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“It is all about layers ! “ we say. With good quality ingredients and proper technique, you will enjoy the buttery flavor. But what about Baking Frozen Croissant? Is there any difference between Frozen Croissants and Fresh Croissants? How long should we store them in the freezer? What kind of ingredients should we use for perfection? And of course the History of Croissant…
History of Croissant
The true history of the croissant is often disputed and many variations exist, but this is the short version of what is generally regarded as the history of this French staple:
The story dates to 1683, during the Ottoman Turks siege of Vienna. Legend has it that a baker working late at night heard the Turks tunneling under the walls of the city and alerted the military.
The military collapsed the tunnel in on the Turks and eliminated the threat, saving the city. The baker baked a crescent-shaped pastry in the shape of the Turk’s Islamic emblem, the crescent moon so that when his fellow Austrians bit into the croissant, they would be symbolically devouring the Turks.
Marie Antoinette popularized the croissant in France by requesting the royal bakers replicate her favorite treat from her homeland, Austria.
Then, August Zang, an Austrian artillery officer that founded a Viennese Bakery in Paris in around 1839. This bakery served Viennese specialties including the kipfel (croissant) and the Vienna loaf and quickly became very popular and inspired French bakers. The dough became lighter and more delicate throughout time, and the kipfel was developed into what it is known now as the croissant.
Today, the croissant is both a symbol of French culture and tradition, shared throughout the world (C’est la Vie-Sarasota).
I would love to recommend you a book from my own library. A Bite-Sized History of France! This book is very special to me. If you want to know more about croissants/kipferl you should read this fun and instructive book. You will love page 200 “The Crescent Conflict”.
Tips for Making Croissant at Home
Before I give you a homemade croissant recipe I want to give you some tips about croissants which are really important. First of all, if you are going to try making croissants at home, please be patient. Every type/brand of butter and flour type also makes a difference. Therefore do not expect to get perfect results. Try a few flours at a time. The same with the butter. It needs to be pliable but not too soft. Exactly like French butter.
What is the difference? Why French butter?
They have a depth of flavor and nuttiness. More important, butter made in France has a higher butterfat content – and lower water content – than their counterparts in America. French butter has 82% or higher compared to just 80% in the U.S. It’s hard to believe a few points of butterfat would make a big difference but they do.
I just wanted to give you an example of French butter. You can try any brand at a time. In addition to this please make sure of the butterfat content. As I said it should not be less than %82. This brand has %84 butterfat content.
Freezing Croissant – Baking Frozen Croissant
If you are wondering how to freeze a croissant first before baking it, keep reading! You can store them in your freezer for a long time and bake them when you wish to do so.
Freezing Croissant Dough
Do not allow the croissants to proof; instead, cover the shaped dough with plastic and place the pan in the freezer for a few hours until the croissants are solid. Transfer the frozen unbaked croissants to a freezer bag or plastic storage containers and store them in the freezer for up to two months.
Baking Frozen Croissant
Thaw them in the fridge the night before or pull them to room temperature for 3 hours. I prefer to keep the dough in the refrigerator overnight. Place croissants on a baking pan, well-spaced, on parchment or a silicone mat. Then keep them in a warm place so that they can rise and shine. Room temperature is totally fine for this procedure. While our croissant rises, preheat the oven to 375 F.
While the oven is preheating, whisk one egg and add a splash of heavy cream in a small bowl. Brush it onto the croissants for extra flakiness. When the oven is up to temperature, bake the croissants for 14-16 minutes.
Features & details
- Place in pre-heated 375° oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden in color. Enjoy!!!
- 18 total flash-frozen croissants – simply thaw & bake for a hot, airy, fresh buttery delight
- Ships in a frozen form via 2-day Air Express in a Styrofoam cooler and dry ice on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
- You let them thaw and rise overnight; each croissant will almost triple in size by morning.
Ingredients:
- Unbleached enriched wheat flour
- Butter (pasteurized sweet cream/milk)
- Water
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Milk substitute
- Salt
- Yeast
- Ascorbic acid
Contains Wheat, Milk, Soy
As I said the butter or flour brands can change everything. When I saw this brand, I realized in the details, that it requires 20 minutes for baking. Therefore just keep an eye on them. When your croissants are golden, that means you are good to go!
Cooling Rack Benefits
A cooling rack elevates your food off of a solid surface. So air circulates and the bottom doesn’t get soggy from absorbing residual steam.
