (Curve ends inward to make a crescent shape if desired.)
• Make more croissants with remaining 5 triangles, then with remaining rolled-out dough, arranging them 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Repeat rolling, cutting, and shaping procedures with chilled piece of dough.
• Let croissants rise:
• Slide each baking sheet into a garbage bag, propping up top of bag with inverted glasses to keep it from touching croissants, and tuck open end under baking sheet.
• Let croissants rise until slightly puffy and spongy to the touch, 2 to 2‚ hours.
• Bake croissants:
• Adjust oven racks to upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 425°F.
• Remove baking sheets from bags. Spritz inside oven generously with spray bottle and close door. Put croissants in oven, then spritz again before closing door. Reduce temperature to 400°F and bake 10 minutes without opening door.
• Switch position of sheets in oven and rotate sheets 180°, then reduce temperature to 375°F and bake until croissants are deep golden, about 10 minutes more.

QUICK BUTTER CROISSANTS

Steps:

• In a bowl, let yeast soften in water. Add milk, salt, sugar, egg and 1 c of flour. Beat to make a smooth batter and blend in melted butter. Set aside. In a large bowl cut the 1 c butter into remaining 4 c flour/salt to size of kidney beans. Pour yeast batter over top and carefully turn mixture over with spatula to blend just until all flour is moistened. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours and up to 4 days. Remove dough to floured board, press into a compact ball and knead about 6 turns to release air bubbles, divide into 5 or 6 balls. Shape, one part at a time, leaving remaining dough wrapped in refrigerator. To shape, roll one part of dough on floured board into a 10" circle. Cut into wedges. Roll wedges toward point, shaping into crescent and place on ungreased baking sheet point down (allow 1 1/2 inch of space around each roll). Cover lightly and let rise at room temperature in a draft free place. Do not speed the rising of the rolls by placing them in a warm spot. When almost doubled in bulk (2 hours), brush with egg and water mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.