New & Improved Gluten Free Croissants! (2024)

Buttery, flaky, feathery, and light. We didn't think these gluten free croissants could get any better, but yet here they are in all their glory!!

It took me YEARS to create my very first gluten free croissants and they were glorious in their own rite. I really didn't think they could get any better. But I was WRONG!!!! These new and improved gluten free croissants will ROCK YOUR WORLD!

AAAANNNNNNDDDDD, would you believe it if I told you they are EASIER than the original ones???? Well, believe it because not only are they easier, they'll take you less than half the time to make. You'll be eating your new and improved gluten free croissants in no time!

Like all my recipes, I will walk you through making them and they aren't as daunting as you might think. I did all the hard work for you so now you just have to follow through the recipe. You will be rewarded with these PHENOMENAL gluten free croissants made with your own two hands!!!!

When I found out I had celiac, one of the things I knew I would miss the most was croissants. Not that I ate them every day. I hardly ate them every month. But it was nice to be able to make my chopped chicken salad and serve it on a croissant every once in a while.

So I set out to find a really great gluten free croissant. I found Schar's gluten free croissants at my local Whole Foods. While they actually tasted pretty good, they were more like a crescent roll and not a croissant. And they were way too tiny to make a sandwich with and way too expensive to settle for.

How I Reformulated My Gluten Free Croissants to Make Them the Best Ever!!

I consider myself a pretty decent self-taught baker, but I had never made croissants, even in my gluten filled world. After many years of trial and error, I finally developed what I thought to be the be all end all to a gluten free croissant. It was light, flaky, and buttery. How could it get better than that?

I started experimenting with using psyllium husks (affiliate link) in my breads. Not necessarily as a replacement for xanthan gum (I like to pre-mix my gluten free flour blends with the tiny amount of xanthan gum). But as an addition to the recipe.

I found that adding psyllium husks (affiliate link) to some gluten free bread dough helps with the extensibility of the dough itself, even more so than xanthan gum in most cases. Using it in my gluten free hamburger and hot dog buns was revolutionary, so I just HAD to try it in the croissants.

But I also watched Youtuber Bruno Albouze from the Real Deal Cooking Channel and found yet another technique that I knew would work wonders. By putting the dough in the freezer first, before locking in the butter, I was able to create a similar consistency of the dough and butter. This made it easier to roll the butter block into the dough without breakage!

Before Beginning--Please 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 don't be surprised if you don't get it right the first time.

• Read through the recipe a couple of times before beginning.
• Make sure you have the time to make them. Plan croissant making as a weekend project, at least at first, until you've made them once.
• I researched and researched to come up with what I believe to be the PERFECT gluten free croissant. Taking into account how gluten free dough works, I had to modify a few things. For instance, there is more sugar in this dough than usual. Please know that in gluten free yeast baking, sometimes up is down and down is up.
• PLEASE use the ingredients I recommend. If you don't, most likely you won't have success and you'll wonder why your croissants aren't all they were cracked up to be. Trust me on this. Veering from the recipe may NOT get you the flaky croissant you long for. That being said, if you yourself want to experiment with ingredient substitutions for dairy free, egg free, etc, be my guest. Just know the only thing I substituted is gluten so I DON'T KNOW if any other substitutions will work.
• Gluten free croissants usually take 1-2 days to make. The rising times are what take up most of the time. Once all the folds and turns have been done, you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for a few days before shaping it into croissants and proofing and baking.

Let's Talk Laminated Dough for Gluten Free Croissants

Croissants are made up of two parts--the beurrage, or butter packet, and the detrempe, or dough.

Laminating is simply layering the butter between the dough. When the butter hits the heat, it creates steam as it's melting and this, along with the yeast in the dough, pushes up the layers. What we're left with is an ethereally light croissant that's flaky on the outside with soft, buttery layers on the inside!

Making the Dough (The Detrempe)

Add the flour, sugar, psyllium husk, salt, yeast, and baking powder to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk together before attaching to your stand mixer.

Begin mixing on low with the dough hook and add the butter, milk, and beaten eggs. Let the dough come together and then turn up the speed to medium high and mix for 5 minutes.

When done mixing, use a plastic scraper (like this one) or a flexible spatula to scrape the sides and mound the dough into one cohesive mass in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. You can also transfer it to another bowl or a container with a lid.

Place the dough right in the fridge. We're skipping the warm rising for this dough and opting for cold fermentation. Refrigerate the dough overnight. During this time, it will rise some but we're not looking for noticeable rising. We want most of our rising to be at the end when it matters most.

