How To Fold Your Croissant Dough
Once you have created the dough and butter packet, the first stage is folding them together to create the first lot of layers.
It’s easier to explain this in pictures, which is also why I filmed a video on how to make these too!
Firstly, make up the dough as per the recipe, then pop it back into the fridge while you make the butter packet.
Make the butter packet by rolling the butter between two floured pieces of baking paper, until it is a rectangle approximately 18 x 10cm and around 6mm thick.
Pop it back in the fridge and chill until both the dough and butter packet around around the same temperature before making the first fold.
To test them, see if you can bend the butter a little – if it’s firm but still flexible, it’s good to go.
Making The Butter Block
The next morning, mix the butter and two tablespoons of bread flour in a small bowl until smooth and well combined. Scrape it into a quart-sized ziptop baggie and push it into the corners, then take a rolling pin to roll it into an even block. Place the butter block in the refrigerator while you work with the dough. Please note: this butter block is for HALF the dough. If you plan on using all the dough at once, youll need to double the amount of butter and flour and put it in a gallon bag.
Making The Second Fold
This second fold is whats called a book fold. I saw it on some YouTube channel and thought it might remove a step from my gluten free croissant recipe.
Fold the bottom third of the dough up . Then fold the top two thirds down to meet the bottom Brush away any extra flour. Now fold the top third to reach to the bottom edge. Youll be left with four layers of dough.
Turn the dough 90 degrees counterclockwise so that the long opening of the dough is on your right side and the short end of the dough is closest to you.
Recommended Reading: Jason’s Deli Gluten Free
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What Happens If Schar Croissant Gluten Free Is Out Of Stock And I Need To Give Specific Instructions
- Find Best Match: By default, your shopper will use their best judgement to pick a replacement for your item.
- Pick Specific Replacement: You can pick a specific alternative for the shopper to purchase if your first choice is out-of-stock.
- Don’t Replace: For items you’d rather not replace, choose “Don’t replace” to get a refund if the item is out of stock.
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I’m Just Scared They’re Too Difficult
Ok, I get I have just absolutely overloaded you with information and you’re probably slowly backing away from the computer.
But before you run out to buy some sub-standard gluten free croissants from the free from aisle, look at it this way.
Not only do you get to have the BEST croissants, but you’re gonna learn some super new skills.
Really all this is, is rolling, folding and chilling pastry. Repeatedly.
And that’s it! Yes, it may be more fiddly than making a cake and yes it takes more time because of all the chilling.
In fact, I’ve even got this handy tutorial video to show you how to make them:
But honestly? It’s actually super fun to make and you’ll feel such a level of achievement afterwards!
So what have you got to lose?
I certainly know what you’ve got to gain if you try these. Let me just remind you one more time…
The Art Of Baking Gluten
Its simple: the structure of the croissant depends on gluten.
The protein that forms when wheat flour is mixed with water is essential for obtaining the right consistency of this beloved French treat. Replicating the light, flaky croissant with a perfect honeycomb texture in the middle without wheat flour is anything but easyespecially without using any additives like xanthan gum and potato starch.
This is precisely the problem encountered by Parisian gluten-free bakers, who are determined to use only natural products in their baked goods. As a result, most of them simply dont make croissants.
As you can see, finding gluten-free croissants in Paris might be tricky. But weve got good news: they do exist, and theyre out of this world.
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Gluten Free Croissants To Buy
Before we take a look at gluten-free croissants to buy online and if they even exist, lets first take a look at what they are, and what theyre usually made of.
A croissant is a flaky, buttery pastry. Theyre usually associated with France. Croissant dough contains yeast, which is one of the only differences between croissant dough and puff pastry. Croissant dough also contains sugar and milk.
Europeans, like myself, are more than happy to enjoy this pastry plain over breakfast. Or perhaps sometimes with a touch of butter and jam. However, Americans quite often cut them in half and use them as a sandwich-type base. As a Brit, that thought just seems wild to me!
Like many tasty treats, croissants arent gluten-free. Frustratingly, their main ingredient is usually all-purpose wheat flour. Which, of course, is a no-go! However, there is certainly hope for any croissant lovers out there. Theres a wide range available online. Lets take a look at some of the best gluten-free alternatives to this tasty French delicacy.
Before Beginningplease Read This
Please read through these tips before beginning. You must understand that any croissant making, gluten free or not, is not something to jump right into without knowing all the information. There are very skilled gluten bakers who have never made their own croissants or have failed miserably, so dont be surprised if you dont get it right the first time.
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Are Gluten Free Croissants Possible
Yes, gluten free croissants ARE possible to make at home!
They may not be the simplest recipe but actually if you follow this step-by-step, you’ll find it’s more a lengthy than complicated process.
And if you have made my gluten free puff pastry before, you’ll be familiar with a lot of this process.
There’s a lot of rolling and folding – and most importantly, chilling – but the results are buttery, flaky, delicious gluten free croissants.
Freshly baked they make the most perfect gluten free breakfast or brunch treat and best enjoyed with lashings of butter and jam.
Because of the absolutely essential amount of chilling involved in this gluten free croissant recipe I do recommend making them over a leisurely weekend.
You can speed this up a little but the slow process is part of the enjoyment for me.
I recommend making them the day before baking so they can properly chill in the fridge overnight.
Before we look at how these croissants are made, let’s take a look at what you’re going to need to stock up on first.
What About Proving The Croissants
Because these gluten free croissants are made with a yeasted dough, you have to prove them to help with the rise.
