Sourdough Croissant Bread Loaf Recipe – How to Make

Sourdough bread is amazing on it’s own, but when you butter it, it just gets better, right? Well why not add the butter right into the bread and bake it that way. That is what this recipe does. It’s a basic sourdough loaf, with a twist!

Grab your sourdough tools and let’s get to baking a sourdough croissant bread loaf recipe. A simple how to make recipe that will have you slapping a fresh loaf on the dinner table in no time.

No need to tell you my whole life story either. My blog is dedicated to bringing readers yummy recipes and no extra fluff. So, let’s get started.

Disclosure – This post contains affiliate links that generate a commission at no additional cost to you.

Start With the Basics

Making sourdough bread doesn’t have to be complicated. I see so many stress over it, and give up before even really trying it because of all the stuff they read online. If you are new to making sourdough, don’t fret and don’t give up. It’s a lot easier than you think.

For this recipe you will start with the basic sourdough loaf recipe and just add butter. A lot of butter. Frozen butter to be exact.

Grab your mixing bowl, measuring cups, scale, bread dough whisk and whatever else it is you use for making sourdough and let’s get our hands dirty. If you need sourdough accessories I have a great list in my Amazon shop.

Ingredients

For the basic sourdough loaf here is what you will need. I will list the measurements in grams and in cups/teaspoons just incase you don’t use a scale.

• 475 – 500 grams bread flour ( do not use enriched flour) – (3.5 cups)
• 100 grams active starter – (1/2 cup)
• 325 – 375 grams warm water – (1 1/3 cup)
• 10 grams salt – (2 teaspoons)
• 1 stick of frozen butter (salted or unsalted) (1/2 cup)

Instructions

Make sure your starter is active and was fed within 8 -10 hours of using it. Let’s get to mixing, stretching, folding, waiting, baking and eating this yummy sourdough croissant loaf.

In a glass bowl mix warm water, active starter, and flour together. Add salt and mix again until you have a shaggy dough. You can use a bread dough whisk, or your hands to get the dough to the shaggy consistency.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 min or so.

Perform 2 sets of stretch and folds over the next 1 hour timespan. A stretch and fold means you uncover the bowl, grab one side of the dough and pull it up, fold it over across the middle of the dough. Do that on all 4 sides of the dough.

Wait 30 min before each set of stretch and folds. Before the 3rd set of stretch and folds, grate your frozen stick of butter and put the butter in a bowl or on a plate. Add half the grated butter to the dough and perform the 3rd set of stretch and folds. Cover the bowl again and put the rest of the butter in the freezer to keep it frozen.

For the 4th set of stretch and folds, add the remaining butter and do them, then cover the bowl and set it in a cool place to rise. The reason for setting in a cooler place is so the butter doesn’t melt. Don’t sit it where it’s cold, just cooler than where you would set the dough to rise normally.

After the dough has proofed for 6-8 hours, or until it’s double in size, it’s time to shape and put into the banneton for an overnight rise in the fridge.

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Laminate the dough and do the fold and pull / shape of the dough. If you wonder what that is, watch my video below. Lightly flour the banneton and flop the shaped loaf into the banneton. Cover and put into the fridge to final proof overnight.

Time to Bake the Bread

In the morning it’s time to bake up that bread you worked so hard on. Put your dutch oven in your oven and turn it on to 475 degrees. Let the oven heat up for about an hour, with the dutch oven inside. If you are not using a dutch oven, just preheat the oven for an hour.

Dump out your proofed dough on either parchment paper or a sourdough sling. When the oven is preheated, take the dutch oven out and put the dough into it, and place the lid on. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 min, take the lid off and lower the oven temp to 400 degrees and bake another 30 min or until internal temp is approx 200 degrees F.

When done, remove the dutch oven from the oven, remove the bread from the dutch oven and put on a wire rack for cooling. Let the bread cool at least 30 min before cutting into it.

Enjoy the way it is, or lightly toasted with butter on it, or for a grilled cheese sandwich. Any way you eat it, it’s amazing.

Check out all my sourdough recipes while you are here too.

Print the Sourdough Croissant Loaf Recipe

Sourdough Croissant Loaf Recipe

This recipe combines the amazing sourdough loaf with a stick of butter to give you a croissant like texture and a buttery and flakey crust and soft inside. Just amazing!

Print

Ingredients

• 475 - 500 grams bread flour ( do not use enriched flour) - (3.5 cups)
• 100 grams active starter - (1/2 cup)
• 325 - 375 grams warm water - (1 1/3 cup)
• 10 grams salt - (2 teaspoons)
• 1 stick of frozen butter (salted or unsalted) (1/2 cup)

Instructions

Make sure your starter is active and was fed within 8 -10 hours of using it. Let's get to mixing, stretching, folding, waiting, baking and eating this yummy sourdough croissant loaf.

In a glass bowl mix warm water, active starter, and flour together. Add salt and mix again until you have a shaggy dough. You can use a bread dough whisk, or your hands to get the dough to the shaggy consistency.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 min or so.

Perform 2 sets of stretch and folds over the next 1 hour timespan. A stretch and fold means you uncover the bowl, grab one side of the dough and pull it up, fold it over across the middle of the dough. Do that on all 4 sides of the dough.

Wait 30 min before each set of stretch and folds. Before the 3rd set of stretch and folds, grate your frozen stick of butter and put the butter in a bowl or on a plate. Add half the grated butter to the dough and perform the 3rd set of stretch and folds. Cover the bowl again and put the rest of the butter in the freezer to keep it frozen.

For the 4th set of stretch and folds, add the remaining butter and do them, then cover the bowl and set it in a cool place to rise. The reason for setting in a cooler place is so the butter doesn't melt. Don't sit it where it's cold, just cooler than where you would set the dough to rise normally.

After the dough has proofed for 6-8 hours, or until it's double in size, it's time to shape and put into the banneton for an overnight rise in the fridge.

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Laminate the dough and do the fold and pull / shape of the dough. If you wonder what that is, watch my videos below. Lightly flour the banneton and flop the shaped loaf into the banneton. Cover and put into the fridge to final proof overnight.

Time to Bake the Bread

In the morning it's time to bake up that bread you worked so hard on. Put your dutch oven in your oven and turn it on to 475 degrees. Let the oven heat up for about an hour, with the dutch oven inside. If you are not using a dutch oven, just preheat the oven for an hour.

Dump out your proofed dough on either parchment paper or a sourdough sling. When the oven is preheated, take the dutch oven out and put the dough into it, and place the lid on. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 min, take the lid off and lower the oven temp to 400 degrees and bake another 30 min or until internal temp is approx 200 degrees F.

When done, remove the dutch oven from the oven, remove the bread from the dutch oven and put on a wire rack for cooling. Let the bread cool at least 30 min before cutting into it.