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Croissants are a buttery masterpiece with layers of delicate flaky dough that’s both crunchy and tender. While they’re the perfect pastry to enjoy with an espresso, croissants have also become the subject of a brilliant culinary trick that transforms them into the most decadent pizza crust. In an Instagram post, foodie Josh Elkin demonstrates just how easy it is to make croissant pizza crust using store-bought croissant dough and store-bought pizza dough.
A simple thin-crust pizza dough is spread over a circular pizza pan, then brushed with egg-wash around the perimeter of the dough. The raw croissants are then assembled over the egg-washed perimeter and likewise brushed with egg-wash and dusted with parmesan cheese. Then, the center of the pizza receives a generous spread of sauce, cheese, and pepperoni cups before a stint in the oven. You can make the recipe even easier by using one of the best store-bought pasta sauces and pre-shredded cheese. If you can’t find frozen or raw croissants from your local grocery store, you can sub in Pillsbury crescent rolls, adding yet another clever way to use these canned pastries.
A thin, crispy undercarriage is a nice, light foundation for an equally light and flaky croissant crust pizza. But you can also make a deep dish croissant pizza using a cast iron skillet, like this one from Lodge. Try baking the pizza at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes — you can try higher temperatures for less time, but you might risk burning the croissants.
More ideas for croissant pizza crusts
Josh Elkin’s viral croissant pizza recipe is a simple pepperoni pizza, but you can get as creative as you want with toppings. For that matter, you can make a stuffed-crust pizza by unwrapping the croissant dough, adding a mozzarella string cheese stick (here’s a cheap option from Amazon), and closing it back up. You can also add flavors and sauces to the croissant itself with the same brush you’ll use for the egg-wash. For example, you can brush on your favorite store-bought pesto or herb infused olive oil or oil-packed sun dried tomatoes. Popular savory croissant stuffings include ricotta or even cream cheese that you can sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning. For a Greek pizza crust, add drained and chopped frozen spinach and ricotta to the croissant to pair with pizza toppings like kalamata olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and pepperoncini.
Of course, croissant pizza crusts are a revelation that store-bought frozen pizza companies have embraced as evidenced by DiGiornio’s Croissant pizzas like this ham and egg breakfast pizza. However, these frozen pizzas fashion the entire crust out of laminated croissant dough. The croissant pizza crust hack gives you the best of both worlds with a sturdy, crispy or doughy foundation and the crescent-shaped flaky croissant crust ring. You can still draw inspiration from the frozen pizza to make a breakfast pizza of your own. For that matter, we have a croissant breakfast casserole with fontina, cheddar, eggs, and pancetta that you can make into a white breakfast pizza.
