Croissants Lab · Decision tree
Find your croissant
Three questions sort all 114 recipes into 8 groups. Each question is about one of the ingredients recipes disagree on most, and splits the recipes in front of it at their own median, so each answer keeps about half of them. Every group ends with its median recipe in grams and the real recipes nearest it.
The questions
Question 1
More yeast than most, or less?
Yeast lifts the layers apart during the final proof; sourdough croissants use a levain instead.
All 114 recipes: median 1.6% of the flour weight, 8 g per 500 g of flour; middle half 1.2% to 2.2%; 6% use none.
Question 2
More sugar than most, or less?
A little sweetness and browning; French viennoiserie runs about 10%.
All 114 recipes: median 10% of the flour weight, 50 g per 500 g of flour; middle half 8% to 13%.
Asked within each answer to question 1, split at the median of the recipes that gave it.
Question 3
More butter than most, or less?
Most of it is the butter block folded into the dough; more butter means more, thinner layers and a shatterier crust, and a dough that is harder to keep cold.
All 114 recipes: median 60% of the flour weight, 300 g per 500 g of flour; middle half 50% to 67%.
Asked within each answer to question 2, split at the median of the recipes that gave it.
The key
Read left to right: pick an answer to question 1, then one of the answers beside it for question 2, and so on to a group. Each cell gives the answer, its bound in grams per 100 g of flour, and how many recipes give it.
| 1. Yeast | 2. Sugar | 3. Butter | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moreover 1.6%56 | Moreover 10%29 | More64% or more16 | A16 |
| Lessunder 64%13 | B13 | ||
| Less10% or less27 | Moreover 53%13 | C13 | |
| Less53% or less14 | D14 | ||
| Less1.6% or less58 | More10% or more31 | Moreover 60%13 | E13 |
| Less60% or less18 | F18 | ||
| Lessunder 10%27 | Moreover 57%14 | G14 | |
| Less57% or less13 | H13 |
The 8 groups
Each median recipe is the median of every ingredient over the group's recipes, scaled to 500 g of flour, beside the typical batch of all 114. Bold rows are the ingredients the questions asked about.
Group A · 16 recipes · 14% of all
More yeast, more sugar and more butter
Yeast over 1.6%, sugar over 10% and butter 64% or more of the flour weight.
| At 500 g flour | Group A | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Butter | 340 gabout 1 1/2 cups | 300 g |
| Milk or water | 285 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 290 g |
| Sugar | 65 gabout 1/3 cup | 50 g |
| Salt | 12 g | 10 g |
| Yeast | 11 g | 8 g |
| Egg in the dough | 50 gabout 1 large egg | 8 g |
Bake375°F (190°C) for about 20 minutes, the medians of the 13 recipes here that state a temperature and the 16 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group A
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Croissants · teleculinaria.ptyeast 2.2% · sugar 11% · butter 64%
- Receita de croissants simples · mulherportuguesa.comyeast 2.2% · sugar 11% · butter 64%
- Croissants · thebakermans.comyeast 2.2% · sugar 11% · butter 64%
- Recipe: Buttery, Flaky Croissants · 12tomatoes.comyeast 2.2% · sugar 15% · butter 65%
- Pains au chocolat ou chocolatines · meilleurduchef.comyeast 1.7% · sugar 12% · butter 65%
Group B · 13 recipes · 11% of all
More yeast, more sugar and less butter
Yeast over 1.6%, sugar over 10% and butter under 64% of the flour weight.
| At 500 g flour | Group B | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Butter | 285 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 300 g |
| Milk or water | 250 gabout 1 cup | 290 g |
| Sugar | 65 gabout 1/3 cup | 50 g |
| Salt | 10 g | 10 g |
| Yeast | 12 g | 8 g |
| Egg in the dough | none | 8 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 20 minutes, the medians of the 11 recipes here that state a temperature and the 13 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group B
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Easy Homemade Croissant Recipe · bakingamoment.comyeast 2.5% · sugar 13% · butter 57%
- Easy Pain au Chocolat · bakingamoment.comyeast 2.5% · sugar 13% · butter 57%
- Croissants faits maison · cuisine.journaldesfemmes.fryeast 2.1% · sugar 14% · butter 55%
- Chocolate Croissants (Zebra Croissants) · baketotheroots.deyeast 2.4% · sugar 10% · butter 61%
- Schokolade Croissants (Zebra Croissants) · baketotheroots.deyeast 2.4% · sugar 10% · butter 61%
Group C · 13 recipes · 11% of all
More yeast, less sugar and more butter
Yeast over 1.6%, sugar 10% or less and butter over 53% of the flour weight.
