Tartine bakery was kind enough to share their croissant recipe here, https://www.saveur.com/best-croissants-recipe, and I recently adapted it with a keto-friendly flour blend and using sweetener instead of sugar. The biggest changes have to do with creating a good dough, and the baking procedure. It took me several tries until I got nice doughs with the keto flour. Using a stand mixer with dough hook (or a bread machine) is key…I really don’t think you’ll be able to develop it with hand kneading. Also, adding water seems to help when the dough gets stiff and chunky.
I can’t take any credit for this unconventional blend of low-carb ingredients – you can thank @keto.luna for that! Here is her flour blend recipe. I usually make this in large batches, sift well, and store in a vaccuum tight container.
Experimental All-Purpose Keto Flour
Yields: 214 g (approx. 2 2/3 cups)
Nutrition: Per 20 g (1/4 cup) serving: 83 cal, 0. 1 g net carb, 1 g fat, 12 g protein
- 60 g micellar casein
- 40 g whey protein isolate, unflavored
- 60 g inulin fiber
- 20 g egg white powder
- 20 g egg yolk powder
- 4 g xanthan gum
- 10 g psyllium husk (I use powdered)
Croissants are known for their flaky, delicate layers and a webby honeycomb interior. I’m still working on this recipe to get the honeycomb crumb, but this version should get you lots of buttery layers. I have provided here a full batch of 14-16 croissants, but I have halved it with success – just need to work quickly and know when to pop it back in the fridge. I have also frozen my shaped dough prior to the final rise, thawed a roll or two on another day, then did the final rise and bake. It was just as wonderful!
Ingredients
- For the Preferment:
- 200 g 2% milk (or diluted cream)
- 2 g active dry yeast (not instant)
- 90 g keto flour
- 85 g vital wheat gluten
- For the Dough:
- 8 g active dry yeast (not instant)
- 425 g 2% milk (or diluted cream)
- 400 g keto flour, plus more as needed
- 400g vital wheat gluten
- water as needed
- 10 g sugar (to feed yeast)
- 60 g granulated sweetener
- 22 g fine sea salt
- 12 g unsalted butter, melted
- 585 g high-fat unsalted butter (look for European-style brands like Plugra, President, or Kerrygold) at room temperature
- Finish:
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
Instructions
- Make the preferment: In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk just enough to take the chill off. (The milk should not feel warm or cold to the touch, 80°–90° F.)
- Pour the milk into a large bowl, then sprinkle in the yeast and stir to dissolve. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a smooth batter forms. Cover the bowl with a clean, dry kitchen towel and let the mixture rise until almost doubled in volume, 2½–3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Make the dough: Transfer the preferment to the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Set the milk, flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter nearby. Add the yeast to the preferment and mix on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and bring together the ingredients as needed, until the yeast is incorporated and the mixture is an even, well-mixed mass, about 2 minutes. Raise the speed to medium, and while mixing, slowly add half of the milk. Continue to mix until fully incorporated. Turn off the mixer, then add the flour, sugar, salt, melted butter, and the remaining half of the milk. Mix on low speed until a loose dough forms, about 2 minutes. Return the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth, cohesive, and stretchy. This may take 20-40 minutes, and additional water. Keto flour has a lot of VWG which loves water. Remove the hook and cover the bowl with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Let rise in a cool place until the volume has increased by nearly half, about 1½ hours.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form it into a rough rectangle about 2 inches thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled through, 3–4 hours.
- One hour before laminating the dough, make your butter sheet. Place a large sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap on a work surface. Add the butter to the center in a neat pile, then cover with a second sheet. Use a rolling pin to flatten and form the butter into a 12x18½-inch rectangle, peeling back the top sheet to manipulate the butter into shape as needed. Refrigerate to lightly chill but not fully resolidify, 5–10 minutes.
- Laminate the dough: Lightly flour a work surface. Retrieve and unwrap the dough, then roll it out to a 28x12-inch rectangle. With a long side facing you, peel the top sheet away from the butter and flip it over to cover the left two-thirds of the rectangle. Peel away the other sheet. Fold the uncovered third of the dough over the butter, then fold the left-hand third over the center, as if folding a business letter. With your fingers, push down along the seams on the top and the bottom to seal in the butter. Give the dough a quarter turn so that the seams are perpendicular to you. Roll out the dough once more into a 28x12-inch rectangle, and fold again in the same manner (no need to pinch the seams again). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to relax the gluten in the dough.
- Clean the work surface, dust again lightly with flour, and retrieve the dough. Unwrap and again roll out into a rectangle 28x12 inches. Fold into thirds so that the rectangle measures 9x12 inches and 1½–2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic and immediately freeze on a flat surface for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week. (if frozen for more than an hour, transfer the dough to the refrigerator to thaw overnight before using in the morning.)
