Ham and Cheese Croissants just got better! Make these Savoury Croissants with active Sourdough Starter, and bake ham and Emmental inside them! Not only do they make a perfect snack, but they are also great to take to work with a side salad for a desk lunch, on a picnic or a hike, or even served freshly out of the oven for a savoury breakfast option!
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Savoury Twist On Classic Croissants
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy a flaky freshly baked croissant! And it’s very apparent why! A classic French Pastry – a Croissant – has been sweeping the world with its growing popularity and you will struggle to find a hotel that doesn’t serve mini croissants at their breakfast buffet! People are even making new pastries, based on croissants – think, Cruffins or Cronuts!
What is more, croissants are being increasingly used to make sandwiches, by stuffing them with chicken salad, ham and cheese and other savoury fillings. We decided to take savoury croissants two steps further:
- We made them with an active sourdough starter.
- We baked the savoury element into them: Ham and Cheese are rolled into the pastry before baking!
DISCLAIMER: these are not technically croissants (I say whispering). Regular croissants have the shape of crescent rolls, and these are rolled into a rectangle, just like Pain au Chocolat.
Ingredients and Substitutes
There are three elements to the Sourdough Croissants with Ham & Cheese: détrempé (the main dough), butter layer and filling. We have grouped the ingredients here to create a shopping list for you:
- 450 g strong bread flour: with at least 12.5% protein content. Strong flour has a higher gluten content, which translates into a better rise, and higher water absorption, making the dough easier to roll and better moisture retention, making the inside of croissants flaky but not dry.
- 150 g active sourdough starter: 100% hydration, active and mature.
- 40 g caster sugar: we prefer using caster sugar over granulated sugar because caster sugar is finer and dissolves in the dough quicker.
- ¾ tsp salt.
- 90 ml milk: we used semi-skimmed milk (1.5% fat). To speed up the process, you can use slightly warm milk. It will help the dough rise quicker.
- 130 ml water: lukewarm.
- 300 g butter: 50g for détrempé and 250g for lamination. Use unsalted European-style butter block, as it has higher fat content compared to American butter.
- 12 slices (approx. 150g) of thinly cut, honey-roasted slices of ham. You can use leftover ham (gammon) from your Sunday roast too.
- 160g of cheese: grated or chopped into small pieces. More on cheese in the section below.
Best Cheese For Savoury Croissants
Many options work brilliantly in Savoury Croissants. We recommend cheese that isn’t too high in fat though. Fight-fat cheese will melt and release lots of fat into already heavily enriched flaky croissant pastry, making the bottoms soggy and too greasy.
CHOOSE: Emmental, Comte, Gruyere cheese, Gouda cheese.
AVOID: Cheddar cheese, Swiss Cheese, Colby, Pizza cheese or any soft cheese.
Whilst you can use slices of cheese, we highly recommend using either grated cheese or cutting up the cheese slices into small bits. They are a lot easier to distribute and roll tightly.
Before You Start: Tips On Sourdough Starter
Sourdough Savoury Croissants are naturally leavened and don’t rely on commercial yeast for the rise of the pastry. As a result, it is critical that you use a strong active sourdough starter. Here are a few tips:
- A sourdough starter that is low in acid will do the best job. That means that your starter must be frequently refreshed before using it to make the laminated pastry. Détrempé (the dough) for croissants is enriched with milk, butter and a little sugar and will require that little extra oomph of the natural yeast to rise the dough. We recommend you feed a little bit of your starter for 2-3 days in a row before using it for Sourdough Savoury Croissants. Regular feeds will ensure both low acidity and strong yeast. More on maintaining sourdough starter here.
- Another important thing to remember is that sourdough starter is best when used at its peak (and never once it starts to deflate unless the recipe specifies ‘sourdough discard’). Once you fed your starter one last time before making savoury croissants, leave it in a warm spot for 3-5 hours. It should double (maybe even triple in volume) in that time and you’re fine to use it then. If you leave it for longer, your starter may reach its peak and then start deflating. If your starter hasn’t doubled within 5 hours at 20-24°C, you may need to keep feeding it for a couple more days before it’s fit for purpose.