| At 500 g flour | Group C | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Butter | 385 gabout 1 3/4 cups | 300 g |
| Milk or water | 290 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 290 g |
| Sugar | 45 gabout 1/4 cup | 50 g |
| Salt | 10 g | 10 g |
| Yeast | 12 g | 8 g |
| Egg in the dough | 45 gabout 1 large egg | 8 g |
Bake400°F (205°C) for about 30 minutes, the medians of the 11 recipes here that state a temperature and the 10 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group C
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Homemade French Croissants (Small Batch) · theflavorbender.comyeast 2.4% · sugar 10% · butter 66%
- Pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants) · theflavorbender.comyeast 2% · sugar 10% · butter 66%
- Vegan Croissants · zaccharybird.comyeast 2.8% · sugar 8% · butter 80%
- Vegan Croissants · beplantwell.comyeast 2.6% · sugar 9.1% · butter 96%
- Receita de croissant · tudogostoso.com.bryeast 2.3% · sugar 4.1% · butter 64%
Group D · 14 recipes · 12% of all
More yeast, less sugar and less butter
Yeast over 1.6%, sugar 10% or less and butter 53% or less of the flour weight.
| At 500 g flour | Group D | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Butter | 200 gabout 1 cup | 300 g |
| Milk or water | 285 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 290 g |
| Sugar | 40 gabout 3 tbsp | 50 g |
| Salt | 10 g | 10 g |
| Yeast | 11 g | 8 g |
| Egg in the dough | none | 8 g |
Bake375°F (190°C) for about 19 minutes, the medians of the 11 recipes here that state a temperature and the 10 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group D
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Croissants vegans : recette sans beurre ni lait · makemeacake.fryeast 2% · sugar 10% · butter 40%
- Croissants au thermomix · cookomix.comyeast 1.7% · sugar 10% · butter 50%
- Receita de Croissant francês · comidaereceitas.com.bryeast 2.5% · sugar 8% · butter 40%
- Franse roombotercroissants · njam.tvyeast 2% · sugar 4% · butter 40%
- Plunder Croissant Teig Grundrezept · marcelpaa.comyeast 2.5% · sugar 7.8% · butter 53%
Group E · 13 recipes · 11% of all
Less yeast, more sugar and more butter
Yeast 1.6% or less, sugar 10% or more and butter over 60% of the flour weight. 2 of the 13 use no yeast.
| At 500 g flour | Group E | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Butter | 345 gabout 1 1/2 cups | 300 g |
| Milk or water | 295 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 290 g |
| Sugar | 55 gabout 1/4 cup | 50 g |
| Salt | 10 g | 10 g |
| Yeast | 6 g | 8 g |
| Egg in the dough | none | 8 g |
Bake375°F (190°C) for about 20 minutes, the medians of the 11 recipes here that state a temperature and the 11 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group E
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Whole Wheat Croissants · natashasbaking.comyeast 1% · sugar 11% · butter 65%
- Croissants pur beurre · ptitchef.comyeast 1.3% · sugar 10% · butter 70%
- Receta de Croissant de mantequilla paso a paso [FOTOS] · voyasercocinero.esyeast 1.3% · sugar 12% · butter 61%
- Roll croissants · misya.infoyeast 1.6% · sugar 12% · butter 70%
- Pain au Chocolat ou Chocolatine Pur Beurre | Gourmandise Assia · gourmandiseassia.fryeast 0.7% · sugar 13% · butter 68%
Group F · 18 recipes · 15% of all
Less yeast, more sugar and less butter
Yeast 1.6% or less, sugar 10% or more and butter 60% or less of the flour weight.