Making the Butter Block (Beurrage)

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, you'll need to double the amount of butter and flour and put it in a gallon bag.

Preparing the Dough

When ready to begin, remove the dough from the fridge. Note--I STRONGLY suggest using only half of the dough at first, until you get a feel for how these croissants are made. Once you are successful, you can then pull out the rest of the dough, make another butter block, and make six more croissants!

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Roll it into a rectangle that's a little smaller than a ¼ sheet pan (9 by 13 inches). Place it on the sheet pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it in the FREEZER for 10 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, flip it over and put it back in the freezer for another 10 minutes.

Locking in the Butter and Making the First Fold

Remove the butter block from the fridge. It should be cold, but not completely solid. A test to make sure it's at the right consistency is to roll it along the edge of your counter. If it bends easily without breaking, it's perfect. If it's too soft, keep it in the fridge for another 10 minutes.

Taking kitchen shears, cut down the sides of the baggie to expose one side of the butter block. Set it aside while you prepare the dough.

Remove the dough from the freezer and roll it out to a rectangle large enough to fit the butter block with about ½-inch of an overhang on either side (the butter block will be facing width wise on the dough--the zip top will be to the right or left, not on top).

Flip the exposed side of the butter block over onto the top two thirds of dough. Peel away the baggie and toss it. Fold the bottom third of the dough over top of the middle third of butter. Then fold the top third of the dough and butter together over the bottom third of dough, like a letter fold. Press and pinch to seal the edges of the butter into the dough.

Turning the Dough

While most (including my first) croissant recipes call for refrigerating between turns, you don't have to refrigerate this dough AT ALL if you work quickly enough to keep the dough cold. If at any point the dough gets too warm, place it back in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Turn the dough lengthwise (the short end is toward you) and begin "pressing" the rolling pin along the length of dough. This will elongate the dough without pushing all the butter out of it.

Then start rolling from the center to each end, but don't roll too firmly, just glide over the dough with the rolling pin. You're still striving to lengthen the dough and the butter, not completely flatten it and push the butter out.

Constantly move the dough and check for sticking on the underside. If you find that it's sticking, use your bench scraper to scrape the dough, lift it, and add more flour underneath. If you find a tear in the dough, take extra flour, sprinkle it over the tear, pat it carefully with your fingertips, and brush the excess flour away.

I don't like to give measurements of the dough because I don't think it's practical to constantly have a ruler in hand while rolling out dough. I think going by the thickness of dough is a better observation, so you're looking for about ¼-inch in thickness.

Making the Second Fold

This second fold is what's called a book fold. I saw it on some YouTube channel (I can't remember which one) and thought it might remove a step from my gluten free croissant recipe.

Fold the bottom third of the dough up (see pictures and video). 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. You'll 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.

The Final Fold

Again, roll out the dough into a rectangle using the press and roll method (explained above). Now we'll do the final fold, which is going to be a simple letter fold. Fold the bottom third up to the top third, and then fold the top third down to cover the bottom third.

Turn the dough 90 degrees and again roll it out, but this time roll it to roughly the size of a quarter sheet pan (9 by 13 inch). Place the dough onto your sheet pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Cutting the Triangles

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out into a little bigger size to be able to cut out 6 large triangles, about 10 by 12 inches in size (but again, you don't have to be beholden to this size). Anything close to that will work, as long as it's about ¼-inch thick.

If desired, trim the edges (not necessary, but it does help in the final lift of the dough and to expose the layers). Using a ruler, mark a few notches across the bottom of the dough, about 4 inches apart from each other. Then take your ruler and cut out triangles as shown. You should get a total of 6 triangles from ½ batch of dough.

Shaping the Croissants

Shaping the croissants is very easy. And with the added psyllium husk in the dough, it's more extensible and is able to be rolled a little tighter than my old croissants.

Cut a notch about an inch long in the middle of the 4-inch base of each triangle. With your fingers on each side of the notch, pull it apart slightly and begin rolling up the triangle. Of note, don't put the point of the dough on the underside of the rolled croissants. This is a tip that's always suggested when making gluten-filled croissants, but remember these are gluten free croissants. When rising, they will pull too much and tear the dough. Ask me how I know this 😉

Proofing the Croissants

Place the croissants at least 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Proofing croissants is tricky. If the temperature is higher than 80 degrees F, the butter will leak out and you'll be left with a dense roll. Here's my trick:

• Place the croissants in your oven that is turned off. Don't preheat it to the warm cycle like we do when proofing other dough.
• Fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to a boil on the stove.
• Place the small saucepan in the oven on a rack that is much lower than the croissants (or even on the oven floor).
• Shut the oven door and allow the gluten free croissants to proof until visibly larger in size, although not doubled. You may need to reheat the water a second or even third time. They should look like they've puffed up and maybe some of the layers will start separating. A marshmallow-like appearance is what you're looking for. This could take anywhere from 1 ½-4 hours. Don't rush it!

