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What are croissant doughnuts?
A croissant doughnut is made from a laminated yeast dough, like a croissant, but it is fried in oil, like a doughnut.
The basic idea
It combines two classic bakes. From the croissant comes the dough, in which thin sheets of butter and dough are layered by repeated rolling and folding. From the doughnut comes the cooking method: shallow or deep frying, followed by sugar, glaze or filling.
How lamination works
Lamination means creating many alternating layers of dough and fat. When the dough is cooked, the water in the butter turns to steam and pushes the layers apart. The dough sets around these gaps, leaving a flaky, honeycomb texture. This works only if the butter stays cold and separate from the dough. If it melts into the dough, you get a heavy result.
A basic croissant dough with three letter folds makes 27 layers of butter; a full croissant uses more turns. Fewer turns are used for the fried version so the pastry stays tender, not too crisp.
How it differs from a doughnut
- Texture: A standard yeast doughnut is soft and bread-like all through. A croissant doughnut has distinct flaky layers.
- Dough: It contains much more butter, so it is richer.
- Effort: A standard doughnut takes hours. This takes two days.
How it differs from a croissant
- Cooking: Fried, not baked.
- Shape: A ring cut with round cutters, rather than a rolled crescent.
- Finish: Rolled in sugar, glazed or filled with cream.
What it should taste like
A good one has a crisp, thin golden exterior, a tender, layered centre, no raw or greasy patches and a buttery flavour. The glaze or sugar should complement rather than overwhelm. If it is oily, the oil was probably too cool. If it is dense, the layers may have melted or the dough was under-proved.
Ring or filled?
The classic shape is a ring, which fries evenly because the hole lets heat through the centre. Filled versions use solid discs, which can be cut with a round cutter and injected with cream or jam after frying. Both work. Rings are easier for beginners. See fillings and glazes.
Is it worth the effort?
If you enjoy baking projects, yes. It teaches lamination, proving and frying, which are all useful skills. If you want something quicker, try our shortcut version or a simple hybrid bake.
Ready to begin?
The complete method is in the recipe. To learn where the idea came from, see history and trademark.
Terms you will see in recipes
- Lamination: building layers of dough and butter by folding.
- Detrempe: the plain yeasted dough before the butter goes in.
- Butter block (beurrage): the flattened slab of butter wrapped inside the dough.
- Turn or fold: one roll-out and fold. A letter fold (in thirds) is the usual one.
- Proving: the final rise before cooking.
Who should try it?
Anyone comfortable with yeast dough and willing to be patient. If you have never made bread, try a simple loaf or ordinary doughnuts first, so you know what a properly proved dough feels like.
Common mistakes beginners make
The usual ones are rushing the chilling, using soft butter, rolling too thinly, and frying at the wrong temperature. None are hard to avoid once you know about them, and our troubleshooting guide explains each.
Frequently asked questions
Why are croissant doughnuts fried, not baked?
Frying gives the doughnut-style crisp shell and puffed texture. Baking the same dough gives something closer to a croissant.
How many layers should the dough have?
Three letter folds is a common starting point. More folds make thinner layers but a drier, harder dough to handle.
Why must the butter stay cold?
If it melts into the dough, the layers merge and you lose the flaky texture.