Imagine everything you love about a buttery French croissant transformed into an easy-to-slice loaf of bread. This croissant bread has crisp, flaky layers on the outside, a soft buttery interior, and incredible flavor in every slice.
You might also like my lemon raspberry turnovers, homemade croissants, or old fashioned cherry turnovers!
I'm not sure that I've ever been more proud of a loaf of bread. It took a couple of tries to get it right, but my kids agreed that my croissant bread is the real deal. The crackle that it makes when you remove it from the pan, from the flaky outer layer, is perfection!
If you love homemade croissants but don't love spending an entire day laminating dough, this recipe is for you. It uses the same basic ingredients as traditional croissants but comes together in about three hours instead of twelve. Whether you enjoy it warm with butter, turn it into the most amazing French toast, or use it for gourmet sandwiches, this croissant loaf is guaranteed to impress.
What Is Croissant Bread?
Croissant bread combines the flaky, buttery layers of a croissant with the shape and convenience of a sandwich loaf.
Instead of shaping individual croissants, laminated dough is rolled into a loaf pan and baked as one large loaf. The result is bread with delicate layers, a crisp golden crust, and a rich buttery flavor that's perfect for slicing.
It isn't quite as airy as a traditional croissant, but it's dramatically easier to make while delivering the same unmistakable flavor.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Much easier than homemade croissants. Skip the all-day laminating process while still enjoying buttery pastry layers.
- Beautiful flaky texture. Every slice pulls apart into delicate layers with a crisp, crackly crust.
- Uses simple pantry ingredients. Flour, yeast, butter, milk, sugar, and salt are all you need.
- Perfect for sweet or savory recipes. Enjoy it with jam, use it for sandwiches, or make incredible French toast.
- A fun baking project. If you've always wanted to try laminated dough, this is a wonderful beginner recipe.
Jump to:
What Others Are Saying
I have made this recipe multiple times now and it invariably turns out perfectly! It's hubby's favorite. Light, fluffy, golden brown crust….. It makes a yummy PBJ☺️ You will become friends with your rolling pin and be able to eyeball the 9x15 dimension with time. It's worth the effort….. Do it😁---Gwen
Why This Recipe Works
- Traditional croissants require multiple chilling periods and many folds over an entire day.
- This recipe simplifies the process by using fewer butter layers and fewer turns while still creating the laminated dough that gives croissants their signature texture.
- Because the dough spends less time in the refrigerator, you'll have slightly fewer layers—but you'll still get buttery flakes and beautiful pull-apart slices.
Tips and Tricks
- Dough whisk. You can mix your dough by hand or using a mixer with a dough hook attachment. Both ways work. I'm a fan of mixing by hand with my Danish dough whisk.
- Rise in a cool location. Normally, I'd recommend letting the dough rise in a warm location after shaping it into a loaf so that it rises more quickly. DO NOT do that with croissant bread. We don't want the buttery layers getting too warm before baking. Let the loaf pans sit out on the counter in a cool area to do their last rise.
- Storage. Wrap the croissant bread in plastic or store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh. Croissant bread will stay soft and fresh for 3-5 days.
Ingredients
- Warm Water: Activates the yeast.
- Yeast: Active dry yeast or instant yeast both work well.
- All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour: Bread flour creates a slightly chewier loaf while all-purpose flour produces a softer crumb.
- Granulated Sugar: Feeds the yeast while adding a touch of sweetness.
- Salt: Balances the flavor and strengthens the dough.
- Milk: Adds richness and tenderness.
- Butter: Melted butter enriches the dough while softened butter creates the laminated layers.
- Egg Wash: Gives the loaf its shiny golden crust.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Croissant Bread
Step 1: Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit 5 minutes.
Step 2: Combine sugar, salt, and 1 cup of flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir.
Add milk, melted butter, and water/yeast mixture. Stir. Add remaining flour and stir until sticky dough forms.
Step 3: Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of flour and knead the dough 2-3 minutes until a soft dough forms.
Step 4: Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rest 40 minutes.
Step 5: Roll the dough into a 9-inch x 15-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin.
