Step by Step Sourdough Croissants
These sourdough croissants are buttery, shatteringly flaky, and leavened with sourdough starter. A labour of love, but worth it.
Ingredients
Levain
- 30 g starter
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 60 g water
Dough Ingredients:
- 450 g all-purpose flour
- 8 g salt
- 40 g sugar
- 230 g water
- All the levain or around 140g active sourdough starter, 100% hydration
- 50 g unsalted butter room temperature
Butter packet:
- 250 g unsalted butter room temperature or cold depending on method used, see notes
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (only for the flour method, see notes)
Egg Wash
- 1 egg + 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Levain
- Feed your levain by combining the starter, flour and water in a jar and mixing well. Leave it until bubbly, doubled or tripled in volume, and at or near its peak. Feed it in the morning for Schedule 1, or the night before for Schedule 2, adjusting the feeding ratio or temperature if needed so it's ready when you want to mix the dough.
The dough
- Mix all the dough ingredients together by hand to form a sticky dough ball. Knead on the bench for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth. It will still be a bit sticky, which is fine. 450 g all-purpose flour, 8 g salt, 40 g sugar, 230 g water, All the levain, 50 g unsalted butter
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover. Let the dough ferment for around 3-4 hours at 24 to 25°C / 75 to 77°F, until puffed by around 20 to 40%. It doesn't need to double.
- Shape the dough into a flat rectangle, wrap tightly or place in an airtight container, and chill in the fridge. If following Schedule 1, refrigerate overnight. If following Schedule 2, refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before laminating. Shaping the dough into a rectangle now means less rolling later, which helps keep the dough cold and relaxed.
The butter packet
- Make the butter packet using either the bashing method or the flour method (see notes below). Roll it into a rectangle of about 15 x 20cm (6 x 8 inch) between two sheets of baking paper, then chill it in the fridge. 250 g unsalted butter, 1 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
Encasing the butter
- Take the butter packet from the fridge and bash it firmly all over with the rolling pin, then give it a roll to bring it into a workable, bendy state. Bashing the cold butter with the rolling pin works the fat into a smooth, pliable state without warming it, so it bends like cold clay instead of cracking.
- On a floured bench, roll the chilled dough into a 20 x 40cm (8 x 16 inch) rectangle. Place the butter packet in the middle. Bring the top of the dough down and the bottom up to meet in the middle over the butter, then pinch the seam where they meet to seal.
- Make a shallow slit along each of the folded long edges (the closed sides where the butter is sealed in, not the open ends), to relieve the tension. Then turn the dough a quarter turn.
Fold 1
- Gently press along the length of the dough with the rolling pin to start dispersing the butter, then roll out to around 8mm thick, focusing on lengthening rather than widening. Always roll in one direction, away from you, lifting the pin and starting again rather than rolling back and forth, which smears the butter. Dust with flour if it sticks.
- Brush off any excess flour, then fold the dough like a pamphlet, bringing the top third down to the middle and the bottom third up over the top. Wrap tightly and chill for 30 minutes.
Fold 2 and 3
- Turn the chilled dough 90 degrees and roll out again to around 8mm thick. Trim off any scraggly edges for more even layers. Brush off excess flour, repeat the pamphlet fold, and chill for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Repeat the rolling and folding once more. After this third fold, chill the dough, tightly covered, for at least 2 hours.
Cutting and shaping
- Roll the chilled dough into a 28 x 60cm (11 x 24 inch) rectangle, around 4mm thick.
- Mark 5cm (2 inch) intervals along both long edges of the rectangle, with the marks directly opposite each other. Using a pizza cutter or large knife, cut diagonally from one edge to the other, skipping every second mark to create alternating triangles with bases approximately 10cm (4 inches) wide. You should get around 12 croissants. See the photo above for the cutting pattern.
- Gently stretch the base of each triangle out a little, then roll it up snugly from the base to the tip without squashing the layers. Bend the ends in slightly to make a crescent, or leave them straight.
- Place the shaped croissants on parchment-lined trays and proof in a warm, humid spot, ideally around 24 to 25°C (75 to 77°F), until noticeably puffy, light and jiggly when the tray is gently shaken. The layers should be clearly visible. This can take around 4 to 7 hours, or much longer in a cooler kitchen. Go by how the croissants look and feel rather than the clock, and keep the temperature below 26°C (79°F) so the butter doesn't melt.