| At 500 g flour | Group F | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Butter | 270 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 300 g |
| Milk or water | 290 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 290 g |
| Sugar | 60 gabout 1/3 cup | 50 g |
| Salt | 10 g | 10 g |
| Yeast | 5 g | 8 g |
| Egg in the dough | 17 gabout 1/2 large egg | 8 g |
Bake400°F (205°C) for about 20 minutes, the medians of the 14 recipes here that state a temperature and the 15 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group F
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Croissants de atum · teleculinaria.ptyeast 1.4% · sugar 12% · butter 50%
- Croissants - Recette CAP Pâtissier · encoreungateau.comyeast 1.3% · sugar 12% · butter 60%
- Homemade Croissants · m.joyofbaking.comyeast 1.3% · sugar 14% · butter 53%
- Cornetti sfogliati francesi · ricettedalmondo.ityeast 1% · sugar 14% · butter 60%
- Homemade Croissants Step-by-Step · bakingwithbutter.comyeast 1.5% · sugar 10% · butter 58%
Group G · 14 recipes · 12% of all
Less yeast, less sugar and more butter
Yeast 1.6% or less, sugar under 10% and butter over 57% of the flour weight. 4 of the 14 use no yeast.
| At 500 g flour | Group G | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Butter | 315 gabout 1 1/3 cups | 300 g |
| Milk or water | 280 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 290 g |
| Sugar | 39 gabout 3 tbsp | 50 g |
| Salt | 8 g | 10 g |
| Yeast | 6 g | 8 g |
| Egg in the dough | none | 8 g |
Bake400°F (205°C) for about 20 minutes, the medians of the 10 recipes here that state a temperature and the 11 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group G
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- La pâte levée feuilletée : recette en images pour croissants et pains au chocolat · chefnini.comyeast 1.2% · sugar 8.9% · butter 58%
- Croissants vegan maison : une recette facile sans beurre, lait ou œufs · planetezerodechet.fryeast 1.3% · sugar 6% · butter 60%
- Step by Step Sourdough Croissants · homegrownhappiness.comyeast 0% · sugar 7.7% · butter 58%
- Croissants · delish.comyeast 1.4% · sugar 9.5% · butter 70%
- Croissantboom met camembert · 24kitchen.nlyeast 0.8% · sugar 4% · butter 57%
Group H · 13 recipes · 11% of all
Less yeast, less sugar and less butter
Yeast 1.6% or less, sugar under 10% and butter 57% or less of the flour weight. 1 of the 13 uses no yeast.
| At 500 g flour | Group H | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Butter | 200 gabout 1 cup | 300 g |
| Milk or water | 290 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 290 g |
| Sugar | 38 gabout 3 tbsp | 50 g |
| Salt | 10 g | 10 g |
| Yeast | 6 g | 8 g |
| Egg in the dough | 20 gabout 1/2 large egg | 8 g |
Bake375°F (190°C) for about 21 minutes, the medians of the 12 recipes here that state a temperature and the 13 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group H
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Plunderteig Rezept – Plunder Croissant Teig selber machen · kuechegemacht.deyeast 0.9% · sugar 7.5% · butter 43%
- Croissants inratables · ptitchef.comyeast 0.6% · sugar 7.5% · butter 30%
- Croissants · bettybossi.chyeast 1.4% · sugar 7.5% · butter 25%
- Schoko-Croissants · kuechengoetter.deyeast 1.1% · sugar 2.7% · butter 31%
- UrDinkel Croissants · marcelpaa.comyeast 1.3% · sugar 8% · butter 50%
How the questions are chosen
Each ingredient is ranked by how much recipes disagree on it: the width of the middle half of recipes (25th to 75th percentile) divided by the median, less 4% for each place it sits down this lab's list of ingredients, so the ones that define the dish win near ties. For croissants the order is yeast (0.63), sugar (0.47), butter (0.29) and milk or water (0.22), and the first 3 are asked. Salt is never asked about: recipes differ on it mostly by brand and taste. Egg in the dough is left out because most recipes use none.
Every split is at the median of the recipes in front of it, rounded to the percentage shown. Recipes exactly at the median go to whichever side leaves the two halves more even. No answer may keep fewer than 5 recipes; a group that could not be split further says so.
The recipes listed under each group are the 5 nearest its median on every ingredient at once, each scaled by how much recipes vary on it. Every recipe page links to the original for the method.