Baking Gluten Free Croissants

I've tried every combination of temperatures and times and believe this is the best method for baking gluten free croissants. It's nothing like baking regular croissants, though. Remember everything that's up is down and down is up in gluten free baking sometimes 🤪

Before doing anything else, place the baking sheet filled with the croissants on another baking sheet. This will insulate the bottom of the croissants while baking so they won't burn before the rest of the croissant is done.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Brush your croissants ever so lightly with an egg wash, being careful not to deflate them. Place the croissants in the freezer for about 10 minutes (or fridge for 20).

Once the oven is preheated, open the door and throw 2-3 ice cubes right onto the oven floor. Place the croissants in the oven and quickly shut the door. Set a timer for 5 minutes.

Lower the temp to 450 degrees F and set a timer again for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature yet again to 425 degrees F and set another timer for 5 minutes.

Remove the croissants from the oven and check to see if they're done. Carefully lift up one croissant (with a gloved hand). If it feels relatively light for its size, it's done. If it feels at all heavy, place the croissants back in the oven to bake for another 5 minutes at 375 degrees F.

The Tools I Use for Making Gluten Free Croissants

You don't absolutely need these tools (affiliate links) to make gf croissants, but they definitely make it easier:

• Dough scrapers--these 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 scraper--another 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 wheel--the one I use is old and no longer available, but this one is exactly the same (other than the black handle).
• Pastry brush--I purchased the pastry brush I use from our local Restaurant Depot, but this one is just like mine.
• Acrylic ruler--I also can't live without this ruler! It helps to keep the edges of the croissant dough straight, you can see through it (which helps in pastry making), and it offers a straight edge when cutting triangles for croissants (or anything you're cutting in the kitchen).
• Quarter sheet pans--I 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 pans--these are the ones I have, although I would opt to purchase these stainless steel ones in the future (for the same reason as above).
• Pre-cut parchment sheets--I use these ALL THE TIME for anything and everything. So convenient!!
• French rolling pin--I have THREE rolling pins and I always gravitate to this one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Double the Recipe? Why Go Through All of This for Just Six Croissants???

Although it can be done, I strongly recommend against using all the dough the very FIRST time you make croissants. The small number of croissants is more manageable when just starting out. Your best bet, when first starting out, is to make two batches of 6 croissants. I recommend trying the smaller version with only half the dough first so you can get a feel for how the croissants are made.

If you don't feel like making more croissants right away, wrap the other half of the dough well in a double layer of plastic wrap and place it in a freezer baggie and put it in the freezer. It will keep in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before proceeding with the recipe.

As you feel more comfortable and have made the croissants once or twice, then you can think using all the dough. You'll need to double the recipe for the butter block and use a gallon bag.

Can I Make Smaller Croissants?

Yes, you can make smaller croissants (although I wouldn't recommend it your first go round). You'll need to adjust the size of the base of each croissant. You'll get more croissants out of one recipe, but you will need to adjust the baking time. Start with the same temperatures and work your way down, checking after 10 minutes.

Do I Have to Use European Butter?

I've made these croissants with both European and American butter and I've found that European butter works best. European butter has a higher fat content and a lower water content. This produces more flakes and the layers separate more definitively, causing a higher rise. However, American butter will still produce a nice gluten free croissant if you don't wish to splurge on the good stuff.

Can I Make The Croissants Ahead of Time?

Unbaked croissant dough can be frozen up to one month, well wrapped. Unbaked shaped croissants can also be frozen up to one month. Line the unbaked croissants on a baking sheet. Cover and place them in the freezer until they are frozen. Place them in a freezer bag, removing as much of the air as possible. Label and date the bag.

Thaw unbaked croissants by removing them from the freezer the day before you're going to bake them. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, covering them with plastic wrap, and let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove the croissants from the refrigerator and start the process of proofing them.

You can also freeze baked croissants. Thaw baked croissants at room temperature for a few hours (or in the refrigerator overnight). Refresh them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5 to 7 minutes before serving.

If you've been missing a great croissant, these gluten free croissants will blow your mind!!! After one bite, you'll be transported back to those pre-gluten free days 🙂

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