- Three hours before you are ready to serve, form and proof the croissants: Remove the thawed dough from the refrigerator. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll into a 12x40-inch rectangle about 1⁄8 inch thick. Use a straight edge and a paring knife or pizza cutter to carefully trim 1 inch from each of the long sides; save for another use. Cut the remaining dough into 14 triangles, 4 inches at the base and 10 inches tall. Working one at a time, stretch the triangles slightly to extend them to 11 inches. Then, starting at the base, roll each tightly all the way to the tip to form an even, straight-armed croissant shape. Press slightly at the tip to adhere and to make a slightly flattened base for the croissant to rest on. Continue rolling the croissants in this manner, then transfer them, spaced evenly apart and flattened side down on the prepared baking sheets (no more than 6 croissants per baking sheet).
- Preheat the oven to 375° and set the racks at least 4 inches apart. (If you only have room for 2 racks, the croissants should be baked in 2 rounds.) Set a large, wide baking dish filled with water on the floor of the oven. Place the baking sheets in a warm, preferably humid spot and let rise until the croissants are puffed, very gassy, and about doubled in size (they should slowly spring back when poked with your fingertip and jiggle slightly like gelatin when the tray is shaken), this might take up to two hours.
- In a small bowl, beat the yolks and heavy cream. Brush the risen croissants evenly with the mixture and bake, without opening the oven, until the croissants begin to color, 8-10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 330F. Rotate the pans and continue cooking until evenly golden, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.
Hi Jackie,
Been lurking the Internet for weeks in search of this.
Being from Paris, low carb life is impossible without croissants.
Thanks a lot for this, I’ll try and let you know.
Good luck for your journey!
J.
Hi Johan, thanks for the comment! This is definitely a developmental recipe and there’s a lot of things I want to try. I’ll be sure to share any new findings. Would love to know how yours goes!
Hello,
I really enjoyed making standard croissant in the past but actually on keto is different, did you use special keto mix flour or almon one? Thanks for suggestions
Yes there is a special flour blend that is very low in carbohydrates… Check my Recipes page!
Wondering what the purpose of micellar casein is and the whey protein? Asking because I’d like to substitute those ingredients for ones that don’t have casein in it as I would be baking the for individuals with casein sensitivities.
Experimental All-Purpose Keto Flour
Yields: 214 g (approx. 2 2/3 cups)
Nutrition: Per 20 g (1/4 cup) serving: 83 cal, 0. 1 g net carb, 1 g fat, 12 g protein
60 g micellar casein
40 g whey protein isolate, unflavored
60 g inulin fiber
20 g egg white powder
20 g egg yolk powder
4 g xanthan gum
10 g psyllium husk (I use powdered)
Hi Meghan! The reading I have done regarding the keto flour blend says that casein + inulin fiber creates structures that mimic what starch would typically do, which is suspend the proteins and create bulk for the gluten network. Whey protein is another bulking item that gives you substance in the form of protein instead of starch. I have never played with substitutes for these ingredients with bread items. Off the top of my head, I would probably try lupin flour, oat fiber, carbalose, wheat protein isolate. Happy experimenting!
where i can find this flour????
Hello! The flour blends on my page are recipes that are not available for purchase. You’ll have to mix the components yourself. https://sanssucrebakerie.com/recipes
Hi Jackie,
These looks great and I’d love to given them a go as I’ve tried more of a fathead dough recipe before which tasted great but the layering was not there.
But I’m not eating gluten… Have you tried this not using the gluten? i.e. using 100% of that keto flour instead of 50/50?
Regards
Paul
I have not attempted croissants without gluten because I’m fairly sure it won’t work! You really need that gluten network to inflate the dough and get nice air pockets.
Hello Jackie! Your recipe and pictures for the croissants look soo delicious!…I will have to order the ingredients on Amazon…Just wondering if inulin fiber is the same as inulin powder?
Hi Melissa, I believe they are the same. You’ll want to check if it comes from chicory root or jerusalem artichoke. I recall from Keto.Luna that you want the artichoke inulin.
Hi Jackie! I’ve been searching for (edible) keto croissants for two years!! I’m SO excited to make these! One question though; if you have the croissants in a warm, humid spot to proof them, won’t that cause the butter to melt and be absorbed back into the dough?
Thank you! Please post more recipes!
Hi Anne, thank you so much for the comment! It’s a really good question and something I wondered as well. The final proof is fine at room temperature. It should not be so warm that it liquefies butter. The layers will still remain separate since it’s already shaped and you’re no longer manipulating and laminating. When you start baking it, you may notice some butter leakage but by that point, the layers should be pretty defined!
So impressed! Have you had any luck with getting the honeycomb texture? I am working on these over the next couple months, hopefully, using your recipe and methods. I wonder what the honeycomb secret is? Cheers and thanks so much!
Hey Mike, thanks for the comment! I have achieved the honeycomb baking regular flour croissants. The key is a nicely developed, stretchy dough and adequate proofing prior to baking. I have some brioche dough in the freezer with my low carb wheat flour, and plan to laminate it. I think it will get that honeycomb!
awesome! hope you can post some result photos 🙂
Hello I’m in Australia and am having trouble finding the egg yolk powder, if I left it out would it matter much. Cheers
Hi Debbie, you can find whole egg powder to substitute the egg white and egg yolk powder total weight. If you already have egg white powder, you could try something like heavy cream powder or golden flaxseed meal.