Method
Détrempé
Once your starter is at its peak, make the détrempé (the enriched croissant dough that is one of the 3 main elements of savoury croissant – détrempé, butter lamination and ham and cheese filling).
In a bowl of a stand mixer (we absolutely love our Kenwood), fitted with a dough hook attachment, mix the strong flour, salt and sugar. Pour in the water, milk and active sourdough starter. Turn the stand mixer on and knead for 5 minutes at medium speed. The dough will come together into a rather stiff ball (don’t expect it to look smooth or elastic at this stage, it may even look a bit dry). Leave the dough to relax for 15 minutes.
Run the stand mixer again on medium speed, and start adding 50g of room temperature butter a little bit at a time. Make sure your butter is soft (hard butter will have trouble combining with the dough). Keep the mixer running for around 8-10 minutes until the butter is fully incorporated and you have a smooth dough. It shouldn’t be sticky.
On a clean work surface, shape a tight ball, and slash the dough with a sharp knife (a razor or a dough scorer) in a cross on top of the dough (see photo below). This will help you roll the dough out into a square/ rectangle rather than a circle. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and leave in a warm spot to bulk prove for approx. 4 hours. Ideally, you need a temperature of 21-23° C.
If it is warmer, adjust the timing: your dough should rise x1.5 times. Place the dough in the fridge for another 3-4 hours to finish proving and double in size. Finishing with a cold-proof helps roll the dough out later as it will be nice and firm.
Laminating
Laminated pastry creates that flaky effect that good croissants and pain au chocolate are known for. This is achieved by creating thin layers of détrempé and butter. The butter is encased in the dough and then rolled out, folded and rolled out twice more.
Prepare The Butter Parcel
Take the butter out of the fridge in advance so it is soft enough to be rolled. Place it on a large sheet of baking parchment (we highly recommend Bacofoil Baking Parchment – it is strong and lasts forever), place another sheet of parchment on top. Using a rolling pin, gently bash to flatter the butter. Then fold the baking parchment under into a neat 18x18cm (7×7 in) square and roll the butter inside the parchment parcel into all four edges, aiming for the same thickness across (for process photos see below). Enclosing the butter into the baking parchment square will help you get an even butter square with sharp edges. Still wrapped in the baking parchment, place the butter in the fridge to firm up.
Butter Temperature
An important element of making the flakiest of ham & cheese croissants is ensuring the butter doesn’t melt into the détrempé dough in the lamination process. In order to achieve this, you need your butter and dough of similar temperatures (or the dough slightly colder). What is more, you don’t want the butter too cold either, otherwise, it will brittle instead of creating even layers when you try to roll the pastry. Judging the temperature of the dough and the butter will come with practice, but if the butter is too hard, just leave it out to soften.
The pastry should also be chilled in the fridge between folds to ensure the butter stays cold and doesn’t melt into the dough.
Lamination: Letter-Fold Method
Take the dough out of the fridge and place it onto a floured worktop. Knock the air out with the bottom of your palm and roll it into a square around 28x28cm (11x11in). Try to make it even.
Unwrap the butter (keep the baking parchment). Place the butter in the middle of the dough on the diagonal (see the photos below).
Taking one side at a time, fold the edges of the dough into the middle creating a square envelope. Once you fold all four sides into the middle, pinch the edges together. You should now have a 20x20cm (8x8in) butter parcel. Wrap it in baking parchment and freeze on a flat surface for 10 minutes.
First Fold
Take the parcel out of the freezer, unwrap and roll the parcel out into a rectangle that’s around 50x20cm (20x8in). Make sure your dough isn’t sticking to the worktop as you roll: you want the butter encased and the dough may tear if it sticks. Dust with flour if needed. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut off any untidy short edges that don’t have any butter in them.
Fold the rolled-out dough like a letter: from the short edge, hold ⅓ of the sheet into the middle, then take the opposite short edge and fold it over the first one. Wrap the dough in the parchment paper you kept the butter in, or cling film, and place in the freezer for 15 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for 1 hour.
Second Fold
Take the dough out of the fridge and place it short edge in front of you. Roll the dough out to 50x20cm (20x8in) again. Fold the top third towards the centre and then the bottom third over (just like before). Wrap and place the pastry in the freezer for 15 minutes, then fridge for 1 hour.
