Sourdough Croissants
Equipment
- 1 digital kitchen scale
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 Dough scraper
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 pastry brush
- 1 Sharp knife or pizza cutter
- 2 large baking sheets
- 2 sheets parchment paper
- 1 plastic wrap roll
- 1 clean kitchen towel
Ingredients
- 150 gram active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 350 gram bread flour
- 50 gram all-purpose flour
- 50 gram granulated sugar
- 9 gram fine sea salt
- 200 gram whole milk room temperature
- 40 gram unsalted butter softened
- 250 gram unsalted butter cold for laminating
- 1 large egg
- 15 gram whole milk for egg wash
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, 200 g milk, sugar, and softened 40 g butter until mostly smooth.
- Add the bread flour, all-purpose flour, and salt to the wet mixture and mix with a dough scraper until a rough dough forms.
- Knead the dough gently by hand for 3–5 minutes until it is smooth and just slightly tacky but not sticky.
- Shape the dough into a flat rectangle, place it in a lightly floured bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 30–60 minutes.
- After resting, refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight to firm it up for laminating.
- To prepare the butter block, place the 250 g cold butter between two sheets of parchment and beat it with a rolling pin into a 15 x 15 cm square about 1 cm thick.
- Chill the butter block in the refrigerator until firm but pliable, about 20–30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 30 x 30 cm square.
- Place the butter block diagonally in the center of the dough square so it looks like a diamond inside a square.
- Fold the four corners of the dough over the butter to fully encase it, pinching seams to seal so butter cannot escape.
- Gently roll the dough-butter packet into a 20 x 50 cm rectangle, keeping edges as straight and corners as square as possible.
- Perform the first letter fold by folding the bottom third of the rectangle up toward the center and the top third down over it, like folding a letter.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes to relax the gluten and keep the butter firm.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it again into a 20 x 50 cm rectangle, keeping the same orientation each time.
- Perform a second letter fold in the same way, then wrap and refrigerate for another 30–45 minutes.
- Repeat the rolling into a 20 x 50 cm rectangle and perform a third and final letter fold, then wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- When ready to shape, roll the laminated dough into a large rectangle about 25 x 60 cm and 4–5 mm thick.
- Trim the edges slightly with a sharp knife or pizza cutter to reveal clean layers.
- Using the knife or cutter, cut long triangles with a base width of about 8–9 cm and full height of the dough strip.
- Make a 1–2 cm notch in the center of each triangle base to help with shaping.
- Starting at the base of each triangle, gently stretch the dough and roll it up toward the tip, keeping tension without squashing the layers.
- Curve the ends slightly inward to create the classic crescent shape and place each croissant on parchment-lined baking sheets with space between them.
- Cover the trays loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and proof at a warm room temperature (22–24°C) for 4–6 hours until puffy, jiggly, and nearly doubled but not collapsed.
- Near the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 200°C (395°F) with a rack in the middle position.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 15 g milk to make the egg wash.
- Gently brush the proofed croissants with a thin, even layer of egg wash, taking care not to deflate them or let wash drip onto the cut edges.
- Bake the croissants for 10 minutes at 200°C, then reduce the temperature to 180°C (355°F) and bake for another 10–15 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Transfer the baked croissants to a wire rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the crumb to set.
Notes
For best results, use a strong, active starter that has recently peaked so the dough ferments predictably, and pay close attention to dough temperature and butter consistency so they stay close together: if the dough is too warm, the butter will melt and leak, while if the butter is too hard, it will break into chunks instead of forming thin layers. Light dusting of flour during rolling prevents sticking but avoid over-flouring to keep the dough tender, and always chill if the dough feels stretchy or the butter starts to soften. Because sourdough fermentation can be slow and temperature-dependent, adjust proofing times based on how puffy and jiggly the croissants look rather than the clock, and if your kitchen is cool, you can use a slightly warm but turned-off oven as a proofing box. Finally, resist the urge to underbake—deep golden color is key to fully baked layers and maximum flakiness.
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