- To stop them drying out, spritz them gently with water or create a warm, humid spot by placing them in a cold, turned-off oven next to a cup of hot water. Don't put the cup directly under the croissant tray, and don't let the spot get too hot, or the butter will melt and ruin the layers.
Baking
- Brush the proofed croissants gently with egg wash. 1 egg + 1 tbsp waterBake at 205°C (400°F) in a conventional oven for around 20 minutes, until deeply golden brown, including around the sides. If they're browning too quickly, turn the oven down a little.
- Let the croissants cool to room temperature before slicing so the interior has time to set.
Notes
Baker's schedule (2 ways)
Schedule 1: Laminate on day 2. Feed the levain in the morning of day 1 and let it reach its peak (around 6 hours for mine). Mix and ferment the dough, then chill it overnight. On day 2, make the butter packet and laminate with three folds, chilling for 20 to 30 minutes between each. Chill for at least 2 hours after the final fold, then shape, proof and bake. Schedule 2: Laminate on day 1. Feed the levain the night before so it's at its peak and ready first thing. You may need to use a higher feeding ratio or a cooler spot overnight so it doesn't peak too early. Mix and ferment the dough, chill it for 2 to 3 hours, then laminate with all three folds that afternoon, chilling between each fold. Rest the laminated dough overnight in the fridge. Day 2 is then just shaping, proofing and baking, so you can have fresh croissants around lunchtime, depending on how quickly they proof.A note on feeding the levain
The levain in this recipe uses a 1:2:2 feeding ratio, which takes around 6 hours to peak in my kitchen at 21 to 23°C (70 to 73°F). If you're following Schedule 2 and feeding it the night before, you may need to increase the feeding ratio so it takes longer to peak, or keep it somewhere cooler overnight. For example, you could use 15g starter, 75g flour and 75g water (1:5:5). This will generally take longer to peak, but the exact timing depends on your starter and room temperature. These timings are a guide, so adjust them to suit your kitchen and how quickly your starter and dough ferment.The butter packet (2 methods)
Option 1: The bashing method (my preferred method). Slice 250g cold butter and arrange the slices side by side on a sheet of baking paper. Fold the paper into a 15 x 20cm (6 x 8 inch) rectangle to create a frame, then bash the butter firmly with a rolling pin to flatten it. Roll it out to fill the rectangle evenly, then refrigerate until firm. Option 2: The flour method. Mix 250g room-temperature butter with 1½ tablespoons of all-purpose flour until smooth. Place between two sheets of baking paper and roll into a 15 x 20cm (6 x 8 inch) rectangle. Refrigerate until firm. Before laminating: Remove the butter packet from the fridge and give it a few firm bashes with the rolling pin to make it pliable again. The butter should be cold but bendy, around the same firmness as the chilled dough. If it's too hard, it can crack during rolling, and if it's too soft, it can smear into the dough.Tips for success
- Keep everything cold. Cold butter is what gives croissants their flaky layers. When you bash the butter packet, you're making it pliable without warming it too much. If the butter or dough feels soft, greasy or sticky during lamination, chill it for 20 to 30 minutes before continuing. If the butter melts into the dough, you'll lose some of the separation between the layers, which can give the croissants a denser, more bread-like texture.
- Roll in one direction. I prefer to roll away from me, lifting the pin and starting again rather than rolling back and forth. This gives me more control over the dough and helps avoid dragging the butter layers against each other.
- Don't rush the final proof. Proof the croissants at around 24 to 25°C (75 to 77°F), keeping the temperature below 26°C (79°F) so the butter doesn't melt. They should be noticeably puffy, light and jiggly when the tray is gently shaken, with visible layers. This can take around 4 to 7 hours, or considerably longer in a cooler kitchen. Underproofed croissants can leak butter during baking and have a dense, gummy centre, though butter leakage can also happen if the layers have been damaged during lamination or proofing.
- Keep the croissants from drying out. The long proofing time can cause a dry skin to form on the dough, which restricts expansion. You can create a warm, humid environment by placing the tray in a turned-off oven with a mug of hot water nearby. Just keep an eye on the temperature.
- Storage. Croissants are best on the day they're baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, though they'll lose their crispness sooner. You can refresh them in the oven before serving, or freeze baked croissants for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1croissantCalories: 352kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 5gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 263mgPotassium: 53mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 625IUCalcium: 13mgIron: 2mg
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