Delicious Sourdough Cruffin Recipe: A Fancy Farm Food

Last Updated on April 3, 2024 by TheFarmChicken

A delicate pastry with layers of sourdough Detrempe (French) and butter baked to a delicious golden brown. This Delicious Sourdough Cruffin Recipe: A Fancy Farm Food is then either filled or rolled in cinnamon sugar…or both. A Cruffin is a cross between a croissant (cr) and muffin (uffin). The word is really fun to say and these are even better to eat.

Have you ever heard of a cruffin? They are so fun and a perfect little Fancy Farm Food dessert. You could make these for any special occasion, such as Mother’s Day or a special birthday or anniversary. Such a treat!

Let’s talk about the history of the cruffin and the step-by-step process to making your very own Sourdough Cruffins at home.

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Where did the idea of the Cruffin come from?

The first known Cruffin is believed to have been created in Melbourne Australia in 2013 by Kate Reid of Lune Croissanterie. There have been other versions and variations since then.

The Sourdough Cruffins Ingredients:

Active Sourdough Starter

The cruffin is made with a laminated yeasted dough. Therefore, you want to use an active sourdough starter. This recipe is fully leavened by the wild yeast of sourdough and not supplemented by commercial yeast. I always use a 100% hydration sourdough starter in my recipes unless specified otherwise.

Check out Learning Sourdough with Agnes if you need to create your very own starter.

Bread Flour

For such a delicate pastry I like to use a well-structured flour. I recommend using a quality bread flour, but a high-quality all-purpose flour should also work.

Unsalted Butter

The kind of butter in this recipe can make a difference. I like using unsalted butter for the recipe and the butter block. It’s best to find a butter that is at least 82% butter fat. If you want to learn more about butterfat, check it out here! Tillamook brand is what I used and that worked well!

Granulated Sugar

You need granulated sugar to sweeten the dough and also for rolling the cruffins in after they are baked.

Water

It’s always best to use a filtered or distilled, non-chlorinated water for your sourdough bakes.

Whole Milk

Whole milk is part of the enriched dough in these delicious pastries.

Sea Salt

Adding a depth of flavor to the dough, I like to use a fine sea salt in these sourdough cruffins.

Cinnamon Sugar

Used at the very end cinnamon sugar is used to roll the flaky pastries in.

Techniques for Making Sourdough Cruffins:

Laminating the dough:

This good old-fashioned croissant dough is laminated like a traditional croissant. The butter block is created and then rolled and folded into the dough while still maintaining a cold butter layer. This is accomplished by rest periods in the fridge between folds.

The goal is to keep the butter cold so you can get those beautiful flaky layers. You don’t want to melt the butter into the dough.

Creating the butter block:

I go over this technique in further detail in the recipe, but you will take the butter sticks, cut them in half and roll them into a rectangle. This is done in between two pieces of parchment paper.

Fold and Roll:

You will need a rolling pin for this part. After initially sealing the butter block into the dough you will be rolling the dough out into a rectangle and folding it up into thirds. It will be placed in the fridge for 30 minutes between 3 laminations.

Baking Schedule:

Day 1:

11:00 AM ish Feed your sourdough starter.
5-6:00 PM Mix up the sourdough cruffin dough
7:30 PM Place the finished dough in the fridge overnight.

Day 2:

7:30AM-12 PM Take butter packet butter out an hour prior to rolling dough.
- Make butter packet and place in fridge.
- Roll out the dough.
- Do first lamination and place dough covered in fridge.
10:00 AM Take dough out and do next lamination. Place in fridge.
10:45 AM Take dough out and do next lamination. Place in fridge.
11:30 AM Take dough out and do next laminations. Place in fridge.
12:15 PM Take dough out roll out into rectangle and cut into strips. Shape Cruffins.
1:00 PM Proof Cruffins in a 70 ish-degree spot for 4-6 hours.
5:00 PM Bake Cruffins and Enjoy!

NOTE: This baking schedule is for the cruffins being ready to eat in the evening if you want them to be done in the morning feed your starter overnight and mix the dough the next morning. Let it sit in the refrigerator until the evening then do the laminations and shaping of the sourdough cruffins and let proof overnight in a 68–70-degree room.

REMEMBER: You don’t want your cruffins to proof in too warm of a room or the butter may melt into the layers so cooler proofing for a longer time is key. You want to keep the butter cool!

The Sourdough Cruffin Process in Pictures:

Make sure to look at this slide of pictures. It has descriptions and a picture for the process of making these delicious pastries.

butter block stick on first sheet of parchment

rolled out dough ready for the butter block

flattened butter block on top of the dough

dough folded over the butter block and sealed edges

slightly rolled out and ready for the fridge

How to Shape a Cruffin Video:

How to fill a Sourdough Cruffin:

Using a piping bag with a plain tip fill the bag or dessert syringe with the type of filling you want in your cruffin and then fill the cruffin with roughly a tablespoon of filling. You can do this from the bottom or top of the cruffin. I prefer the bottom.

