Ingredients

• A classic croissant contains butter, eggs, milk, sugar, salt, yeast, water and wheat flour. Wheat flour is important, since it generally makes a light but sticky dough when mixed with water and yeast. The gluten in the wheat traps gas bubbles released by the yeast. This makes the dough elastic and stretchy. French bakers often use type 55 flour, a hard-wheat flour good for pastries. It's possible to make croissants with whole-wheat flour. They end up heavier, with a slightly grainy texture and nuttier taste.

Flour Amounts

• You will need around a cup of unbleached all-purpose flour to make five to six plump croissants. As with most bread flours, all-purpose is a wheat-based flour. Other dough ingredients include whole milk, sugar, salt, unsalted butter and baker's yeast. Once mixed, work the dough over a block of unsalted butter. Beat a large egg to create the egg wash for the croissant tops just before baking. This gives the croissants an appealing light brown color when cooked.

Technique

• Once worked and chilled overnight, the croissant dough is ready to shape. Roll out the dough to around 1/8-inch thick. Cut it into squares of equal size, and then cut these into two triangles. Point the top of each triangle away from you, and then roll up the long flat side to create a rolled dough. Bend it into a crescent shape, place on a greased baking tray and leave for around 1 1/2 hours or until risen. Cook the dough in a hot oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit or until crisp and golden.

Gluten Free

• If you want to avoid gluten, you have options. While traditional croissants use wheat flour, it's possible to make a gluten-free alternative. This involves mixing xanthan gum with a gluten-free flour such as amaranth, arrowroot, sorghum or rice flour. Xanthan gum provides the elasticity in place of gluten. Use around 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for every 4 ounces of gluten-free flour to get a good dough consistency for creating croissants. Exact amounts depend on the type of flour you choose.