This foolproof recipe from The Kitchy Kitchen makes homemade croissants in no time at all. Flaky, golden, and crispy thanks to the butter.

Good croissants are hard to come by these days, which is why I’m a croissant fanatic.

I despise Costco’s and supermarket chains’ mass-produced croissants because they don’t compare to the authentic thing from a French pattisserie.

Because the step-by-step images and the golden-hued final shots in The Kitchy Kitchen’s post on Christmas Morning Croissants reminded me so much of the ones I had in Paris, I knew we’d found a winner here.

If you want to make croissants at home, this is the recipe for you!

Imagine waking up on Christmas morning to these beautiful, perfectly made, fresh out of the oven, buttery and flaky croissants.

They’re impossible to resist.

Season’s greetings!

Average number of calories per serving?

• Each serving of this recipe contains only 445 calories.

With this recipe, what are its complementary dishes?

I’ve compiled a collection of recipes that are both healthy and quick enough to prepare on a weeknight.

• MINI EGG CAKE
• CINNAMON ROLL RECIPE WITH PIZZA DOUGH
• BAKED CHICKEN LEGS
• COCONUT WATER LEMONADE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• a ruler or measuring tape, this is so much easier than eyeballing
• 7 ounces chilled unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups bread flour, set aside some loose flour for the work surface
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk (110°F to 115°F)
• 1 teaspoon dry-active yeast
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of warm water (at 110°F to 115°F)

EGG WASH

2 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 egg

INSTRUCTIONS

DIRECTIONS (MAKING THE DOUGH):

1. Mix the water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl. Combine all ingredients in a bowl using a whisk. Sit for five minutes until when you see the yeast begins to bubble. The remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar and the salt should be mixed with the milk in an electric mixer (or, if kneading by hand, in a big basin) using a dough hook.
2. To the milk mixture, add the yeast and flour mixtures. Knead for 3 minutes at low speed, then 8 minutes at medium speed. When you take out a golf ball-sized piece of dough and stretch it with your hands, the dough should form a “windowpane.” Make it so thin that light is easily traveled through it, in order to be considered a “windowpane.” In the absence of a mixer, knead the dough with your hands on a floured surface.
3. Toss the dough into a clean container (or in my case plastic tub). In around 2 hours, cover the dough with plastic wrap or a lid and let it rest in a warm location. Roll the dough in rectangle, place it in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.

DIRECTIONS (ROLL IN THE BUTTER):

1. Grate cold butter from the refrigerator over a sheet of plastic wrap in the same way you would cheese. Then wrap it in plastic and press it together with your hands until it forms a single block that measures 5 by 9 1/2 inches. 30 minutes in the fridge is enough time for the butter to cool down. Remove the butter from the plastic wrap once the dough is ready.
2. Roll out the dough to an 18-by-10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured board. The upper two-thirds of the dough should be covered with butter, leaving a 1/4-inch border around it. The bottom part of the dough should be folded toward the middle. Fold the top third of the bag down to cover it. If it’s made of dough, it should resemble a business letter.
3. The top of the dough and the work surface should be lightly floured. Roll the dough into an 18-by-8-inch rectangle by turning it right-side up so the top flap is to your right. You want the dough to have the same thickness all the way through, so roll quickly and all the way through. Fold it like a business letter again. Afterward, store in an airtight container at room temperature for one hour.
4. Take the dough out of the fridge. Repeat the rolling and folding operation twice more with a little dusting of flour. You can use a rolling pin to gently pound out any firm butter in the dough if necessary. Put the dough in the refrigerate for two hours at a minimum, or even overnight, if desired. It will be simpler to form if you let it rest overnight.

DIRECTIONS (FORMING THE CROISSANTS):

1. Roll out the dough to a 16-by-8-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut into four 8-by-4-inch rectangles. Then, using a diagonal cut, make two triangles out of each rectangle. A small incision at the bottom of the triangle is all that is needed to transform the triangles into long, slender ones. Starting at the base of the incision, roll the sleeve in a tight cylinder. Make a crescent shape by pulling the ends together.
2. You may either let the croissants rise again immediately, put them in the fridge overnight, and let them rise again the next day, or you can freeze them (defrost overnight in fridge before rising).
3. Place the croissants on a parchment or silicon mat-lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Brush croissants with a mixture of egg yolk and heavy cream, prepared in a small bowl. Set your oven to 85F (the lowest setting on your oven) and let the croissants rise until they’re soft and jiggly, about 1 1/2 hours. After they’ve risen, apply a second coat of egg wash.
4. 425°F (218°C) is the ideal temperature for baking a cake.
5. After 10 minutes, rotate the pan, then continue to cook for 15 minutes in reduced heat of 375°F (190°C) after 10 minutes, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Set the coocked croissants for 15 minutes to cool down, preferably on a wire rack before serving. It’s important to wait for these to cool completely before eating them, else the layers will not set properly.