Sourdough Croissant Recipe

Sourdough Croissants have layers upon layers of flaky sourdough pastry dough with European butter. They’re made with simple ingredients and no stand mixer required.

Here’s a complete guide with step-by-step instructions and a video for how to make croissants from scratch. They’re flaky, buttery and slightly tangy with fermented dough. Even the novice baker will have consistent results with these croissants using sourdough starter.

Croissants can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. They’re great for holidays, Sunday dinners, breakfast sandwiches or rolled with bittersweet baking chocolate for chocolate croissants.

Just like the ones from your local bakery, made from scratch at home using simple ingredients, sourdough starter and mixing by hand. The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for days. Or croissants prepped ahead and frozen unbaked. It’s one of our most loved sourdough recipes!

The trick to flaky layers is to keep the butter cold as it is folded into the dough, creating lamination. Keep the butter and dough at a similar consistency. This will prevent the butter from melting into the dough. After months of recipe testing, tons of good-quality butter and lots of croissants consumed – we’ve nailed the perfect sourdough croissants!

Why this recipe works

• Ease – A stand mixer is not required and any level of baker will have success.
• Simple ingredients – Basic ingredients including water, bread or all-purpose flour readily available at most grocery stores.
• Clear instructions – Easy to follow, detailed instructions and step-by-step guidance so even those with less baking experience will have success.
• Incredible flavor – Has that signature tangy flavor, flaky, crispy layers. After mastering this recipe, you can add different inclusions, such as bakers chocolate or raspberry jam.

What you’ll need

• Active sourdough starter – Made with water, flour and the wild-yeast in the air in our surroundings. Used in place of store-bought active dry yeast.
• Butter – An essential ingredient; we recommend European or Kerry Gold to achieve those flaky layers. Use unsalted, which helps control the amount of salt.
• Unbleached all-purpose or bread flour – Use a high-quality brand, which will have a higher protein content. We suggest King Arthur Flour, Bob’s Red Mill or something locally produced. I’ve started using Farmer Direct Foods and love it!
• Sugar – Adds just a touch of sweetness to the pastry dough.
• Milk – Whole milk achieves the best results. The fat helps make flaky layers.
• Salt – Kosher or sea salt work best. There are no commercial preservatives in homemade sourdough croissants, therefore salt helps preserve it. It tightens the gluten structure in flour, giving you more elasticity in the dough which will helps trap the gases (CO2) formed in fermentation and hold its shape better.
• Water – We suggest filtered water or well water. City water can contain additives that will kill the fermentation.

How to make Sourdough Croissants

• Active starter – The night before, feed your starter and leave in a warm area to double in size. Once peaked, refrigerate.
• Make & ferment sourdough pastry dough – Mixing the dough ingredients, kneading by hand or in a stand mixer. Let dough ferment in a greased bowl, covered for 3-4 hours.
• Make butter block – Cut sticks of butter to make even layers. Use a rolling pin to roll into a small rectangle in between parchment paper.
• Lamination (3 times) – Roll out pastry dough into a rectangle, double the size of your butter block. Place the butter in the center of the dough and fold both sides into the middle, encasing the butter like an envelope. Roll out into a ½-inch thick rectangle, then pull the two ends into the middle and like a book, fold over. Cover with plastic wrap or plastic cover on half sheet pan, refrigerate and relax for 30-minutes. Repeat the process 3 times.
• Chilling dough – Cold fermentation of the dough will help develop the sourdough flavor. Let the laminated dough refrigerate overnight.
• Cutting & shaping croissants – Roll out into a rectangle about ½-inch thick. Use a ruler and small pastry wheel to cut into triangles measuring about 3-4″ on the wide end. Starting at the base, gently roll into a croissant, making sure the tip is underneath. (About 6 croissants fits on a half sheet pan)
• Proofing– Proof immediately at room temperature (75-78 degrees F) for 2-3 hours. Once fully proofed, they’ll jiggle like marshmallows if you shake the sheet pan gently.
• Chilling croissants – Return to the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight for the butter to solidify.
• Baking – Brush gently with an egg wash before baking. Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until golden browned.

Tips to making the perfect croissants at home

• Make sure your yeast is fresh, no more than 4 months old. Or sourdough starter is active and stiff.
• Use the best European butter you can find. Unsalted, Kerry Gold, is our preferred brand.
• Use cold butter to laminate the dough. Lamination is the process of folding the butter, creating layers of butter and dough. When baked create air pockets that become flaky and fluffy layers.
• Don’t skip or shorten resting or chilling periods. You can let them rest longer if needed.
• Use parchment paper or silicone mat on half sheet pans.
• A pizza cutter or pastry wheel is the perfect tool for cutting triangles. Use a straightedge to help guide straight lines.
• Remove baked croissants immediately from hot sheet pans and cool on baking racks.

While homemade croissants are a little time consuming, they’re relatively easy to make and can be prepped ahead of time. High-quality butter with a higher butterfat content (82-85% fat) like Kerry Gold, European or locally produced butter.

Higher fat content also makes the butter more pliable at a colder temperature which will be helpful during lamination. And more yellow in color and has a richer, cultured flavor which can help create more tender baked goods.

Recipe FAQs

Proofing croissants directly from the freezer

• Place onto room temperature half sheet pans lined with parchment paper, about six croissants per pan. This will give them room to proof.
• Place into a room temperature area, covered with a plastic bag, upside down proofing box, or inside a baking rack with plastic cover to let proof.
• A small saucepan of boiling water will help create warm steam.
• Proofing directly from the freezer will take 5-6 hours, depending on your conditions. More during colder, winter months.

