The biggest lesson I learned from baking croissants is that it’s really hard to mess up something that’s made of mainly butter and white flour. And, believe me, there were plenty of ways I almost messed this up!
We’re talking GOBS of butter. Four and a half sticks, to be exact! 
But I’m getting ahead of myself. I began my croissant-making endeavor by going on a wild goose chase looking for “fresh yeast.” I called a few bakeries, and Great Harvest was willing to sell me some for a good price.
This yeast is different from dry active yeast because it has never been dried out. It’s fresh. I was worried when I added it because it did not bubble or really do anything like I am used to seeing with my everyday yeast. Everyday yeast. Never thought I’d be blogging about everyday yeast.
I will give you just the highlights of this 48-hour process, and perhaps after reading you will see why my arms are so sore. The rolling and rolling. Perhaps I should get back to the gym. Not a bad idea after consuming a few of these croissants, regardless of arm strength.
Step One: The Mixing of the Dough. Combine the flour, yeast, whole milk, sugar and salt. Set aside to chill for 2 hours. Mix up the butter with more flour and chill for 2 hours. Incorporate the dough with the butter by folding that butter inside the dough. I did this wrong! I should not have allowed any butter to go through, and I should not have folded up the ends. I should have watched the video before attempting to make these!
Step Two: The Turns. The dough needs to be turned (rolled out and folded) three times, with a two hour resting break between each turn. On the second turn, I took the dough out of the refrigerator and placed it on my countertop. I couldn’t figure out why the butter was oozing through and melting everywhere. Turns out the countertop was warm because the dishwasher had just finished running below. Duh. This was when I started doubting my croissant making skills. Yes, it took me about eighteen hours into the process to start having doubts.
Step 3: Forming of the Croissants. By now I had watched the video and had seen how Esther McManus and Julia Child so elegantly pulled the croissant dough into twice its size. My pulling resulted in either oozing butter or ripped dough. Also, I cut them way too small, so I got some mini-croissants. Sheesh.
I think this is the first time I actually almost cried over a baking project. I was incredibly frustrated to have spent so much time and effort doing this only to have a drippy, gooey mess.
Step 4: Proof in the oven for three hours. Seeing the result of my “proofing” was the ultimate frustration after all those hours of work. I had heated the oven to 350 degrees and let it cool off, just like the recipe said. Only I didn’t let it cool enough, and my croissants melted! Just look at this mess!
I almost cried again, but I decided just to laugh instead. I have lots of practice in that, being a teacher and a mom; when you want to cry, just laugh and it’s not so bad!
Thinking this project was a complete catastrophe, I threw them in the oven to bake, and something amazing happened. The house filled with the wonderful aroma of fresh baked croissants! I pulled them out of the oven, and they were golden. Not beautifully golden and perfectly formed, but I had something pretty remarkable here. I could even see the individual flaky layers of butter and flour in the little pastry.
I tried one that evening, after letting it cool, and I have never appreciated a pastry so much. Delicious!
Oh! And I had one for breakfast. And I shared some with a few friends. The rest are going in the freezer so we can enjoy them whenever we need a special treat.
Thanks to George for helping me make these by keeping the kiddos occupied! I had no idea these would take so long!
If you would like the actual recipe without my commentary, please visit Amanda from Girl+Food=Love. If you would like to see others’ renditions of this recipe, please go on over to the baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie.
They look awesome, and am sure they taste great. You always inspire me!
Save one for me. They look great
this post was heavenly. I love croissants more then anything. I could literally eat 20 in one sitting, thank you 4 sicks of butter! thanks so much for posting
I´m glad they turned out good in the end! Mine baked in a pool of butter and never rose as they should either. But they tasted amazing.
Great Harvest???? Shoot, I could have gotten some fresh yeast afterall!!! SO glad yours turned out…whew. Well done!!!
Awesome, nice job, just a little to much work for me! I really enjoyed your Blogging about this, fun to read!
Nice job scoring the fresh yeast. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I think the oven “proofing” faked a lot of people out. I never turned the oven on, just added the pan of hot water and turned the light on. A little butter still seeped out.
Great post. I had the same issue when proofing mine….they went totally flat. They still tasted good when I baked them, but just not the same. I didn’t bother proofing my second batch and they turned out much better.
“it’s really hard to mess up something that’s made of mainly butter and white flour” so true
Great lesson in perseverence, eh?? I had a house full of smoke from my buttery mess! They ended up fine, and my oven got a great cleaning it needed anyway.
So the big question is, do you think you would attempt to make these again or just go for store bought next time?
I think I might have used the exact looking tape measure – seeing it on your counter made me smile
Glad you enjoyed the final results of this long baking project! Please let us know how the croissants would taste once you defrost them.
Love the attitude. Sometimes all you can do is laugh and learn from mistakes. So glad you were happy with them after all your work, they look great. I loved the picture of all the butter!
It was a lesson of perseverance. I had similar issues with trying to stretch out the dough. I am not sure where I went wrong.
Good that you enjoyed it in the end!
I found it! HAHA! Now you have two posts from me to read. I loved reading your blog. Sometimes we must just carry on and hope for the best with the end product! This was a great example of that and you ended with a great croissant…yay!
Oh my Goodness! These looks AMAZING!!!! I may just have to try it
I got mini’s too! And took short cuts on the chill times…and they still turned out great tasting like yours!
Whew – these were an experience, weren’t they? Bravo for tackling the mighty croissant. After this, you know you can do anything in the kitchen, right?
Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Making croissants can be quite an adventure, but it seems as though it was well worth it in the end.
Glad they turned out in the end! I have read a couple of people had issues with them deflating on the last proof. Keeping my fingers crossed – have yet to start.
I had so much fun reading your post. I was incredibly frustrated. How wonderful that yours turned out so well after all of the frustration, and that you will have them to enjoy. I froze mine too and am rationing them carefully. Normally I would take a bunch to work to share, but not this time!
And they look pretty darn tasty! pulling croissants out of the oven seemed like a minor miracle to me too, glad to hear you enjoyed yours after all that effort!
What a success story – your croissants turned out fabulous after all this work and frustration. Respect for having persevered. This was quite a learning experience and I am leaning towards trying a different recipe for croissants next time. Love the picture of your vase filled with beautiful daffodils too!
Have a good weekend!
everyday yeast–lol! i’m glad you still enjoyed these…i bet they were tasty for breakfast.