Sourdough Croissant Bread

This sourdough croissant bread recipe combines all the loveliness of a flaky croissant with the simplicity of a sourdough loaf. Sourdough croissant bread has a golden, flaky crust from layers of grated butter folded into the dough before a cold proof. 

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I love it when two worlds collide to create something delicious!

Sourdough croissants are a delight with their buttery layers, but require a commitment with their intensive lamination process. If you want the same great buttery flavor without the fuss, then you’ll love this sourdough croissant loaf!

Why You’ll Love Croissant Sourdough Bread

• Easy – Get the same buttery flavor without the fuss of butter block building between the layers of a traditional croissant dough. 
• Delicious – With a stick of grated butter folded in the dough, there’s no doubt that this bread is delicious and makes for an extra special treat! 
• Simple Ingredients – With just a few basic ingredients, you can elevate a simple bread into a treat, worthy of any celebration! 

Sourdough Croissant Bread Loaf Recipe Equipment

• Kitchen scale
• Large mixing bowl 
• Danish dough whisk
• 7 qt Dutch oven 
• Parchment paper
• 9 ” banneton or proofing basket
• Lame or sharp knife
• Digital thermometer
• Box grater

Croissant Sourdough Bread Ingredients

• Sourdough – Use an active sourdough starter that’s risen properly and is full of bubbles to create a levain. Alternatively, if you refresh your sourdough starter regularly, you can use that in place of the levain.
• Flour – With a higher protein content, bead flour will help build a stronger gluten structure than all-purpose flour will. 
• Water – The temperature of the dough is important! Use cool water, roughly 75°F/24°C.
• Salt – Adds flavor to the bread and helps with gluten development. 
• Butter – I like to use unsalted butter since the saltiness will vary brand to brand. This lets you have full control over the level of salt for consistent results. Grate the butter with a cheese grater and refrigerate until ready to add to the dough. Using cold butter will give you the best results for flakey layers. 

What Type of Butter Should I Use in Croissant Sourdough Bread Recipe?

In terms of what type of butter, I like to stick with grade AA American butter over European butter. With a higher fat content and less water, the European butter will leak more fat as it bakes. Not only are American butters less expensive, but they have a higher water content, and this water turns to steam in the oven, which is a good thing for sourdough croissant bread loaf.

How to Make Sourdough Croissant Bread

Create the Levain

1:1:1 Levain: This recipe calls for a levain mixed the night before you mix the dough. Combine 42 g sourdough starter, 42 g water, and 42 g all-purpose flour in a small bowl. Cover and let it sit at room temperature for 8 hours.

The levain is ready when it has doubled in size and has lots of bubbles, with a slightly sour aroma.

Do you have to use a levain in this recipe? No, but if you have a well-maintained and frequently refreshed starter, you can substitute 125 g of active sourdough starter for the levain in the recipe.

Grate 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter into a small dish and refrigerate until ready to add to the dough. 

Autolyse

Add 320 g (1⅓ cups) water and 500 g (4 cups) bread flour to a large bowl and mix with a Danish dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms and all of the flour is incorporated. I found that it helped to use my hands to work the final bits of flour into the dough.

Cover the bowl and rest for 30 minutes.

Combining the flour and water before adding the salt and sourdough starter gives the flour time to hydrate. In addition, the enzymes are released to make the sugars more available once the starter is added, giving the gluten a chance to begin developing before weighing the dough down with butter. 

Mix the Dough

Combine 10 g (2 tsp) salt with the remaining 30 g (2 tbsp) water and stir to dissolve the salt. Pour the salty water into the bowl over the dough with all of the ripe levain, and mix until fully combined.

I find that my hands are the best tool for this job. Use the pincer method to work the levain and salt into the dough. Squeeze the dough between your thumb and fingers, pinching the dough into sections. Rotate the dough, and pinch another section until the levain and liquid are adequately distributed throughout the dough.

At this point, the dough can look a bit stringy and not fully cohesive; this is ok. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and Folds | Strengthen the Gluten

There will be 4 sets of stretch and folds over the next 90 minutes in which the dough will transform from a rough, shaggy croissant dough to a smooth and elastic dough. 

