Croissant and Pain au Chocolat Baking Instructions

Your croissants and pain au chocolat come frozen and need to be defrosted the night before baking. The pastry needs time and temperature to activate the yeast and allow the gluten to stretch in order to give the flaky layers. Good things take time and can’t be rushed. 

We recommend you practice baking with a croissant or two prior to the actual day you want to serve them.  This way you can get your temperature and timings right so that they are perfect and ready when you want them. Every fridge, kitchen and oven are different so let’s minimise surprises!

You will need:

• Oven (no microwaves please) 
• Baking tray
• Baking paper or non-stick spray 
• Glad wrap or similar
• Pastry brush
• 1-2 Eggs
• Bowl
• Wire rack or oven rack for cooling of croissants

The afternoon before:

• Take croissants out of freezer and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper or sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Cover with glad wrap or similar and put in the fridge

On the day:

• Croissants should have defrosted by the next morning
• Pull tray out of fridge and put on the kitchen bench to allow warmer kitchen environment to activate the yeast. Allow croissants to double in size. Timings on this stage depends on the temperature in your kitchen, optimal kitchen temperature for baking is 22 degrees. If your kitchen is warmer than this then this stage may only take 1 hour or up to 3 hours if it’s a cold kitchen. 

Croissants have puffed up to double their original size and are ready for the oven 

• While waiting pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees (fan forced preferable but not essential) and then beat 1-2 eggs in a bowl so your egg wash is ready. Egg wash gives them the shiny appearance and stops them drying out
• Once croissants are the desired size remove glad wrap and brush top and sides of each croissant with egg wash 

• Place croissant tray in the pre-heated 190-degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes (depends on your oven) and until they are golden brown
• Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack
• Eat on their own or smother with butter and jam. 
• Enjoy