Homemade Gluten & Grain Free Croissants!

This recipe may have been the one that catapulted my book Every Last Crumb all the way up to #33 best selling books on all of Amazon. Which was without a doubt the biggest day in my career :) I’ll never forget it!

With ELC no longer in print- it cab be very hard to find copies for a reasonable price. That book is filled with some of my very best work that I poured my all into! So I couldn’t let those recipes just disappear. I decided to move all my favorites here into the club little by little so that they had forever place online and could be available to anyone.

I always joke that this is the recipe that sold thousands of copies of Every Last Crumb- but its also the recipe that was made the very least. Which I KNEW would be the case!

The reality is that making croissants gluten free or not is a process!! It requires time, patience and the willingness to learn a new skill. In my opinion its well worth the effort- but most people get intimidated by the process.

The times this recipe has been made I got wonderful reviews :) So if you are an avid baker I highly recommend taking the time to learn!! Its one of those things that you’ll be really proud you learned how to make when all is said and done.

Homemade Paleo Croissants

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Yield: 10-12 Croissants

Author: Brittany Angell

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 14 MinInactive time: 3 H & 30 MTotal time: 4 H & 14 M

Holy cow, was this recipe a tricky one to figure out! And let me warn you: Making croissants is for the advanced and patient baker. You’ll need almost an entire day to make these delicious flaky pastries, though much of that time is unattended.This recipe requires the use of butter. The only possible substitution would be goat’s milk butter. I have included only gram weights and measuring spoon amounts, as precise measurements are essential for these to turn out; one small change and the recipe will be thrown off. Be sure to follow the directions closely. Be prepared watch a few YouTube croissant tutorials to get a general idea of the process. And be sure to use potato flour for this recipe

Ingredients

Yeast Mixture

• 240 grams lukewarm milk or water 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast

Croissant Dough

• 165 grams tapioca starch, plus more for the work surface
• 88 grams potato starch or sweet potato starch
• 84 grams coconut flour
• 11⁄ 2 tablespoons potato flour
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum or guar gum
• 1⁄ 2 teaspoon double-acting, aluminum- free baking powder
• 1⁄ 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 50 grams Spectrum vegetable shortening
• 2 large eggs
• 224 grams salted butter, frozen (1 cup/2 sticks)

Egg Wash

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water or milk

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the lukewarm milk, yeast, and honey. Set aside to let it get frothy.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, mix the starches, flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt until blended. Add the shortening and mix until you can no longer see clumps of shortening.
3. Add the eggs and yeast mixture. (Note: If the yeast mixture has not become frothy, then your yeast is old and shouldn’t be used. Try again using a new container of yeast.) Beat the mixture on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough holds together and is sticking slightly to the sides of the mixing bowl. It will thicken as the xanthan gum is activated.
4. Lightly dust a 2-foot-long sheet of parchment paper with tapioca starch. Place the dough on the dusted parchment and set aside while you prepare the butter.
5. Using a food processor with a grating blade, grate the butter. Place the pile of grated butter on an 8-inch square piece of plastic wrap. Close the plastic wrap around the butter and, pressing down lightly, form it into a 5-inch square that is 1⁄4 inch thick. Don’t press down too hard—you want it to be loosely packed. Do this quickly. The square shape does not have to be exact.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough on the sheet of parchment paper into a 20-by-10-inch rectangle. Unwrap the butter and place it in the center of the rectangle. Using the parchment as your guide, gently lift the short ends of the rectangle of dough over the butter, overlapping the ends slightly.
7. Pick up the dough, sprinkle the surface of the parchment paper with starch again, and flip the dough over so that its long side is facing the length of the parchment paper. Gently roll it out into a 20-by-10-inch rectangle, using as much starch as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the parchment. Again, fold the short ends in, overlapping them slightly. Pick up the dough, dust the surface, and flip it seam side down so that its long side is facing the length of the parchment paper. Roll out into a rectangle. Repeat the process for a third time: Fold the short ends in, pick up the dough, dust the surface, flip
8. it seam side down so that its long side is facing the length of the parchment paper, and roll it out into a 20-by-10-inch rectangle.
9. It’s time to chill the dough! To keep it from drying out in the fridge, wet 3 pieces of paper towel, wring them out, and then wrap the dough in the damp paper towels. Then wrap the covered dough in parchment paper and place it in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour to chill and keep the butter semi-firm. (The difference in timing depends on the time of year you make the croissants: If making them in the summer, chill for a full hour; in the winter, 45 minutes will do.)
10. Place the chilled rectangle of dough on a dusted piece of parchment paper. Fold in the short ends, overlapping them by 1 inch, and gently roll it out into a 20-by-10-inch rectangle, using as much starch as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the parchment. Following the instructions in Step 7, repeat the process of turning the dough, redusting the parchment, rolling it out, and turning in the sides 3 more times, again using as much starch as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the parchment. After the third turn, wrap the dough in the damp paper towels and parchment paper again and place in the fridge for another 45 minutes to 1 hour.
11. Repeat this process a third time! Then place in the fridge for 11⁄2 hours.
12. When it’s time to remove the dough from the fridge, turn on the oven to 350 degrees to create a “hot box” for proofing the croissants. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the dough out of the fridge.
13. Lightly oil a 30-inch-long sheet of parchment paper. Roll out the dough on the oiled parchment paper into a rectangle that is 29 inches by roughly 9 inches. The dough should be about 1⁄4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut triangles that are about 31⁄2 inches wide at the base.
14. Cut a 1⁄2-inch slit in the center of the base of each triangle. Then, starting at the base and using the parchment to help you lift the dough, gently roll the dough into a croissant shape.
15. Repeat with the remaining triangles, placing the rolled-up croissants on the prepared baking sheet, about 11⁄2 inches apart. You will end up with 10 to 12 croissants.
16. Turn off the oven. Place the tray of croissants in the warm oven and allow to proof, with the door left slightly open, for 15 minutes. Close the oven door and allow to proof for an additional 15 minutes. During this time, the croissants will puff up slightly.
17. After 30 minutes of proofing, remove the tray from the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
18. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water for the egg wash. Lightly brush each croissant with the egg wash.
19. Once the oven is fully preheated, bake the croissants for 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly golden brown and firm to the touch. Store at room temperature in a sealed container.

Notes

If at any point you find that the butter is melting and you can see it coming through the dough, quickly stick the dough back

in the fridge. You want to keep the butter semi-firm at all times; otherwise, it will become part of the dough rather than being its own buttery layer. These buttery layers are what create flaky pastries.

These croissants are best the day they are made! As they sit out, the potato flour will make them harden. If that happens, pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften them slightly.

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