Third Fold
Just like before, roll out the dough to 50x20cm (20x8in) rectangle. Fold like a letter, wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours (we leave it in the fridge overnight).
Filling and Shaping Ham & Cheese Croissants
Take the pastry out of the refrigerator and let it warm up for 5 minutes at room temperature. Unwrap and, on a lightly floured worktop, roll the pastry out into a 60x40cm (24×16 in) rectangle, gently getting all the air out of the pastry. You don’t want pockets of air to burst abruptly though, exposing the butter.
Trim the pastry from all four sides to create even edges. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the pastry sheet in half lengthways. Then each long strip into 6 rectangles measuring 20x10cm (8x4in). You should have 12 even rectangles (see photos below).
Taking one dough rectangle at a time, place a piece of ham (it may need to be folded in half) towards the bottom short edge, about 1-2 cm away from the edge). Add 1/12 of the grated cheese on top (or you can use a slice of cheese, but make sure to roll the croissant tightly). Fold the pastry over the ham and cheese and roll until you have a neat spiral, tucking the cheese that’s trying to escape back into the pastry.
Repeat with the rest of the rectangles. Place the sourdough savoury croissants seam side down on the prepared baking sheets spaced out, leaving enough space for them to rise.
Proofing Shaped Savoury Pastries
Cover the pastries with oiled cling film and leave them to proof in a warm spot (around 23C) for 4 hours.
Temperature & Humidity
If your kitchen is very cold, or you live in a particularly dry climate, you can pour boiling water into an ovenproof dish and place it in the turned-off oven. The steam will raise the temperature and humidity. Leave the hot water in the oven for 10 minutes. Once the temperature in your oven is no higher than 23 C (any higher and your butter will start melting into the pastry), place the plastic wrap-covered croissants into the steam oven. The humid environment will ensure that the savoury croissants won’t form a crust on top, preventing the pastries from rising.
The pastries should puff up significantly and the layers should be clearly visible.
Eggwash
Once your savoury croissants have proofed, we like to place them in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. The pastries will firm up and won’t be as fragile when you are brushing them with egg wash. Furthermore, the butter in them will have time to solidify a bit again to help create perfect flaky layers.
Whilst the ham & cheese croissants are chilling, take the ovenproof dish with water out of the oven and then preheat it to 190°C Fan.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and cream (or milk). Using a pastry brush, very gently brush the pastries with the mixture. The eggwash will give the top of the croissants a golden brown finish.
Baking Savoury Croissants With Ham & Cheese
Bake the pastries for around 20-25 minutes. The cheese melts, the pastry soaks up the aromas from delicious ham and the tops turn golden brown. Leave the ham and cheese croissants to cool for 30 minutes. They are best served on the same day! We enjoy them most when they are still a little warm and the melty cheese is oozing out!
Watch How To Make Them
Recipe FAQs
Can I Make These Savoury Croissants With Something Other Than Ham?
Absolutely. Skip the ham altogether and make Cheese Croissants. Or replace the ham with pepperoni, salami or chorizo!
How Long Can Ham & Cheese Croissants Stay Out Of The Fridge?
We have taken these Savoury Croissants on a long hike and kept them in our bags for about 4 hours without a cool pack (it was around 17°C outside). However, according to USDA, the cooked ham should not be kept out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.
Storage
Sourdough Croissants with Ham and Cheese are best served on the day that they are baked, however, if you have any leftovers, they should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
To reheat the Savoury Croissants, preheat the oven to 180°C Fan. Place the croissants on a baking tray and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
We do not recommend freezing Ham & Cheese Croissants.
What Goes Well With Ham & Cheese Croissant?
The answer to the above question very much depends on what time of day or the circumstances of eating these delicious Savoury Croissants. We think they are perfect for:
- Breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee, served as part of a selection of other pastries and muffins.
- Lunch with a side of green salad (we think spinach, rocket or courgette ribbon salad go particularly well with Savoury Croissants). Serve croissants with mayo and dijon mustard dip – it’s a delicious accompaniment to salty ham and cheese filled pastry!
- Snack to take on a hike or a picnic. Not much is needed to go with them – just take a bite and enjoy!
