Delicious, flaky, layers of butter and pastry in loaf form. If you love croissants you’ll love our croissant bread! Not only is it quicker to make than traditional croissants, it’s easier, too!
You might also like our  lemon raspberry turnovers, homemade croissants or old fashioned cherry turnovers!
Watch our step by step video!
Croissant Bread
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 our bread is the real deal. The crackle that it makes when you remove it from the pan, from the flaky outer layer, is perfection!
Flaky, buttery, and full of yummy layers—everything you’d expect from a croissant. What I love about croissant bread is that it doesn’t take all day to make. If you’ve made croissants you know what I’m talking about. It’s a 12 hour process. I used the SAME recipe that we use for our homemade croissants and altered it to create a loaf instead! It uses half the amount of butter, and because you don’t chill it all day it will have less layers than a traditional croissant, but the flavor is there. Trust me.
Ingredients
(Scroll down for printable recipe and step by step images.)
- water
- yeast
- flour
- sugar
- salt
- milk
- melted butter
- butter (slightly soft), sliced
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp water
Note: I always use salted butter.
Croissant bread would make delicious French toast or sandwiches, but we like it on its own. One loaf makes 8-12 slices of bread.
Croissant Bread Recipe
(You can print the recipe without the photos)
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 1/2 cups flour
Butter Layers
- 1/2 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 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 into a 9"x15" 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 (it may not stay, but do the best that you can) and place the loaf (seam-side-down) into a greased 9"x5" bread 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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