Cut a stick of butter into 12 slices (butter should be slightly soft). Place half of the slices in the center of the dough. Flatten butter, slightly, using a butter knife.
Step 6: Fold the bottom of the dough over the butter.
Step 7: Place the remaining butter slices on top of the folded dough. Flatten the butter slightly with a butter knife.
Step 8: Fold the top section of dough over to cover the second layer of butter.
Step 9: Turn the dough so that the fold is on the side. Roll out to a 9"x15" rectangle.
Step 10: Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter.
Step 11: Rotate the dough so that the fold is on the side again. Repeat the step above: roll the dough out, then fold it into thirds, like a letter.
Step 12: Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Step 13: Roll the dough into a 9" x 15" rectangle. Fold into thirds, like a letter.
Step 14: Rotate the dough so that the fold is on the side. Roll out again and fold into thirds.
Step 15: Rotate once more so that the fold is on the side. Roll the dough into a 9"x15" rectangle, then ROLL the dough up tightly (like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls).
Step 16: Pinch the seam to seal (it may not stay, but do the best you can) and place the loaf (seam-side down) into a greased 9"x5" bread loaf pan.
Step 17: Loosely cover and let rise 40-60 minutes. DO NOT let rise in a warm location like you normally would when making bread. We don't want the butter in the dough to melt. Room temperature is fine. I place mine inside the microwave to keep it free from drafts. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Step 18: Brush loaf with an egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tbsp. water) and bake for 20 minutes. Cover the loaf loosely with foil (tent it) and cook an additional 15 minutes.
Bread is easier to slice when warm (not hot), but I won't judge if you dive right in. Croissant bread would make delicious French toast or sandwiches, but we like it on its own. One loaf makes 8-12 slices of bread.
Storage
Wrap tightly or store in an airtight container. It stays fresh for 3–5 days.
Freezing
Freeze the baked loaf for up to 3 months. Wrap in plastic wrap, then foil. Thaw overnight before serving.
Ways to Serve Croissant Bread
- Toasted with butter
- Strawberry jam
- Homemade raspberry jam
- Honey butter
- French toast
- Monte Cristo sandwiches
- Ham and Swiss
- Turkey sandwiches
- Bread pudding
- Garlic bread
Croissant Bread FAQs
What I love about croissant bread is that it doesn’t take all day to make, but yields a loaf with the same great taste. If you’ve made croissants, you know what I’m talking about. It’s a 12-hour process to make the puff pastry, and you're moving the croissant dough in and out of the refrigerator for much of the day. You'll need about 3 hours to make a loaf of croissant bread, which isn't that much longer than making a loaf of my Amish white bread.
Use salted butter for the best flavor. Softened butter is used create the flaky layers, and melted butter is added to the actual bread dough.
I used the SAME recipe that we use for our homemade croissants and altered it to create a loaf instead! It uses half the butter, and because you don’t chill it all day, it will have fewer layers than a traditional croissant, but the flavor is still there. Trust me.
Wrap the croissant bread in plastic or store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh. Croissant bread will stay soft and fresh for 3-5 days.
You can freeze croissant bread for up to 3 months.
The butter became too warm before baking. Keep the dough cool during the folding process.
Some leakage is completely normal with laminated dough.
Your yeast may have expired or your water may have been too hot.
Yes. Traditional croissants often take 10–12 hours because of repeated chilling and laminating. This loaf delivers similar flavor and flaky texture in about three hours.
No. Croissant dough contains yeast, while puff pastry does not.
Yes. Bread flour creates a slightly chewier loaf with excellent structure.
The egg wash gives the loaf its deep golden color and beautiful glossy finish.
Absolutely. It makes incredible grilled cheese, turkey sandwiches, ham and Swiss, breakfast sandwiches, and even BLTs.
More Bread Recipes To Make
MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💛 Please leave a STAR rating and COMMENT below! Post it to Facebook or Pinterest to easily share with friends!
Croissant Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. warm water
- 1 Tbsp. yeast
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tbsp. melted butter
- 1 c. milk
- 2 ½ - 3 cups flour
Butter Layers
- ½ c. butter (1 stick) softened slightly
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp. water
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit 5 minutes.
