Croissant & Laminated Dough Calculator

Traditional French croissants use a butter block that is about half the weight of the base dough (50% ratio). This gives the classic flaky, buttery layers. Some recipes use slightly less (40%) for a lighter result or more (60%) for an ultra-buttery pastry.

Classic croissants use 3 single (letter) folds, creating 27 layers of dough and butter. Pain au chocolat uses the same lamination. Danish pastries can use 3 single folds or 2 double (book) folds. Too many folds can cause the butter to blend into the dough rather than staying as distinct layers.

The butter block should be cool but pliable — about 15°C. If the butter is too cold, it will crack and break through the dough layers. If too warm, it will melt into the dough and you will lose the distinct layers. Work in a cool kitchen and chill the dough between folds.

From start to baked croissants, expect 12-24 hours. This includes making the dough (30 min), chilling (2+ hours), 3 rounds of folding with resting between each (3-4 hours), shaping, final proof (1-2 hours), and baking (15-20 min). Many bakers do the folding one day and bake the next morning.

The yeast quantity is based on instant (fast-action) yeast at 2% of flour, which is within the typical croissant range of 1.2-2.25%. If you use fresh (cake) yeast instead, multiply the figure by about 3 — fresh yeast is roughly three times the weight of instant for the same activity. Active dry yeast sits in between, about 1.25 times the instant amount.