Ways to Enjoy the Cruffin:

This beautiful pastry is best enjoyed the same day it’s baked. Serve for a midday treat or in the morning alongside tea or coffee.

You can add to the cruffin and eat it with different filling combinations:

Simply – Just rolled in Cinnamon Sugar
Rolled in Cinnamon Sugar with one of these additions:
Jam – Strawberry Rhubarb, Blueberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Etc
Lemon Curd
Crème Patisserie or a Pastry Cream

Pin for Later:

Delicious Sourdough Cruffin Recipe: A Fancy Farm Food

Dough Ingredients:

100 g sourdough starter active
80 g water, distilled or filtered
55 g whole milk or 2%
300 g bread flour
45 g butter, unsalted
45 g sugar, granulated
7 g fine sea salt

Butter Block:

16 T (2 sticks) high quality butter at least 82% butterfat

Cinnamon Sugar:

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:

First start by combining the starter, water, milk, and sugar in a large bowl or the large bowl of a stand mixer. Mix to form a slurry. Then add the flour, and butter and combine with your hands, Danish dough hook or the dough hook of a stand mixer on low speed. Combine just until it becomes a shaggy dough. Let rest, covered loosely for 30 minutes.
After the 30-minute rest, add the sea salt and knead for 5 minutes bringing the ingredients all together. At this point cover the dough with plastic wrap and place on the counter for 1 hour then transfer to the refrigerator to long ferment for 12-16 hours.
The next day, about 1 hour before you are ready to make the cruffins take the butter for the butter block out of the fridge and set it on the counter.
Right before you are ready to take the dough out of the fridge you will make the butter block.

Making the butter block:

On a clean work surface, take a piece of parchment paper and flour it a little. Then take the 2 sticks of butter and cut them in half laying them side by side on the floured parchment paper making a square. Sprinkle lightly with flour and then place another piece of parchment paper on top of the butter.
Next take a rolling pin and roll the butter together until it makes roughly a 10” x 8” rectangle. Set in the fridge.

Laminating the Dough:

Now we are ready to take the dough out of the fridge and start the laminating process. Take and place the dough on a clean work surface and using a rolling pin, roll out to a 20” x 16” rectangle. If it seems to be sticking, you can add a little flour but be careful not to add too much flour. I generally do not need to use flour on my dough surface.
Once you have it to the proper size take the prepared butter block from the fridge and peel the one side of parchment off of the butter. Next place the butter block on top of one half of the dough butter side down. Then peel the other piece of parchment paper off of the butter.
Next fold the other half of the dough over the butter block and seal the edges of the dough so that the butter is completely enclosed in the dough. Roll this packet out slightly and then fold one third of it down and then the other third of it up. Roll slightly to flatten some (6” x12”) then place on a pan lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once the 30 minutes is up, take the laminated dough out of the fridge, place on a clean surface and roll the dough out to around a 15” x 9” rectangle. Then take and fold in thirds again like above. Roll to flatten slightly then return, covered to the fridge for another 30 minutes. Repeat this 2 more times.

Cutting the Dough into Strips:

Once you have done the last lamination step place it back in the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove it from the fridge and then roll it out to 14” x 7” rectangle and about 1/8^th-1/4^th” thick.
Next take a sharp knife or a bench scraper and cut the dough into strips that are 1.5” wide and 7” long. You should get roughly 14-16 strips.

Shaping and Baking the Cruffins:

Next taking two pastry strips at a time stack them 2 inches off from each other. Check out the video for step by step on how to shape.
Then you will roll this up tightly and cupping your hands around the base you with encourage them into a cone look or like a muffin top. Place in a muffin tin lined with muffin liners. Complete this with all the strips and then let proof for 3-5 hours depending on the warmth of the room.
You want them to be growing and nice and puffy. When they are puffy and proofed preheat your oven to 375 degrees (convection if you have that function) and bake for 40-45 minutes until nicely golden brown.
While they are baking you can make the cinnamon sugar. Mix it up in a small bowl.
Remove from the oven and working carefully to not burn yourself, remove the cruffins from the muffin pan to a cooling rack. Let cool for 5 minutes and then carefully remove the liners and toss in the cinnamon sugar. Return to the cooling rack. Enjoy slightly warm or you can wait for them to cool and enjoy them the way they are or filled with cream or jam.
You can fill them using a pastry bag or syringe. Enjoy!