Other Sourdough Pastry Recipes
We love making Sourdough Laminated Pastry to create delicious treats, like buttery croissants, cheese sticks and more. Once you’ve tried homemade pastries, bakery croissants will never impress you again – be warned!
- Sourdough Croissant recipe
- Cinnamon Sourdough Cruffins
- Almond Croissants (Made With Leftover Sourdough Croissants)
- Sourdough Pain Au Chocolat
- Sourdough Cheese Straws
Recipe Card
Sourdough Ham & Cheese Croissants (Overnight Recipe)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer fitted with a Dough Hook Attachment
- Rolling Pin we recommend using a stainless steel one
Ingredients
For détrempé:
- 450 g strong bread flour
- 150 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 40 g caster sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 90 ml milk
- 130 ml water lukewarm
- 50 g butter room temperature
For Laminating:
- 250 g butter
Filling and Egg Wash:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon double/ heavy cream or milk
- 12 thin slices of ham
- 200 g Emmental cheese grated
Instructions
Before You Start:
- Make sure you have a strong and active starter. It will need to be less acidic for best results, so, if you can, feed it for a couple consecutive days.
DAY 1:
Make détrempé (The Dough):
- On the day, once your starter is at its peak, make the détrempé (the enriched croissant dough that is one of the 3 main elements of savoury croissant – détrempé, butter lamination and ham and cheese filling).
- In a bowl of a stand mixer (we absolutely love our Kenwood), fitted with a dough hook attachment, mix the strong flour, salt and sugar. Pour in the water, milk and active sourdough starter. Turn the stand mixer on and knead for 5 minutes at medium speed. The dough will come together into a rather stiff ball (don’t expect it to look smooth or elastic at this stage, it may even look a bit dry). Leave the dough to relax for 15 minutes.
- Run the stand mixer again on medium speed, and start adding 50g of room temperature butter a little bit at a time. Make sure your butter is soft (hard butter will have trouble combining with the dough). Keep the mixer running for around 8-10 minutes until the butter is fully incorporated and you have a smooth dough. It shouldn’t be sticky.
- On a clean work surface, shape a tight ball, and slash the dough with a sharp knife (a razor or a dough scorer) in a cross on top of the dough (see photo below). This will help you roll the dough out into a square/ rectangle rather than a circle. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and leave in a warm spot to bulk prove for approx. 4 hours. Ideally, you need a temperature of 21-23° C. If it is warmer, adjust the timing: your dough should rise x1.5 times. Place the dough in the fridge for another 3-4 hours to finish proving and double in size. Finishing with a cold-proof helps roll the dough out later as it will be nice and firm.
Prepare The Butter Parcel:
- Take the butter out of the fridge in advance so it is soft enough to be rolled. Place it on a large sheet of baking parchment (we highly recommend Bacofoil Baking Parchment – it is strong and lasts forever), place another sheet of parchment on top. Using a rolling pin, gently bash to flatter the butter. Then fold the baking parchment under into a neat 18x18cm (7×7 in) square and roll the butter inside the parchment parcel into all four edges, aiming for the same thickness across (for process photos see below). Enclosing the butter into the baking parchment square will help you get an even butter square with sharp edges. Still wrapped in the baking parchment, place the butter in the fridge to firm up.
Lamination: Letter-Fold Method
- Take the dough out of the fridge and place it onto a floured worktop. Knock the air out with the bottom of your palm and roll it into a square around 28x28cm (11x11in). Try to make it even.
- Unwrap the butter (keep the baking parchment). Place the butter in the middle of the dough on the diagonal (see the photos below).
- Taking one side at a time, fold the edges of the dough into the middle creating a square envelope. Once you fold all four sides into the middle, pinch the edges together. You should now have a 20x20cm (8x8in) butter parcel. Wrap it in baking parchment and freeze on a flat surface for 10 minutes.
- First Fold: Take the parcel out of the freezer, unwrap and roll the parcel out into a rectangle that’s around 50x20cm (20x8in). Make sure your dough isn’t sticking to the worktop as you roll: you want the butter encased and the dough may tear if it sticks. Dust with flour if needed. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut off any untidy short edges that don’t have any butter in them.
