No need to knead: Galaxy Dessert Classic Croissants offer fresh-baked taste without the fuss

A newly baked croissant is a taste of heaven on earth. But — you’re thinking — isn’t such a treat hard to come by, unless you live next to an artisanal bakery or happen to be a master manipulator of breadstuffs yourself?

Au contraire. There’s another option: buying frozen croissant dough, pre-shaped into the familiar crescent form, but uncooked. All you have to do is set it out in advance and then cook it. It’ll taste fresh-baked — because it will be.

I first fell in love with freezer-to-oven croissants as a college freshman when, to commemorate my coming home for the holidays, my mom procured a batch from a local bakery. They were the most sublime thing I’d ever tasted, and not just because I’d been eating dorm food for the past three months. Ever since, I’ve been on a crusade to find more of them. Of all the nationally available brands I’ve tried, the best are the Galaxy Dessert Classic Croissants sold through Williams Sonoma.

Galaxy Desserts Classic Croissants

$29.95 – $79.95 from Williams Sonoma

Here’s how to make these luscious pastries, and why I crown Galaxy the frozen-croissant king.

How to bake Galaxy Dessert croissants

Baking these croissants is a no-brainer: If you can turn on an oven, you can do it. However, the overall prep does require a little planning. That’s because a crucial step involves laying out the pastries several hours in advance, to allow them to defrost. As they do, their dough rises, causing the croissants to swell in size — a process that bakers call “proofing.”

Here is the recipe for making the Galaxy Dessert Classic Croissants, step by step.

The night before eating:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick aluminum foil.
• Place the desired number of croissants on the sheet, each about 2 inches apart.
• Leave the croissants to thaw at room temperature (68°F to 72°F) overnight or for at least 8-9 hours before baking.
  

When it’s time to bake:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• When the temperature is reached, place croissants in the oven on the middle rack.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes. Croissants should be lightly browned and flaky on top.
• Remove from oven and consume as soon as possible.
  

A nice extra touch: the egg wash

An egg wash gives your croissants a shiny, darker-brown finish. It’s easy to apply it just before they go into the oven. In a bowl, combine one egg with one tablespoon of water, beating gently. Brush the mixture over the tops and sides of the fully proofed croissants.

What makes these croissants so good?

Galaxy Desserts is an American subsidiary of a French baking consortium. A wholesaler servicing hotels and food retailers, it uses artisanal, traditional Gallic techniques for its breads and pastries: “French-inspired, made locally in California,” as it says on the box. Along with the classic variety, Williams Sonoma also offers Galaxy’s pains au chocolat (chocolate croissants), almond croissants and morning buns.

So what makes their croissants so good? Quality ingredients, like unbleached flour, and a lot of butter (it’s number two on the ingredients list, in fact). After being mixed and shaped, the dough is flash-frozen, which locks in the flavors of those ingredients and preserves them.

But the main thing is the proofing. That process of allowing the yeast to rest and rise leavens the dough, improving its texture and adding complexity to its taste. Then there’s the fact that you are baking from scratch, not just completing a half-cooked job. And, last but not least: You’re able to eat the pastries as soon as they emerge from the hot oven.

There are other frozen croissants on the market that are actually fully cooked and only need a little time to thaw, and then minutes in the oven. But that’s not baking, that’s re-heating.

These croissants keep in the freezer for a long time, too. The Williams-Sonoma website says six months. But a box I bought in October 2025 was stamped “best by May 2026” — a full nine months. I have noted, though, that the older the croissants are, the longer they will take to proof fully. Also, towards the end of their lifespan, they won’t rise as much.

What are the drawbacks of Galaxy Desserts Croissants?

Nothing in this world is perfect. And that includes Galaxy Dessert Classic Croissants.

For one thing, the price is not petit. A box of eight croissants costs $29.95, plus shipping ($9.50 for this size order). That’s more than your standard supermarket croissant, for sure, though less than some other mail-order varieties. For example, a package of 8 croissants from Ceci-Cela (an excellent New York City-based bakery) costs $49.95 on Goldbelly.

Then there’s the fact that you have to remember to lay out the croissants the night before (or at least eight hours before you plan to eat). And no, shortcuts like putting them in the microwave and hitting the defrost button won’t work. They need time and room temperature to swell to their full puffy glory.

Finally (though this is admittedly nitpicking), Galaxy’s packaging isn’t the greatest. The croissants are tossed willy-nilly into the cardboard box — no dividers or containers — and sometimes they stick together or even get a little chipped.

Galaxy Desserts Classic Croissants

$29.95 – $79.95 from Williams Sonoma

Final verdict on Galaxy Dessert Croissants

Despite the small hassles, freezer-to-oven croissants are worth it. And Galaxy Dessert Croissants are the best of the brands out there, standing right at the crossroads of price, availability and flavor. They taste fresh-baked because they are. You are essentially making them, just with the hard parts of measuring, mixing and kneading taken out. You just set them out, heat the oven, set the timer, and voilà.

Why settle for store-bought when you can bake so easily?