Vegan Croissants Recipe

Instructions

Preparing the Dough

Add the lukewarm water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk in the yeast and allow to proof until foamy (about 5 minutes).
Add in the granulated sugar, bread flour, salt, and the softened vegan butter. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed until dough comes together in one large mass. At this point it will look very rough and shaggy.
Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed for 6-8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. It should clear the sides of the bowl. Dough should bounce back when poked gently. If the dough seems overly wet or sticky, gradually knead in extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the right consistency is achieved.

First Rise

Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl (you can use plastic, a large plate, or a lightly damp kitchen towel). Allow to rise until doubled (about 1 hour). If it's chilly in your kitchen, it might take a bit longer.
Punch down the dough to remove any large air bubbles. Transfer to a clean surface. Gently stretch the dough out with your hands and fold it into a square shape. (This is just to make it easier to roll it out into a rectangular shape later.)
Transfer the dough to a sealable container. It will continue to rise, so make sure there is a little extra space for it to expand. I like to to use an 8x8” baking dish with a lid — this will help to keep it in a square shape. You can also tightly wrap it in plastic wrap.
Place the dough in the fridge and allow to rise for at least 2 hours, OR overnight.

Make the Butter Slab

Next we will want to shape 1 cup of butter into a flat, square slab. I like to do this by taking a large piece of parchment and folding it into a 6x6" square shape. Place the butter inside the square and fold the edges of the parchment over to enclose it. Then use a rolling pin to pound and roll the butter to fill the parchment square. Roll over it to form it into a nice flat, even slab.
Place the butter slab in the fridge to chill.

Laminating the Dough

Once the dough has chilled for 2 hours OR overnight, it is ready to laminate. First bring your butter slab out of the fridge and place it on the counter so it has a few minutes to soften just *slightly.* Our aim is to have the butter slightly pliable but not soft — similar in texture to the chilled dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle, roughly 8"x16". (It needs to be slightly larger than twice the length of the butter slab.) Use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour from the surface of the dough. Place the butter slab on one side, leaving a border, then fold the dough over to envelop the butter. Pinch around the edges to seal in the butter tightly.
Note: While laminating the dough, use as much all-purpose flour as needed to keep your dough from sticking to the work surface and to your rolling pin. We will use a pastry brush between steps to brush off any excess flour.
Roll the dough out to roughly 24x9". Use a pastry brush to dust off excess flour. Perform one single turn: Fold the dough in 3rds like a letter.
Place the dough back in the sealed container (or wrap it tightly with parchment/plastic). Place in the fridge and chill for at least 1 hour before proceeding. This is necessary to keep the butter from softening too much, and it will allow the gluten to relax so the dough will not resist being rolled out again.
Once the dough has chilled, roll it out again to 24x9". Again, use your pastry brush to dust off excess flour. Now perform a double turn: Fold both ends of the dough to meet in the center, then fold in half again like a book. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hour OR overnight to allow the gluten to fully relax.

Shaping the Croissants

Lightly dust your work surface with flour and roll dough out to just over 20" wide and 18" tall. Use a very sharp knife to trim the left and right edges just slightly, so they are straight and crisp.
Now cut the dough into 5 long rectangles, each about 4 inches wide. Then cut each rectangle diagonally from corner to corner, creating 10 long triangles. Each triangle will be one croissant.
Working one at a time, use your pastry brush to dust excess flour off the dough. Cut a small slit at the base of each triangle, then gently pull to elongate the piece of dough even more. Now gently roll your dough into a crescent shape.
Place on a baking tray (lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat) with the point or seam of the croissant on the bottom. Repeat with the remaining croissants. The croissants will expand, so I prefer to divide them between two large baking sheets to give them plenty of space.
Lightly cover the croissants with plastic or a slightly damp tea towel. Allow croissants to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size. They should look noticeably puffy and should jiggle slightly if you shake the baking tray.

Baking

Preheat oven to 400°F toward the end of the rising time.
Optionally, you can whisk together 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup with 2 tablespoons plant milk to make a vegan egg wash substitute. Lightly brush the croissants with this mixture to help them achieve a glossy finish. (Make sure it's only a very light wash, or the sugars can cause the croissants to brown too quickly.)
If you have also divided your croissants between 2 baking trays, we will bake them one at a time. You can place the other tray in the fridge or in a cool spot in your house while the first tray bakes.
Bake croissants for the first 5 minutes at 400°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until deep golden brown. If they appear to be getting too dark, you can loosely tent them with foil until they are done baking.
Please note that every oven is a little different in terms of how it distributes heat, so you may need to make some adjustments in case yours has any hot spots.
Some ovens tend to overly brown the bottoms of baked goods — if this happens to you, you might want to cook the croissants on a higher rack, OR place an extra (empty) baking sheet on the bottom rack beneath your croissants to help shield them from the heat, so the bottoms of the croissants don't get too dark.
If your oven tends to be a lot hotter towards the back than the front, then I recommend rotating your baking tray midway through the cook time so the croissants bake evenly.
Allow the croissants to cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
These are best served warm, whether fresh from the oven or reheated slightly in a microwave or toaster oven. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. These also freeze and defrost well.

Video

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Dough

For the Butter Slab

Vegan Egg Wash

Instructions

Preparing the Dough

First Rise

Make the Butter Slab

Laminating the Dough

Shaping the Croissants

Baking

Notes