More sourdough recipes

• Beginners Sourdough Bread
• Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough
• Sourdough Sandwich Bread

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Sourdough Croissants

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Cold Fermentation1 day d

Total Time1 day d 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Sourdough croissants are made with simple ingredients and no stand mixer required.

Course: Breakfast or Brunch, Desserts

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: 12 croissants

Calories: 505kcal

Author: Jessica Robinson

Ingredients

Sourdough Croissant Dough

• ▢ 650 grams unbleached all-purpose or bread flour (we like a mixture)
• ▢ 220 grams stiff active sourdough starter
• ▢ 165 grams water
• ▢ 165 grams whole milk
• ▢ 75 grams granulated sugar
• ▢ 75 grams unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 13 grams sea salt

Butter Block

• ▢ 350 grams unsalted butter (high fat butter, such as Kerry Gold)

Egg Wash

• ▢ 1 large egg (room temperature)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon water
• ▢ pinch salt

Instructions

Sourdough Starter

• Active starter – The night before, feed your starter and leave in a warm area to double in size. Once peaked, refrigerate.
• Day of making croissants; take the ripe starter out of the refrigerator in order to come to room temperature.

Sourdough Croissant Dough

• Pour all your dough ingredients into a mixing bowl. Either by hand using a Danish dough whisk or in a stand mixer with a dough hook, knead the ingredients into a smooth dough (5-8 minutes). Or you can knead by hand on a very lightly floured work surface. Use a plastic bench scraper to help you work the dough.
• Place the dough round into a large, greased mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a reusable plastic shower caps and let warm ferment for 3-4 hours in a warm area. (75-78 degrees F)
• Scoop out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, roll into a small rectangle (or use your hands to press down). Place dough onto a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover well with plastic and place in the fridge for 4-24hrs.
• It's essential to keep the dough wrapped with plastic wrap, so it doesn't dry out in the fridge.

Butter Block

• Cut your butter in half (lengthways) using a chef’s knife and place both halves inside a two sheets of baking paper or one piece of parchment paper folded in half. With a rolling pin, beat into a ¼-inch thick rectangle. Butter should be easy to dent but not spreadable.
• Refrigerate the butter block while your dough is fermenting.

Lamination

• Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough into a rectangle, double the size of your butter. Place the butter in the center of the dough and fold both sides into the middle, encasing the butter. Roll out into a ½-inch thick rectangle, then pull the two ends into the middle and like a book, fold over.
• Before folding, use a pastry brush to brush excess flour off of the dough.
• Pop the folded dough in the fridge to chill and relax for 30-minutes, then repeat the folding process and return back to the fridge. (the lamination process is done a total of three times)

Chilling Dough

• Let the dough refrigerate overnight to cold ferment. (4-24 hours)

Cutting & Shaping Croissants

• Roll out the dough onto a ½-inch thick rectangular, roughly 12”x20” wide. Cut 10-12 triangles. (I measured the wide end around 3-4” and used a straightedge to guide my straight lines) Cut a slit at the wide end of the triangle. Starting at the base of each triangle, begin to gently roll into a croissant, making sure the tip is underneath.

Proofing Croissants

• Place onto a lined baking tray, cover loosely with plastic wrap or place the entire sheet pan into a large clear plastic bag or half sheet pan plastic cover and proof at room temperature (75-78 degrees F) for 2-3 hours. You’ll want them to have risen and will be soft to the touch. They’ll jiggle like marshmallows if you shake the sheet pan back and forth.
• Six croissants will fit nicely, with room to proof on one half sheet pan.

Chilling Croissants

• Once proofed, place into the fridge for 1-2 hours. (This will let the butter solidify.)

Baking

• Bake one sheet pan at a time. Hold the second pan in the fridge until you’re ready to bake or freeze for later.
• Place a half sheet pan on the bottom rack of your oven. Boil a kettle of water. Once the water is boiling, pour onto the sheet pan. This will create steam while they bake, mimicking a commercial bakery’s oven.
• Brush the croissants with an egg wash (1 large egg, pinch of salt and tablespoon of water whisked together) before baking. Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Should they be getting too browned, you can lower the temperature to 350 degrees F for the last few minutes of baking.
• Remove from the oven and use a spatula to transfer baked croissants immediately to a baking rack. This will help them cool and not get soggy. Cool for 15-20 minutes before enjoying.

Video

Recipe Notes

Sourdough starter – You’ll want a stiff starter, meaning it’s thicker. We often add a few tablespoons of potato flakes to achieve this. Potato flakes also act as a natural preservative and add moisture.

As you work, keep your work surface lightly floured and turn the dough as needed. Before folding, use a pastry brush to brush excess flour off of the dough. This helps the dough stick to itself, so layers don’t slide around.

When rolling the dough, be sure the dough and the butter are the same consistency. This will make rolling process easier and layers more even.

You can make rectangle, filled croissants. Cut into 3-inch strips and fill with ham and cheese, spinach and Gruyere cheese or bittersweet chocolate baking sticks.

Proofing croissants– If you have a baking rack with cover, you can place a saucepan of boiling water at the bottom, underneath the tray of croissants proofing. This creates warm steam to help them proof.

Baking -Place a half sheet pan on the bottom rack of your oven. Boil a kettle of water. Once the water is boiling, pour onto the sheet pan. This will create steam while they bake, mimicking a commercial bakery’s oven. (This helps the croissants rise and bake up nicely!)

 

Nutrition

Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 436mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 928IU | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 3mg

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