Homemade Nut Free Croissants – Easy, Buttery & Delicious
For a long time I was intimidated by croissants. They seemed so fancy. So hard to make.
But then my son asked me to give it a try. “What’s the worst could happen?” he asked, wise beyond his years. “We don’t eat them.” I knew nut free croissants were in my baking future.
One of the worst things about having a child with food allergies, aside from always worrying about them going into anaphylactic shock, is that so many foods are off-limits. And I’m not just talking obvious foods like Reeses peanut butter cookies or traditional pesto or nut bread. I’m talking about all the things that look safe but aren’t because of cross contamination. Things like cupcakes and dinner rolls and croissants.
I vividly remember going out to brunch. The server set a big basket of pastries . . . muffins, danish, and croissants on the table. We knew the basket was a no-go since some of the danish had almonds on them. But we asked if the croissants were safe. Of course, they weren’t. Everything was prepared in the same facility. This was not an unexpected response, but that morning it really took a tool.
I don’t know if my young son was particularly hungry or tired or just sick of hearing “That’s not safe,” but his little face fell and he put his head down on the table completely dejected, “I never get to eat anything fancy,” he said.
And hence . . . this homemade nut free croissants recipe was born.
Why You’ll Love Them:
Buttery, rich, delicious . . .
Need I say more?
This nut free croissants recipe isn’t exactly, easy. It’s more time consuming than a lot of recipes on here. But it is a lot easier than a lot of croissants repines you’ll find online. And it so worth it.
You’ll love the flaky goodness of these homemade nut free croissants. And you’ll love that they are safe for people with nut allergies.
You’ll also feel pretty darn proud of yourself when you see how absolutely beautiful this nut free croissants look fresh out of the oven. Pop them on a pretty platter and you’ve got an impressive brunch pastry. Add some lemon curd or strawberry jam, and your guests will be ultra impressed.
How to Make Home Nut Free Croissants
Make the Dough:
A lot of croissants recipes require you to add a square of butter to your dough while rolling it out. This is an effective method for getting butter in every layer. But it’s time consuming, and a little intimidating. And frankly, not necessary.
Instead, you are just slicing the cold butter into very thin slivers and mixing it right in to the dough. After it’s been chilled and folded, you’ll still get your beautifully flaky layers, but the prep is so much easier.
Start by mixing the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together in the bowl of your stand mixer. I use my Kitchen Aid. Then toss in thin slices of cold unsalted butter. Make sure every piece of butter is coated in the flour mixture.
Switch to your dough hook and add the milk. You might need a little bit more or a little it less. Switch the mixer on and mix JUST until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. You want a nice, stiff, ball of dough. The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Once the dough starts to come together, you can turn off the mixer and shape it with your hands.
Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
Roll the Nut Free Croissants Dough:
Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and turn it out on a lightly floured surface. I use my quartz countertop.
Roll the dough into a rectangle and then fold it into third, like an envelope. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat.
Lots of people ask how many times you need to roll and fold the dough. And lots of recipes prescribe a set number of turns and folds. But you know me, I don’t cook like that. I just follow my gut.
I want the croissant to be light ad flaky. I want there to be numerous layers of think, flaky pastry. And the more times you turn and fold the dough, the more layers you’ll have. But you can also get to a point where you fold it too much and the dough gets tough. Or the layers get so thin that they are nonexistent.
So as I roll out the dough, I can keep an eye on it. When it gos from thick and lumpy to smooth and layered, I know I’ve turned and rolled and rolled enough. I’m looking for lots fo thin, smooth layers that have streaks of butter running throughout.
If the dough becomes too soft at any time during this process, pop it back in the fridge and let it firm up. You don’t want the dough to be too soft or the butter will melt.
Now, I know that’s not a ton of help when you read a recipe that you’ve never tried before, so I’ll say that I usually fold the dough about 6 times. But it depends on how thinly the butter was sliced and how much it mixed together. But 6 folds should yield some beautifully layered nut free croissants.
Wrap tightly and chill the dough for another hour.
Shape the Croissants
Divide the dough in half so it’s easier to work with, then roll it out to a big, long rectangle. I shoot for a sheet about 10 x 20 inches and 1/8 of an inch thick.
Use a pizza cutter (or sharp knife), to trim the edges away and cut the dough into long, skinny triangles. Aim for a width of about 5 inches on the wide end. You should get four triangle out of the dough.
Next, cut a little notch in the center wide end. This helps the croissant bend more and more easily keep a curved shape.
Starting at the wide end of a triangle, roll it towards the point. Make sure the point is tucked underneath the croissant, and bend the croissant into a curved crescent shape. Pinch the two ends together. They will probably come apart during the proofing and baking process, but that’s ok!
Bake the Croissants
Transfer the nut free croissants to a parchment lined baking sheet. You don’t want the croissants to be touching, so use two pans if you have too.
Cover loosely and allow to rise until doubled in size. How long this takes depends on a lot of factors, but it usually takes between 1-2 hours, a little less if you use instant rise yeast.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and then gently brush the tops of the croissants with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1-2 tablespoons of water).
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown. You’ll know they are done when you smell their deliciousness.
Enjoy!
There are infinite ways to enjoy nut free croissants.
First, you can just enjoy a nice warm, flaky croissant straight from the oven. Or you can smear on a little extra butter, because you can never have too much butter, right?
Serve them with breakfast. Or alongside a salad or some soup.
You can slo sprinkle them with powdered sugar. Or drizzle them with chocolate or caramel.
You can stuff them before breaking – hot ham and Swiss cheese anyone? Or maybe sone chocolate chips?
Or you can treat the like bread. I love chicken salad on a nut free croissant. Or turkey and melted brie. Yum!
What’s your favorite way to enjoy nut free croissants?
Happy Eating!
Homemade Nut Free Croissants
Print RecipeIngredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 2 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter cold (2 1/2 sticks)
- 1 cup milk you may need slightly more or less
- egg wash 1 large egg beaten with a teaspoon or two of water
Instructions
- Place the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until combined.
- Slice the butter into thin slices (about 1/8 of an inch) and toss in the flour mixture to coat.
- Add the milk and using the dough hook, mx together just until a stiff dough forms. Do not overman.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a long rectangle shape.
- Fold it into thirds (like a letter), turn 90 degrees, and repeat 4 to 6 more times, or until the dough has large streaks of butter in it but it is smooth and flat. (If the butter starts to feel soft during this process, chill it in the refrigerator or freezer until firm.)
- Wrap tightly and chill for another hour. Divide the dough in half and roll each portion out to a thickness of about 1/8-inch, in a long rectangle shape (approx. 10-inches wide by 20-inches long).
- Cut the dough into long, skinny triangles (about 5-inches at the wide end). You should get about 4 from each half.
- Notch the center of the wide end of each triangle with about a 1/2-inch cut, then roll from the wide end to the pointed end, tucking the point into the slit under the croissant.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and allow to proof until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours. May be slightly less time if you use instant yeast.
- While dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Gently brush the croissants with egg wash.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffed, golden brown, and flaky.
