These buttery sourdough croissants taste divine and are sure to impress your family and friends! With step by step instructions, you can learn to laminate croissant dough using your own sourdough starter. Although this recipe takes time, you’ll find it well worth your effort!
I’ve always wanted to make croissants from scratch, so once my sourdough starter was strong, I decided to give it a try. Even though the butter leaked out of the croissants the first time baking them, they were delicious. So flaky and buttery and with a slight sourdough tang.
While this recipe does involve a lot of steps, it is totally doable! With a little patience, you can make artisan quality croissants at home using your very own sourdough starter. Once you take the first bite of a homemade croissant, you’ll be hooked!
Why do you leave croissant dough overnight?
Especially for sourdough, this allows the dough to rise and ferment properly. If you were using yeast, you would not need to let the dough rise for so long, but since sourdough ferments slower, the dough will need 8-12 hours to rise. This also helps break down gluten in the flour, making it easier for you to digest.
What can I fill my croissant with?
There are so many options! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Chocolate chips – Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate – whatever you prefer!
- Other baking chips – Butterscotch, peppermint white chocolate, or caramel chips would all be yummy.
- Jam – Choose something with seeds so that it doesn’t leak out of the croissant. You can also fill the croissants with jam before or after baking.
- Cheese – Parmesan, cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, goat cheese, or cream cheese would all be delicious. You can also mix the cheese with your favorite herbs for extra flavor.
- Pesto – Mix with a little parmesan for a savory treat.
Tips for making Sourdough Croissants
- You can knead the dough using a stand mixer if you prefer! Just add the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer, mix on medium speed for 5 minutes using a dough hook, and you’re done.
- While you’re laminating the dough, try to keep it from getting too warm. If your kitchen is on the warmer side or you’re making these during the summer, refrigerate the dough after each time you rotate it and roll it into thirds.
- Depending on how big you want them to be, you can make anywhere from 8-24 croissants with this recipe. I usually do mini ones because they look so cute, but you can make them any size you prefer.
- We always roll chocolate chips into the croissants when we make these, because who doesn’t love chocolate? 🙂 Just put them on the wider end of the triangle before you roll the dough into a croissant.
- The croissants are best if you store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for about 3 days.
Tools you will need
You’ll need a mixing bowl, two baking trays, a rolling pin, and a LOT of parchment paper.
Ingredients you will need
- 3 1/4 cups flour – All-purpose works best for this.
- 3/4 cup sourdough starter – Make sure it’s nice and active!
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp honey – You can also use maple syrup or sugar.
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) – You can also use vegan butter instead. (I find it is actually easier to work with and leaks out less during baking than regular butter)
- 1 egg
How to make Sourdough Croissants
Day 1: Preparing the dough
The night before you want to shape your croissants, make the dough by combining the sourdough starter, honey, salt, vanilla, and flour in a large bowl. Add in the water and stir so that the dough starts to form a ball.
Use your hands to knead the dough for 5 minutes. (Alternatively, you can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to knead the dough for 5 minutes.)
Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise overnight.
Day 2: Laminating the dough and shaping the croissants
In the morning, put the dough in the fridge while you make the butter packet.
Cut the butter into slices lengthwise to make it easier to work with, line up the slices to form a rectangle, and then roll it smooth using a rolling pin and parchment paper. The rectangle should be about 8 x 12 inches long. Refrigerate the butter packet for a few minutes while you roll out the croissant dough.
Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll the croissant dough into a long rectangle twice the size of the butter packet. Take the butter out of the fridge and place it on top of one half of the croissant dough. Fold the opposite end of the dough over, and pinch the edges so that the butter is sealed between two layers of dough.
Roll the dough out into a longer rectangle again. Next, fold the dough into thirds. Cover, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then roll it out into a long rectangle and fold in thirds again. Let rest for another 20-30 minutes.
Rotate the dough 90 degrees one more time, roll it into a long rectangle, and fold it in thirds. You’re done with the lamination process!
Cut the dough in half, and roll each half out into a rectangle. Wrap with parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
To shape the dough, you can either cut out triangles or rectangles. If you want to make these chocolate croissants, place a few chocolate chips on the wider end of the triangle (or either end of the rectangle) before you roll it into its shape.
Place the shaped croissants on baking trays lined with parchment paper and let them rise about 4 hours until they are puffy. You can either refrigerate them overnight, or bake them now.
Baking the croissants
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheat, put the croissants in the fridge if you didn’t refrigerate them overnight. This will help keep the butter from leaking too much.
Whisk one egg with 2 tbsp water, and brush the egg wash over the croissants to give them a pretty golden color.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the croissants are golden brown. Some butter may leak out of the croissants and form puddles around them, but this is ok. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
More Sourdough Treats
If you enjoyed these croissants, head over to the Kitchen Counter for more sourdough recipes! Here are a few similar recipes you might like:
- Sourdough Chocolate Babka
- Sourdough Star Bread
- Raspberry Bread
- Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Donuts
- Chocolate Sourdough Bread
If you make these this recipe and enjoy it, let me know in the comments section below! You can also tag me on instagram @oldfashionedinspiration with a picture of your creation.
Sourdough Croissants
These buttery sourdough croissants taste divine and are sure to impress your family and friends!
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup sourdough starter
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
Instructions
How to make Sourdough Croissants
Day 1: Preparing the dough
- The night before you want to shape your croissants, make the dough by combining the sourdough starter, honey, salt, vanilla, and flour in a large bowl. Add in the water and stir so that the dough starts to form a ball.
- Use your hands to knead the dough for 5 minutes. (Alternatively, you can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to knead the dough for 5 minutes.)
- Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise overnight.
Day 2: Laminating the dough and shaping the croissants
- In the morning, put the dough in the fridge while you make the butter packet.
- Cut the butter into slices lengthwise to make it easier to work with, line up the slices to form a rectangle, and then roll it smooth using a rolling pin and parchment paper. The rectangle should be about 8 x 12 inches long. Refrigerate the butter packet for a few minutes while you roll out the croissant dough.
- Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll the croissant dough into a long rectangle twice the size of the butter packet. Take the butter out of the fridge and place it on top of one half of the croissant dough. Fold the opposite end of the dough over, and pinch the edges so that the butter is sealed between two layers of dough.
- Roll the dough out into a longer rectangle again. Next, fold the dough into thirds. Cover, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then roll it out into a long rectangle and fold in thirds again. Let rest for another 20-30 minutes.
- Rotate the dough 90 degrees one more time, roll it into a long rectangle, and fold it in thirds. You're done with the lamination process!
- Cut the dough in half, and roll each half out into a rectangle. Wrap with parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- To shape the dough, you can either cut out triangles or rectangles. If you want to make these chocolate croissants, place a few chocolate chips on the wider end of the triangle (or either end of the rectangle) before you roll it into its shape.
- Place the shaped croissants on baking trays lined with parchment paper and let them rise about 4 hours until they are puffy. You can either refrigerate them overnight, or bake them now.
Baking the croissants
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheat, put the croissants in the fridge if you didn't refrigerate them overnight. This will help keep the butter from leaking too much.
- Whisk one egg with 2 tbsp water, and brush the egg wash over the croissants to give them a pretty golden color.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the croissants are golden brown. Some butter may leak out of the croissants and form puddles around them, but this is ok. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 146Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 20mgSodium 67mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 2g
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