Croissants – Flaky, soft, and buttery—these are the words that best describe everyone’s pastry. Aside from its crave-worthy taste and texture, what makes the croissant extremely lovable and popular is its versatility. (*)
You can eat croissants by themselves or turn them into a delicious dessert by topping them with chocolate or fruits.
Another great idea is to have it as your afternoon snack by pairing it with savory meats and cheeses. Indeed, you can do just about anything with a croissant!
But if there’s something croissant can do, it would be to last for more than three days. Yes, you read that right. As delicious as your favorite pastry is, it can go stake within just three days.
So if you stocked up or baked a big batch of croissants, you’ve got a serious problem. What should you do with your leftover croissants that you can’t finish? Can you freeze croissants? Read on to find out!
Can You Freeze Croissants?
Yes, you can freeze croissants. In fact, this delicious pastry freezes quite well. This is because croissants have low moisture content so these wouldn’t expand once frozen.
Because of this property, croissants can also retain their original flavor and texture even after freezing and thawing.
The only difference would be the crust of the croissant would not be as crispy. The crust of frozen and thawed croissants is a lot softer as compared to freshly baked croissants.
Even though the shelf life of croissants is quite short, you can still stock up on them since you can freeze all types of croissant—homemade, store-bought, and even dough.
But of course, you need to ensure proper handling to prevent spoilage, texture and flavor changes, and bacterial contamination.
How to Freeze Baked Croissants
With that said, you must learn how to freeze croissants. If you’re freezing freshly baked croissants, you should freeze them three days after baking or purchasing to get the best results.
Here are the steps you need to take to freeze both homemade and store-bought croissants:
Step 1: Let the croissants cool completely.
This step is required if you’re freezing freshly baked croissants. After baking the croissant, remove them from the oven and leave them on your countertop at room temperature. If you’re in a hurry, you should place them in a cooling rack, so they cool down a lot quicker.
Step 2: Wrap the croissants.
If you’re freezing store-bought croissants, this will be your first step.
Once they have already cooled down, wrap each croissant using plastic wrap. If you don’t have plastic wrap, you can use aluminum foil instead.
Wrap the fresh croissant many times, covering all its parts. If the wrap doesn’t stick to itself, you can secure it using freezer tape. This will also help create an airtight seal which will prevent the cold air from coming in contact with the croissant and cause freezer burn.
Step 3: Place the wrapped croissants in a freezer bag.
Once you’ve wrapped all the fresh croissants, place them in a freezer bag. Don’t fill the bag to the top. Instead, leave at least 2 inches at the top of the bag to still accommodate the croissants once they expand a bit.
Squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing the bag completely.
Step 4: Date and freeze.
Indicate the date of freezing in the freezer-safe bag. In this way, you can determine up until when you can use them. After that, place the bags in the freezer.
Pro Tip: During the first 24 hours, place the bags of croissants near the freezer wall so they can freeze quicker. Once frozen, you can transfer them to the middle portion of the freezer.
How to Freeze Unbaked Croissants
As mentioned, you can also freeze croissant dough. However, you can only do this once the dough has already been shaped.
With that said, here are the steps on how to freeze croissant dough:
Step 1: Shape the dough.
Shape the dough to form a croissant and arrange the pieces correctly in a lined baking sheet. Make sure that the croissants are not too close to one another.
Step 2: Flash freeze the croissants.
Place the baking sheet with the croissants inside the freezer. Let it stay there until the croissants are fully frozen.
By doing this, you can prevent the croissants from sticking to each other and getting squashed. Additionally, this step ensures that the dough will be frozen evenly.
Step 3: Place the frozen croissants in the freezer bag.
Since the dough is already frozen, there’s no longer any need for you to wrap them in plastic wrap. Instead, you can directly place them in a freezer bag. Make sure to squeeze all the air out before sealing the bag shut.
Step 4: Date, then freeze.
Don’t forget to date the bag so you can easily track how long the croissants have been in the freezer. Place the bag in the freezer afterward.
How to Thaw Frozen Croissants
Defrosting frozen croissants is not recommended since these are best baked or reheated from frozen. With that said, here are the steps on how to reheat frozen croissants:
Step 1: Place croissants in a greased baking pan.
Make sure to grease the pan properly to prevent the croissants from sticking.
Step 2: Brush the croissants with egg wash.
This step is only for reheating frozen croissant dough. The egg wash is what gives them golden color upon baking.
Step 3: Bake.
Bake the frozen croissants according to the instructions in your recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can. The process is the same with freezing plain croissants.
When stored in the refrigerator, croissants can last for 5 to 7 days when placed in an airtight container.
The croissants can last for up to 2 months in the freezer. Of course, it can go longer than that, but 2 months or less is the best time to enjoy the croissants’ optimal taste and texture.
No. Doing so can lead to soggy croissants, which become hard once they cool down. For best results, thaw the croissants in either an oven or an oven toaster.
No. Aside from the risk of bacterial contamination, the croissant’s texture will be ruined when it’s thawed and then re-frozen.
The telltale signs of spoiled croissants are the presence of molds, off smell, and sour taste.
Yes! These are best served warm since warming them will boost their buttery taste and cause them to expand and become flakier.
Final Words
Nothing is more comforting than the smell of freshly baked croissants. But, unfortunately, they don’t last as long as you want them to.
The excellent news is freezing croissants can solve this problem. With this, you can have access to croissants anytime and all the time. So whenever you feel like having one, you can just quickly pop them in the oven.
Just make sure to follow all our freezing and thawing tips to avoid wasting precious money and food.
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