- Combine sugar, salt, and 1 cup of flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir.
- Add milk, melted butter, and water/yeast mixture. Stir.Add remaining flour and stir until sticky dough forms.
- Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of flour and knead dough 2-3 minutes until a soft dough forms.
- Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rest 40 minutes.
- Roll dough using a rolling pin into a 9-inch x 15-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.Cut a stick of butter into 12 slices (butter should be slightly soft). Place half of the slices in the center of the dough. Flatten butter, slightly, using a butter knife.
- Fold the bottom of the dough over the butter.
- Place the remaining slices of butter on top of the folded dough. Flatten butter, slightly, using a butter knife.
- Fold the top section of dough over to cover the second layer of butter.
- Turn dough so that the fold is on the side. Roll out to a 9"x15" rectangle.
- Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter.
- Rotate dough so that the fold is on the side again. Repeat the step above, rolling the dough out then folding into thirds, like a letter.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Roll dough out into a 9"x 15" rectangle. Fold into thirds, like a letter.
- Rotate dough so that the fold is on the side. Roll out again and fold into thirds.
- Rotate once more so that the fold is on the side. Roll dough into a 9"x15" rectangle then ROLL the dough up tightly (like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls).
- Pinch the seam to seal (it may not stay, but do the best that you can) and place the loaf (seam-side-down) into a greased 9"x5" bread loaf pan.
- Loosely cover and let rise 40-60 minutes. DO NOT let rise in a warm location like you normally would when making bread. We don't want the butter in the dough to melt. Room temperature is fine. I place mine inside the microwave to keep it free from drafts. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Brush loaf with an egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tbsp. water) and bake for 20 minutes.Cover loaf loosely with foil (tent it) and cook an additional 15 minutes.
- Let bread cool in pan 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Bread is easier to slice when warm (not hot), but I won't judge if you dive right in.
D says
Can you do this recipe in a bread machine?
Brandy says
You could probably make the dough in the bread machine, but I’d bake it in an actual oven for best results.
Gwen says
I have made this recipe multiple times now and it invariably turns out perfectly! It's hubby's favorite. Light, fluffy, golden brown crust..... It makes a yummy PBJ☺️ You will become friends with your rolling pin and be able to eyeball the 9x15 dimension with time. It's worth the effort..... Do it😁
Brandy says
Gwen, I’m so glad to hear this!
Reagan says
What type of flour did you use. I assumed all-purpose when trying it out.
Brandy says
Yes, I used all purpose flour!
Monica says
Hi! This was delicious. Quick question though how can I make it more sweeter? Can I use more sugar? I used unsalted tillamook butter. What brand butter do you use? Sams club makes a croissant toast bread that is very similar to this. The only difference theres is sweeter/buttery.
Brandy says
Hi Monica! You can add a bit more sugar if you'd like. I use salted butter for all of my baking, and just the generic Walmart brand. 🙂
Monica Mckenzie says
Hi! This was delicious. Quick question though how can I make it more sweeter? Can I use more sugar? I used unsalted tillamook butter. What brand butter do you use? Sams club makes a croissant toast bread that is very similar to this. The only difference theres is sweeter/buttery.
Kaylee says
I haven’t been able to get the layers and airy quality that your bread seems to have. Any tips?
Maurice says
Hi, could you adapt the recipe to the metric system? Reader from Italy here 😃Thanks!
Shelley says
Check out conversation charts for cups or tsp to grams or other measurements-many conversions available! I prefer measuring in grams. Conversion charts are your best friend!
Dave C. says
Hi Brandy. I’ve never made croissant bread but I’m excited to try it. I only have unsalted butter and after doing some research there seems to be about 1/4 tsp in a stick of butter. Since this recipe called for 1 tsp of salt can I simply used 1-1/4tsps of salt?
Brandy says
Hi Dave! I don’t see why not! 🙂
Teresa Osborne says
Can you make the stove in a bread machine?
Brandy says
Hi Teresa, I haven't tried making the dough in a bread machine, but I'd imagine it'd be fine to run it on a dough cycle.
Maxwell George says
Hi, I have tried this crossaint like bread it came out well, thanks