Discover how to make classic French-style croissants with distinct flaky layers and honeycomb crumb. Learn about the ingredients, tools, and processes involved in this detailed guide.

A croissant is a laminated, yeasted pastry using enriched dough. Viennoiserie refers to enriched bakery goods made from yeast-leavened dough, balancing characteristics of bread and pastry.

Lamination creates alternating layers of dough and butter, enhancing the structure and flavor. Proofing is the final rise, making the dough airy and jiggly before baking for optimal texture.

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Use a digital scale for accuracy, a stand mixer for mixing, a rolling pin and ruler for thickness, sheet pans for baking, a sharp knife for cutting, and a brush for egg wash.

Mix flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and liquids to form a cohesive dough. Rest at room temperature, then chill overnight to relax gluten and enhance dough handling. In bread making, after initial mixing, resting allows ingredients to hydrate and gluten to start forming, critical for achieving a proper texture and loaf volume.

Shape the butter into a neat rectangle, ensuring it's pliable but cool. Pound between parchment for even thickness, ensuring no cracks or smearing during lamination. Butter must be flexible to prevent breaking but cool enough to retain structure and prevent melting into the dough.

Consider making puff pastry: Roll the dough into a rectangle, then fold the top third down and the bottom third up over it. This creates three layers. Repeat the process to increase layers, chilling between turns to relax gluten and maintain integrity.

The butter is initially placed between layers of dough. The dough is then folded over the butter to create multiple layers, which, when baked, give the pastry its flaky texture. Butter is crucial in the single fold process, providing layers that separate the dough, which steam and create flakiness during baking.

Conduct multiple turns with chilling intervals to create layers. Common methods include single and double folds, which affect the number of layers and the final pastry texture.

Roll dough to desired thickness, cut triangles, and shape croissants. Proof in a warm environment to allow growth without melting butter, ensuring a light and airy texture.

Apply egg wash for a glossy finish; bake until deep golden-brown as steam lifts layers, finalizing structure. Cool on a rack to maintain a crispy bottom and optimal crumb texture.