Note:

Cruffins are best enjoyed the same day, but you can also store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Simply rewarm them as leftovers (without filling) covered in a 300-degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

Makes 8 Sourdough Cruffins

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients:

100 g sourdough starter active
80 g water distilled or filtered
55 g whole milk or 2%
300 g bread flour
45 g butter unsalted
45 g sugar granulated
7 g fine sea salt

Butter Block:

16 T 2 sticks high quality butter at least 82% butterfat

Cinnamon Sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Instructions:

First start by combining the starter, water, milk, and sugar in a large bowl or the large bowl of a stand mixer. Mix to form a slurry. Then add the flour, and butter and combine with your hands, Danish dough hook or the dough hook of a stand mixer on low speed. Combine just until it becomes a shaggy dough. Let rest, covered loosely for 30 minutes.
After the 30-minute rest, add the sea salt and knead for 5 minutes bringing the ingredients all together. At this point cover the dough with plastic wrap and place on the counter for 1 hour then transfer to the refrigerator to long ferment for 12-16 hours.
The next day, about 1 hour before you are ready to make the cruffins take the butter for the butter block out of the fridge and set it on the counter.
Right before you are ready to take the dough out of the fridge you will make the butter block.

Making the Butter Block:

On a clean work surface, take a piece of parchment paper and flour it a little. Then take the 2 sticks of butter and cut them in half laying them side by side on the floured parchment paper making a square. Sprinkle lightly with flour and then place another piece of parchment paper on top of the butter.
Next take a rolling pin and roll the butter together until it makes roughly a 10” x 8” rectangle. Set in the fridge.

Laminating the Dough:

Now we are ready to take the dough out of the fridge and start the laminating process. Take and place the dough on a clean work surface and using a rolling pin, roll out to a 20” x 16” rectangle. If it seems to be sticking, you can add a little flour but be careful not to add too much flour. I generally do not need to use flour on my dough surface.
Once you have it to the proper size take the prepared butter block from the fridge and peel the one side of parchment off of the butter. Next place the butter block on top of one half of the dough butter side down. Then peel the other piece of parchment paper off of the butter.
Next fold the other half of the dough over the butter block and seal the edges of the dough so that the butter is completely enclosed in the dough. Roll this packet out slightly and then fold one third of it down and then the other third of it up. Roll slightly to flatten some (6” x12”) then place on a pan lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once the 30 minutes is up, take the laminated dough out of the fridge, place on a clean surface and roll the dough out to around a 15” x 9” rectangle. Then take and fold in thirds again like above. Roll to flatten slightly then return, covered to the fridge for another 30 minutes. Repeat this 2 more times.
Once you have done the last lamination step place it back in the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove it from the fridge and then roll it out to 14” x 7” rectangle and about 1/8th-1/4th” thick.
Next take a sharp knife or a bench scraper and cut the dough into strips that are 1.5” wide and 7” long. You should get roughly 14-16 strips.

Shaping and Baking the Cruffins:

Next taking two pastry strips at a time stack them 2 inches off from each other. Check out the video for step by step on how to shape.
Then you will roll this up tightly and cupping your hands around the base you with encourage them into a cone look or like a muffin top. Place in a muffin tin lined with muffin liners. Complete this with all the strips and then let proof for 3-5 hours depending on the warmth of the room.
You want them to be growing and nice and puffy. When they are puffy and proofed preheat your oven to 375 degrees (convection if you have that function) and bake for 40-45 minutes until nicely golden brown.
While they are baking you can make the cinnamon sugar. Mix it up in a small bowl.
Remove from the oven and working carefully to not burn yourself, remove the cruffins from the muffin pan to a cooling rack. Let cool for 5 minutes and then carefully remove the liners and toss in the cinnamon sugar. Return to the cooling rack. Enjoy slightly warm or you can wait for them to cool and enjoy them the way they are or filled with cream or jam.
You can fill them using a piping bag or dessert syringe. Enjoy!

Notes

Note: Cruffins are best enjoyed the same day, but you can also store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Simply rewarm them as leftovers (without filling) covered in a 300-degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

Servings: 8 cruffin

I hope you have enjoyed making these Delicious Sourdough Cruffins: A Fancy Farm Food. They are a fun pastry that takes a little work but is worth it! Plus, you basically have what it takes to make sourdough croissants! That recipe is coming soon to TheFarmChicken. Welcome to the wonderful pastry world. So many possibilities! Enjoy!

Mariah N | TheFarmChicken

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Other Pastries and Rolls to Try:

Frequently Asked Questions:

How warm does my butter need to be before rolling into the butter pack?

You want your butter to be still cold but warm just a bit to make it easy to roll.

Why don’t my cruffins have nice layers?

This is probably because the butter layer that you laminated in your dough absorbed into your dough. Try proofing in a cooler room or doing the laminating in a cooler room too.

How do you know when the cruffins are done proofing?

You can look at the above pictures for reference, but you want it to be nice and puffy and filling the muffin tin.

How do I make the tall cruffins like in the bakery?

I used regular muffin liners and a regular muffin tin because I feel like that is the most common. However, if you would like a tall cruffin like you see in the bakeries.
You can purchase a NordicWare Popover Pan (if you don’t already have a popover pan) and use that. (linked in “Shop this Post”) This will give you the taller cruffin. Make sure to do a tighter shape on the cruffin so they will fit in the smaller pan.

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hat no more dominion over him.
Romans 6:8-9