Grab the edge of the dough and lift it straight up before folding it over onto itself. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat, working your way around the sides of the bowl. Initially, the dough will be loose, but after 10-15 folds, the dough begins to come together.

Continue to stretch and fold the dough roughly 20-30 times, or until the dough becomes resistant. This completes one set of stretch and folds. Cover the bowl and rest for 30 minutes. 

Continue stretching and folding the dough for a total of 4 sets with 30 minute intervals. 

On the second set of stretch and folds, add half of the grated butter over the top of the dough. Using the same stretch and fold method, incorporate the butter into the dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. 

Add the remaining grated butter to the dough on the third set of stretch and folds. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. 

By the fourth and final set of stretch and folds, the dough will be elastic and smooth, with the grated butter distributed throughout the dough. 

It’s important that the dough maintains a temperature of 70-72F/C. Similar to making other pastry dough, like rough puff pastry or croissants, it’s important that the layers of butter stay cool to prevent too much butter leakage during the bake time.  Take the temperature using a digital thermometer to monitor the dough temp. Place the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool the dough down if it starts to get too warm. 

Bulk Ferment

After the stretch and folds are completed, cover the bowl and let it rest at room temperature. The dough is done fermenting when you see plenty of air bubbles beneath the surface, the dough has doubled in size, and the edge of the dough where it meets the bowl domes down slightly. 

Because the dough is heavier than a traditional sourdough bread dough with the added butter, the total bulk fermentation time may be longer than normal. Keep an eye on the dough’s temperature to make sure the butter doesn’t soften too much. Aim to keep the dough at 70°F/21°C. Place the bowl into the refrigerator to cool the dough temperature as needed. 

Preshape

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a bench scraper and one hand, rotate the dough while pushing the dough under with the bench scraper, into a boule shape.

Bench Rest

Let the preshaped dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes uncovered. It’s normal for the dough to flatten a bit as it rests. This allows the gluten to relax a bit before its final shaping.

Shape

Prepare your banneton by dusting it with a bit of rice flour to prevent the dough from sticking. 

Fold the bottom of the dough up to the middle and gently press it into the dough. Pull the right side of the dough out a bit to stretch it before folding it over the middle of the dough. Repeat with the left side of the dough. Starting from the bottom of the dough ball, roll the dough onto itself until it forms a ball. Cup the far side of the dough with both hands, and pull towards you, tightening the dough’s surface.

Use a bench scraper to lift the folded dough into the prepared banneton, with the seam side up. Pinch the seams together. 

Cold Proof

Place the banneton into a plastic bag and refrigerate for 8-24 hours. I like to do this step overnight. 

You can skip the overnight cold proof and, instead, bake the bread the same day. Let the dough rise in the proofing basket inside a large plastic bag for a few hours or until the dough is airy and jiggles a bit. After the dough is done proofing, place it into the refrigerator while preheating the oven to let the butter cool a bit before baking. Cold dough prevents butter from leaking out and is easier to score.

Preheat the Oven

The next morning, preheat the oven to 450F°/232C° with a Dutch oven in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.

Score and Bake Sourdough Croissant Bread

Turn out the chilled dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the top of the loaf roughly 1 inch deep with a lame or a sharp knife. 

Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven and lift the bread using the parchment paper as handles, into the Dutch oven.

Replace the lid and move to the oven.

Lower the temperature to 425°F/218°C and bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Storage

Like most baked goods, this bread is best the day it’s baked. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. Store bread in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

Tips

• Be sure to use parchment paper, as a little butter may leak out into the Dutch oven.
• The added weight of the butter will slow fermentation compared to a traditional loaf of sourdough bread, so don’t be alarmed when it takes longer than usual. 

We have a saying in our home, “bread is just a carrier for butter”. But good bread doesn’t need it! Lucky for us all, the sourdough croissant bread exists, and has all of the buttery goodness a heart could want. Enjoy this delightful bread and let me know if you love it as much as we do!

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