Homemade Croissant Recipe
Let me give you a fresh homemade croissant recipe. You will eat your fingers while eating this! First, we start with the special dough. After making the dough, we will be making the croissants. You can also freeze the croissants for later use. Baking frozen croissant will be very useful if you do not have the time to make them each time you crave them!
Pate Levée Feuilletée- Laminated Yeast Dough
Ingredients
- 320 gr. Water
- 60 gr. Egg white
- 25 gr. Fresh Yeast
- 600 gr. Flour
- 60 gr. Sugar
- 12 gr. Salt
- 300 gr. Butter
Instructions
- Combine water and fresh yeast
- Whisk and dissolve the yeast
- Sieve flour, sugar, and salt. Add into the bowl
- Knead the low speed about 3-4 minutes
- Increase the speed to medium and knead for 6-8 minutes(if you are going to go by hands, you need more time for kneading). The dough should be elastic
- Shape the dough into a bowl
- Cover with plastic wrap
- Let rise for around 30 minutes.
- Flatten the dough to burst any air bubbles inside
- Give an A4-paper shape to a dough
- Place on a baking sheet and freeze the dough to be well chilled
- Use a cling film to shape the butter into a rectangle
- Place the butter onto the chilled dough
- Fold the dough over the butter and make the “English inclusion”
English inclusion-In the English method of making croissants, the flour, salt, water, and dough fat are mixed together. This dough is rolled into a long rectangular shape, three times as long as wide. Two-thirds of the dough is covered by dabs of butter. The third without butter is folded into the middle first then the other end is folded on top-
- Make a double tour
- Chill for 30 minutes into the refrigerator
- Add a single tour and let it rest for 2 hours
Croissant
- Roll the dough to a 35*25 cm square
- With the tip of a chef knife mark in 10 cm
- Cut the dough into a triangle
- Mark the center of the base of each triangle with the knife
- Gently stretch each triangle with your hand
- Roll the triangle up from the base to the tip
- Place on a baking sheet
- Leave to rise about 20-25 minutes
- Brush the egg wash evenly over the tops
- Bake for about 14-16 minutes at 170C
- Put them on a cooling rack.
Croissant Breakfast
Do you want to have a nice Sunday breakfast with croissants with Hollandaise Sauce and poached eggs on the side? This will be a very nutritious breakfast, that will make the week’s exhaustion out of your body and will enable you to start the upcoming week in top shape! Let us start with the sauce first. Then we will be making the poached eggs. You can use my recipe to make croissants. Baking frozen croissant is of course another option.
Hollandaise Sauce
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice and zest, or more as desired for flavor
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika
- Touch of white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter or ghee, or more for a thinner consistency, melted and hot
Instructions
-
Melt the butter in a microwave (make sure it’s covered as it will splatter) for about 1 minute, until it’s hot. Alternatively, you could heat it on the stove.
-
Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper into a high powered blender and blend for 5 seconds until combined.
-
With the blender running on medium-high, slowly stream the hot butter into the mixture until it’s emulsified (exactly like mayonnaise making)
Poached Eggs
- Crack your egg into a bowl or onto a saucer, this makes it easier to slide into the pan. If there is any very runny white surrounding the thicker white then tip this away.
- Add a drop of vinegar (you can add this to the water in the pan if you prefer).
- Bring a pan of water filled at least 5cm deep to a simmer. Don’t add any salt as this may break up the egg white.
- Stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool to help the egg white wrap around the yolk.
- Slowly tip the egg into the center. Make sure the heat is low enough not to throw the egg around – there should only be small bubbles rising.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the white is set.
- Lift the egg out with a slotted spoon and drain it on kitchen paper. Trim off any straggly bits of white.
Conclusion – Baking Frozen Croissant
Croissants can be kept in the freezer for up to one year. However, the quality of the croissants starts to decrease after 2 to 3 months. They will be safe to eat after this, but the quality, flakiness, and taste will not be great. So, of course, there is a difference between Baking Frozen Croissant and Baking Fresh Croissant but as you can see the method of making croissant at home is a bit of a challenge. Sometimes we have to buy the time. If you want to spice things up and rise to the challenge, you can use some super hot sauces to make your croissant even hotter! For example, you can use some ghost pepper sauce. Do not worry, there is a homemade hot sauce recipe in there too!
Hope you will enjoy your Croissant Breakfast. Be creative!
This is Pamir from the JarKitchen team. I am a chef who really likes cooking, learning, sharing. I believe cooking and eating is not just about flavor,flavor-matching, or need. It has a deeper meaning for me. At the end of the day, we are what we eat. Let’s learn, cook, share, and evolve together.