It’s the fermentation of the yeast that causes them to puff up, exposing the layers created by rolling and folding the butter and dough.
So it’s important to prove the croissants one you’ve completed the final fold.
However, unlike when making gluten free bread, finding a super warm spot isn’t always the best option.
If the croissant dough becomes too warm then the butter will begin to melt and ooze out, losing those layers.
So you’ll need to find a spot that is not too warm and not too cold – the croissants will not increase hugely in size but they will become puffier.
Sometimes you can see the layers start to expose themselves and they will go kind of puffy and marshmallow-y to the touch.
Once you’ve proved the croissant you’ll then need to chill the dough properly before baking, otherwise the butter will melt too quickly.
It’s a bit of a game of cat-and-mouse but trust me, it’s so worth it – and not as difficult as it sounds.
I just want to make sure you have all the information laid out in easy steps to cover all bases and avoid you making the same mistakes I did!
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Ready To Start Rolling
First, roll the chilled croissant dough out until it is around 6mm thick and in a long rectangular shape.
The thickness is more important than the size of the rectangle, but mine was approximately 30cm x 20cm.
Carefully unwrap the butter packet and place is towards one of the short ends of the rectangle of dough.
It should have a small border around the edges and then a length of dough to one side of it.
Now, we’re going to fold this a bit like a letter!
Roll the dough with no butter on towards the centre and over the dough. Then carefully roll the uncovered piece of dough and butter back over the top of the first fold.
You should then have a nice rectangle of layers – dough, butter, dough, butter, dough.
The pictures below demonstrate these folds, in case the above is hard to visualise!
How To Make Gluten Free Croissants
Don’t forget there is a recipe card below with the full method in detail, but here I’ll just talk you through some of the more complicated steps.
First of all, I always activate the yeast in warm milk with some of the sugar.
I tried this recipe without this stage but always found that this produced a much better result.
To do this, you’ll want to invest in a food thermometer – as the milk needs to be heated in a pan to around 40’C.
Once you stir in the yeast and sugar, cover it and leave it for 5-10 minutes.
The yeast is active when it forms a lovely froth on top, a bit like the head on a beer. It should look a little like this:
Also Check: Jasons Deli Gluten Free Menu
Something Sweet Without Wheat
A certified Gluten-Free American bakery available , is Something Sweet Without Wheat. Their Chocolate Croissant is gluten-free and dairy-free, which widens the scope of who can enjoy them massively! They come in at $9 for two, but theyre decadent and a customer favorite. Certainly worth treating yourself to every so often. They cant guarantee theyll arrive in one piece they are flaky, after all. But they can guarantee their absolute deliciousness!
Where To Buy Gluten
As a Brit, its fortunately very easy for me to walk into my nearest grocery store and find a range of gluten-containing, and non-gluten-containing croissant options. I understand that not everyone has this luxury so lets take a look at the best brands out there and where you can buy them online. Ive found a selection of options that are available in a range of countries so that no one has to miss out on the humble croissant.
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Shaping Gluten Free Croissant Dough
After the lamination steps, the dough will go into the refrigerator to get nice and cold. At that point, the shaping fun begins!
The dough is easy to work with because my gfJules Flour supplies the stretch and pliability needed, and of course the lightness and smooth texture everyone seeks in a great croissant. You can see that the results speak for themselves!
The dough is rolled out again this time to a much larger dimension and cut into triangles for traditional croissants or long strips for gluten free pain au chocolat.
A pizza wheel cutter or pastry wheel is the best tool for this type of cutting .
The shaping process is a simple cut-and-roll action that is easy when the dough is cold if its too sticky, put it back into the refrigerator or you can dust with more gfJules Flour.
Remember not to handle the dough too much or melt the butter. If you have to put it back into the refrigerator do it!
For gluten free pain au chocolat, roll the chocolates up, tucked inside the dough, and lay the rolled croissants on a parchment-lined baking sheet with the seam-side down.
With either style of croissant, brush with an egg wash made of one full egg + 1 tablespoon warm water , then set the croissants aside to rise, covered, for one hour. Then brush the croissant dough again with egg wash before baking to help brown and crisp the edges.
Then the hardest part is waiting for them to come out of the oven because were basically waiting for heaven on a plate.
The Tools I Use For Making Gluten Free Croissants
You dont absolutely need these tools to make gf croissants, but they definitely make it easier:
- Dough scrapersthese are so cheap, but are one of my favorite kitchen tools EVER! They make it so easy to get any dough completely out of bowls.
- Bench scraperanother priceless tool to have in the kitchen, bench scrapers make it easier to keep dough from sticking to your counter and can also be used as a cutting tool in many instances.
- Pastry wheelthe one I use is old and no longer available, but this one is exactly the same .
- Pastry brushI purchased the pastry brush I use from our local Restaurant Depot, but this one is just like mine.
- Acrylic rulerI also cant live without this ruler! It helps to keep the edges of the croissant dough straight, you can see through it , and it offers a straight edge when cutting triangles for croissants .
- Quarter sheet pansI recently purchased these stainless steel quarter sheet pans because I got sick of my aluminum pans warping and discoloring. These are so sturdy and come in a 2-pack.
- Half sheet pansthese are the ones I have, although I would opt to purchase these stainless steel ones in the future .
- Pre-cut parchment sheetsI use these ALL THE TIME for anything and everything. So convenient!!
- French rolling pinI have THREE rolling pins and I always gravitate to this one.
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