Homemade Cruffins Recipe

Introduction

Cruffins are a delightful hybrid of croissants and muffins, offering flaky layers with a sweet cinnamon sugar coating. This homemade recipe walks you through creating tender, buttery cruffins perfect for breakfast or a special treat.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
• 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
• 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted or salted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 3 pieces
• 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) salted butter, slightly softened
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• Optional fillings: 6 Tablespoons Nutella, jam, lemon curd, or pastry cream

Instructions

1. Step 1: In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, whisk warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Cover and let sit about 5 minutes until foamy. (If no mixer, mix by hand with a wooden spoon.)
2. Step 2: Add softened butter, 2 cups flour, and salt. Beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Add remaining 1 cup flour and beat on low until soft dough forms, pulling away from the bowl sides; add up to 2 Tbsp more flour if sticky.
3. Step 3: Knead dough in mixer for 5 minutes, or on floured surface by hand for 5 minutes, until soft and elastic. Dough should pass the windowpane test or bounce back slowly when poked.
4. Step 4: Lightly grease a large bowl. Place dough inside, turning to coat with oil. Cover tightly and let rise in warm place for about 2 hours until nearly doubled.
5. Step 5: Punch down dough. Place on lightly floured silicone baking mat or parchment on a baking sheet. Flatten to 10×14-inch rectangle with floured hands or rolling pin. Cover and chill in refrigerator 20 minutes.
6. Step 6: Using a mixer paddle attachment, beat the slightly softened butter with 1 tablespoon flour until combined. Keep a bowl of flour handy for laminating.
7. Step 7: Remove dough from fridge. Spread butter over center third. Fold edges over butter like a business letter, sealing ends. Rotate dough, lightly flour top, and roll to 9×12 inches. Fold edges over again, cover and chill 20 minutes.
8. Step 8: Repeat the laminating fold and roll process two more times, each followed by covering and chilling for 20 minutes.
9. Step 9: Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Remove dough from fridge, cut into 3 equal sections.
10. Step 10: Roll each section into an 8×12-inch rectangle on floured surface. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar and press into dough. Cut each into 12 strips (1 inch wide).
11. Step 11: Layer strips in groups of 3, roll up together into a spiral, tucking ends underneath. Place one spiral per muffin cup. Repeat for all sections.
12. Step 12: Cover cruffins lightly and let rise 1 hour until puffy.
13. Step 13: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake cruffins 25–28 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 200°F (93°C). Cool slightly in pan on a rack.
14. Step 14: Roll cooled cruffins in remaining cinnamon-sugar. Optionally fill with Nutella, jam, or pastry cream using a piping bag with a long tip.

Tips & Variations

• Use a silicone baking mat to prevent the dough from sliding while rolling and shaping.
• Rest the dough for 5 minutes if it retracts while rolling to relax gluten.
• Do not over-flour the dough to keep layers tender and flaky.
• Try different fillings like lemon curd or chocolate spread for variety.

Storage

Store leftover cruffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a low oven or toaster oven to refresh the flaky texture before serving.

How to Serve

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I make the dough by hand without a stand mixer?

Yes, you can mix and knead by hand using a large bowl and wooden spoon, then knead on a floured surface. It may take a bit more effort but works well.

What’s the purpose of laminating the dough?

Laminating creates thin layers of butter and dough, which bake into flaky, tender layers essential to a cruffin’s texture.

Homemade Cruffins Recipe

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Homemade Cruffins are delightful flaky pastries that combine the buttery layers of croissants with the shape and convenience of muffins. This recipe guides you through creating a laminated yeast dough, folding it multiple times with butter to achieve the signature layers, then rolling and shaping the dough into beautiful spiraled cruffins. Coated in cinnamon sugar and optionally filled with Nutella, jam, or pastry cream, these cruffins are a perfect indulgent treat for breakfast or brunch.

• Author: Clara
• Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 28 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours 58 minutes
• Yield: 12 cruffins 1x
• Category: Breakfast Pastry
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Dough Ingredients

• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
• 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
• 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted or salted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 3 pieces
• 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt

Lamination Butter Mixture

• 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) salted butter, slightly softened (between 60–64°F / 15–18°C)
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Optional Fillings

• 6 Tablespoons Nutella, jam, lemon curd, or pastry cream

Instructions

1. Preliminary Notes: Read through the recipe and review step-by-step photos before beginning. Prepare space in the refrigerator for the baking sheet needed during dough chilling and folding stages.
2. Prepare the Dough: Whisk warm milk, yeast, and sugar in the stand mixer bowl with dough hook. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Add butter, 2 cups flour, and salt. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Add remaining 1 cup flour and beat on low speed until soft dough forms, adding up to 2 more tablespoons flour if sticky.
3. Knead the Dough: Continue kneading in mixer for 5 more minutes or knead by hand on floured surface for 5 minutes. Dough should be soft, tacky but not sticky, passing windowpane test for gluten development.
4. First Rise: Lightly grease large bowl, place dough inside turning to coat with oil. Cover tightly and let rise in warm spot about 2 hours or until nearly doubled.
5. Flatten Dough: Punch down dough to release air, place on floured silicone mat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten to 10×14-inch rectangle. Cover and chill in refrigerator 20 minutes.
6. Prepare Butter Mixture: Beat softened butter with 1 tablespoon flour until combined. Keep butter cool but pliable between 60-64°F.
7. First Lamination: Remove dough from fridge. Spread butter mixture over center third of dough lengthwise. Fold edges over butter like a business letter, sealing ends. Rotate dough, lightly flour top, roll out to 9×12-inch rectangle. Fold edges in again like a letter. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes.
8. Second Lamination: Repeat rolling out to 9×12-inch rectangle and folding like a letter twice. Cover and chill 20 minutes.
9. Third Lamination: Repeat lamination steps again: roll out and fold twice more, then refrigerate 20 minutes.
10. Shape & Fill: Lightly grease 12-cup muffin pan. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Remove dough and cut into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion to 8×12-inch rectangle, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and press in. Cut dough into twelve 1-inch strips, stack three strips at a time, roll into spiral, tuck ends under, and place in muffin cups. Repeat for all portions.
11. Second Rise: Cover shaped cruffins lightly and let rise 1 hour until puffy.
12. Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake cruffins 25–28 minutes until internal temperature reaches 200°F (93°C). Let cool in pan on rack.
13. Coat and Fill: Roll cooled cruffins in remaining cinnamon sugar. Optionally fill with Nutella, jam, or pastry cream using piping bag and long tip. Poke hole 3/4 down cruffin and squeeze filling inside.
14. Storage: Store leftover cruffins at room temperature up to 3 days.

Notes

• Use a silicone baking mat for rolling dough to prevent sliding and make cleanup easier.
• Do not extend refrigeration times during lamination steps to avoid dough over-expansion and difficulty rolling.
• Keep lamination butter cool but soft for proper layering; too warm will melt into dough, too cold will tear dough.
• Rolling dough in strips and layering creates signature flaky cruffin texture.
• If dough shrinks back while rolling, let it rest 5 minutes to relax gluten before continuing.
• Optional fillings enhance flavor but cruffins are delicious plain with cinnamon sugar coating.

Keywords: Cruffins, laminated dough, cinnamon sugar pastry, breakfast recipe, croissant muffin hybrid