Easy Gruyere Croissants
Easy Gruyere Croissants take the hard work out of making traditional croissants and produce a flaky, buttery Gruyère cheese-filled treat! Topped with cranberry-honey butter, this is a must for Christmas morning or any other morning!
Traditionally, croissants take pass after pass of rolling the dough, adding butter, folding and repeating many times. With this recipe, we do that only twice. Works for me!
The buttery dough also has gruyère cheese mixed into it so it has a bit of a salty, nutty flavor. Counter that with a little honey and you’ve got a delicious dough to turn into delicious croissants.
I know that many of you won’t even try to make a yeast dough, but I’m telling you, this one is simple! If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you can make it. We’re using rapid rise or instant yeast so you don’t have to “proof” it ahead of time. Just combine it with the flour, cheese, warm milk, honey, egg and butter. With the dough hook, mix for about 4-5 minutes. Let the dough sit for a minimum of 15 minutes. That doesn’t sound too hard, right?
Once the dough is ready, roll it out into a large rectangle. Spread butter slices over the middle third of the dough and fold it like an envelope. Roll it again and fold it into thirds and then roll it into a large rectangle.
Cut the dough into thin triangles, sprinkle with remaining gruyère chese and roll each triangle up.
Place the croissants on a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes. Brush the croissants with an egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Top the warm croissants with butter combined with honey and dried cranberries. Serve and enjoy!
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Easy Gruyere Croissants
Makes: 14 croissants
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour & 5 minutes plus rest time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (add up to 1/2 cup more, if necessary)
- 2 & 1/4 tsp (1 packet) Rapid Rise yeast
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 2 tsp honey
- 4 tbsp salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 & 1/2 sticks (3/4) cup cold salted butter, sliced into thin pieces
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten together, for brushing
Cranberry Honey Butter:
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add 1 cup of cheese. Mix with a fork to combine. Pour in the warm milk, honey, 1 egg, and butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is incorporated, 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining 1/4 -1/2 cup of flour. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or up to a few hours at room temperature.
Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, creating a large rectangle that’s about 12×18 inches. Layer the thin slices of cold butter down the middle 1/3 of the dough, creating a rectangle of butter (see above photo).
Fold 1/3 of the dough over the butter, then fold the other 1/3 over top of the first layer so you have 3 dough layers (like an envelope). Roll the dough out again into a large rectangle, fold into thirds.
Next, roll the dough out in a large, long 25×9 inch rectangle (it does not need to be exact/perfect). Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut the dough into 14-16 long triangles, about 3 inches wide. Sprinkle each triangle with the remaining cheese. Roll the croissants up. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Cover and freeze 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you can let the rolls sit in the fridge overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush with the rolls with the beaten egg. Bake the croissants for 16-20 minutes, until deeply golden. Serve the croissant warm, with cranberry butter and sea salt.
Cranberry Honey Butter:
Combine the butter, cranberries, honey, and a pinch of salt together in a small bowl.
Chef’s Notes:
To Use Active Dry Yeast: Mix 1 packet (2 & 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast with the warm milk and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy on top. Add the flour and follow the directions as listed for the remainder of the recipe.
Recipe from Half Baked Harvest
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