How to Make Croissants: Step-by-Step Tutorial With Photos

Baking French croissants is an intricate, multi-day process. Learn how Chef Dominique Ansel approaches making the perfect homemade croissants below.

1. Make a basic dough from butter, flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and milk.

2. Form the dough into a large, flat rectangle with a rolling pin, then rested overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Next, you’ll make a “butter block” by forming butter into a thin, wide square. Once the croissant dough has rested, envelop the butter block with the dough.

4. Then, in a process called “laminating,” gently roll your croissant dough out into a thin layer, fold it back on itself, and repeat, refrigerating the dough between each fold to prevent the butter from melting. This lamination process creates many thin layers of butter between the dough. (During baking, these laminated layers will melt, resulting in steam that creates the croissant’s signature flaky texture.)

5. After laminating, use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to divide your dough rectangle into triangles.

6. Beginning from the widest side, gently roll the dough towards the tip, into your croissants’ final shape.

7. Once your croissants rested another night in the refrigerator, it’s finally time to bake them. After proofing the dough for 2-3 hours to activate the yeast, brush the croissants with egg wash mixture of eggs, salt, and milk. (This will give the croissants their glossy, golden brown crust.)

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes, et voila: fresh, homemade croissants.

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