- Fold the rolled-out dough like a letter: from the short edge, hold ⅓ of the sheet into the middle, then take the opposite short edge and fold it over the first one. Wrap the dough in the parchment paper you kept the butter in, or cling film, and place in the freezer for 15 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for 1 hour.
- Second Fold: Take the dough out of the fridge and place it short edge in front of you. Roll the dough out to 50x20cm (20x8in) again. Fold the top third towards the centre and then the bottom third over (just like before). Wrap and place the pastry in the freezer for 15 minutes, then fridge for 1 hour.
- Third Fold: Just like before, roll out the dough to 50x20cm (20x8in) rectangle. Fold like a letter, wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours (we leave it in the fridge overnight).
DAY 2:
Filling and Shaping Ham & Cheese Croissants
- Take the pastry out of the refrigerator and let it warm up for 5 minutes at room temperature. Unwrap and, on a lightly floured worktop, roll the pastry out into a 60x40cm (24×16 in) rectangle, gently getting all the air out of the pastry. You don’t want pockets of air to burst abruptly though, exposing the butter.
- Trim the pastry from all four sides to create even edges. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the pastry sheet in half lengthways. Then each long strip into 6 rectangles measuring 20x10cm (8x4in). You should have 12 even rectangles (see photos below).
- Taking one dough rectangle at a time, place a piece of ham (it may need to be folded in half) towards the bottom short edge, about 1-2 cm away from the edge). Add 1/12 of the grated cheese on top (or you can use a slice of cheese, but make sure to roll the croissant tightly). Fold the pastry over the ham and cheese and roll until you have a neat spiral, tucking the cheese that’s trying to escape back into the pastry.
- Repeat with the rest of the rectangles. Place the sourdough savoury croissants seam side down on the prepared baking sheets spaced out, leaving enough space for them to rise.
Proofing Shaped Savoury Pastries
- Cover the pastries with oiled cling film and leave them to proof in a warm spot (around 23C) for 4 hours.
- If your kitchen is very cold, or you live in a particularly dry climate, you can pour boiling water into an ovenproof dish and place it in the turned off oven. The steam will raise the temperature and humidity. Leave the hot water in the oven for 10 minutes. Once the temperature in your oven is no higher than 23 C (any higher and your butter will start melting into the pastry), place the plastic-wrap covered croissants into the steam yoven. The humid environment will ensure that the savoury croissants won’t form a crust on top, preventing the pastries from rising.
- The pastries should puff up significantly and the layers should be clearly visible.
Eggwash:
- Once your savoury croissants have proved, we like to place them in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. The pastries will firm up and won’t be as fragile when you are brushing them with egg wash. Furthermore, the butter in them will have time to solidify a bit again to help create perfect flaky layers.
- Whilst the ham & cheese croissants are chilling, take the ovenproof dish with water out of the oven and then preheat it to 190°C Fan.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and cream (or milk). Using a pastry brush, very gently brush the pastries with the mixture. The eggwash will give the top of the croissants a golden brown finish.
Baking Savoury Croissants With Ham & Cheese:
- Bake the pastries for around 20-25 minutes. The cheese melts, the pastry soaks up the aromas from delicious ham and the tops turn golden brown. Leave the ham and cheese croissants to cool for 30 minutes. They are best served on the same day! We enjoy them most when they are still a little warm and the cheese is oozing out!
Video
Nutrition
Stephanie
I was nervous to try this recipe as it looks so professional – but I gave it a go! By following the instructions provided it was simple and resulted in a great ham and cheese croissant.
Kate
My first attempt at using my starter for croissants and I am so proud of the way they came out! TYVM!
Ieva
So glad, Kate!
TAYLER ROSS
I had these croissants for breakfast this morning and OMG were they delicious! I baked them the night before and reheated them for a few minutes in the oven! Amazing!
Ieva
Thanks, Tayler! Love how a few minutes in the oven bring croissants back to life 🙂
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
I’m interested in anything with ham and cheese and these croissants are such a great idea hot or cold. I really loved the sourdough flavour of the croissant and the suprise filling.
Shadi+Hasanzadenemati
Thank you so much! The flavors are perfect and I can’t wait to try this recipe!