The quality of your croissant at the end of the storage period will depend on how fresh it was when you stored it. Therefore, when you bake croissants or get some from the store, sort and store them depending on how long you intend to keep them.
Wrap croissants individually in a plastic bag and store them in the refrigerator for 7-10 days or simply put them in the freezer for long term storage. Better yet, you can store croissants at room temperature preferably on your kitchen counter away from direct sunlight and use them in 2 days.
Best ways to store croissants
For croissants to retain their best quality for longer, you need to:
- Wrap them individually in a plastic bag before putting them in freezer bags to prevent freezer burns hence retaining their quality for longer.
- Store the bags containing croissants standing and avoid putting anything on top as the crust can easily break leaving your croissants deformed
- Flash freeze unbaked croissants first to prevent them from sticking together during freezing.
- Freeze freshly baked croissants for better quality
With that in mind, you can proceed and store your croissants using any of the three ways described below depending on how long you intend to keep them.
1.At room temperature
Once you bring your croissants home from the store, check the packaging for any tear. In case of any visible tear, transfer them in a plastic bag and seal tightly to prevent them from drying out. Otherwise, simply live them in the packaging they came with at room temperature preferably on the counter away from direct sunlight for 1-2 days.
2.Refrigeration
Refrigeration will keep your croissants fresh for up to 7 days if correctly stored.
To store croissants in the refrigerator;
- Wrap them individually with a plastic bag
- Put the wrapped croissants in a zip lock bag
- seal the bags tightly
- Put them in the refrigerator
To reheat refrigerated croissants, preheat the oven to 200°c and bake for 3 minutes.
3.Freezing
Croissants can be frozen baked or unbaked to prolong their shelf life.
To get frozen baked croissant tasting fresh when thawed, you need to freeze them while they are still fresh that is immediately after baking or after bringing them home from the store.
Freezing old croissants will only live them with a stale taste after thawing and wont even last longer in the freezer.
Use this simple well illustrated steps to freeze baked and unbaked croissants.
Freezing unbaked croissants
To freeze unbaked croissants, this is what you need to do;
- Shape the dough
- Line them in a single layer on a baking sheet
- Put them in the freezer for 2 hours or until rock frozen
- Transfer them into an airtight container or freezer bag
- Squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing
- Label the bags
- Put them in the freezer
To use frozen unbaked croissants;
- Defrost them in the fridge overnight
- Put the croissants on a parchment-lined cookie sheet
- Live them at room temperature for 2-3 hours to proof
- Preheat the oven to 200°c
- Bake for 30 minutes until the croissants are golden brown
- Put them on a rack to cool for a few minutes
- Serve.
Freezing baked croissants
If you baked your own croissants, make sure to cool them completely then use the simple steps below to freeze.
- Wrap the croissants individually with a plastic bag
- Put the wrapped croissants in a zip lock bag
- Squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing
- Label the bags to avoid over freezing
- Put them in the freezer
See also: Can you Freeze English Muffins?
To use frozen baked croissants, defrost them in the refrigerator overnight then preheat the oven to 200°c and bake for 5 minutes.
Croissants can last for up to 8 months if stored properly in the freezer but can only retain their best quality for up to 2 months.