Croissants

Day 1

Step 1

Warm your milk in the microwave until warm, but not hot. Try 45 seconds and test adding 10-20 seconds in intervals. Too hot and you can kill your yeast! In the bowl of your stand up mixer, add your sugar and warmed milk. Stir until the sugar had dissolved. Next, add in your active dry yeast and stir with a fork. If your yeast is good, it will start to foam up. Cover your bowl loosely. (I just use a dinner plate to cover the bowl). Let sit and allow your yeast to activate, about 5 minutes. Once your yeast looks evenly foamy, it is ready for your dry ingredients.

Step 2

Measure out your flour and salt and add to the foamy yeast mixture. Using your dough hook attachment, mix your ingredients on low for 5 minutes. Sprinkle your work surface lightly with pastry flour and turn out your dough. It will be smooth, silky and slightly sticky. Knead the dough for another 5 minutes. Lightly dust more pastry flour as you work the dough to keep it from sticking to your hands, but so that the dough still feels tacky. Don't skimp on kneading. This is an important part to allow the gluten to build. Lightly grease a bowl and place your dough inside. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 1 hour.

Step 3

Prepare your butter. Slice your butter in 1/2 inch slices for easier rolling. Place butter together as a square slab on a piece of plastic wrap. Cut another piece of plastic wrap to place on top of the butter. (You want your butter sandwiched inside the plastic wrap. Pound and roll out butter, with your rolling pin, until it forms an 8 by 5 inch rectangle (just eyeball it). Wrap up this butter slab in plastic wrap and move to the fridge along with your dough.

Step 4

After refrigerating your dough for the hour, remove and turn back out on a lightly floured work surface. (Leave your butter in the fridge until ready for it). Roll out your dough into a big rectangle (doubled the size of your butter slab). Take out your butter, unwrap and place in the center of your dough. Fold your dough, like folding an envelope, around the butter. Start with the bottom and fold dough up, then fold the top of your dough down over the butter (dough can overlap) and finally each of your sides. It is super important that your butter is completely covered at all sides and corners by the dough. Wrap dough entirely in plastic and return to fridge for 1 hour.

Step 5

Remove your dough from its plastic and return to your lightly floured surface. Place your dough in front of you so that you can see the folds of the dough, where it overlaps (envision the small end of a folded bath towel...you can see all the layers and folds at the small end). Begin to roll out the dough into another large rectangle (about 10 by 16 inches). Now fold your dough in thirds, like a letter. Wrap back up in plastic wrap and return to the fridge for 1 hour. You will complete this step of rolling, folding, wrapping and chilling for a total of 3 more times! This is the lamination process, don't skimp! Once you have completed the third cycle, leave dough in the fridge overnight (or at least for 8 hours).

Day 2

Step 6

Your dough is ready to shape and bake! Take out your dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough in half. If you laminated correctly you will be able to see all the layers! Roll out each piece of dough into a long rectangle with about a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut each rectangle into 8 triangles using a pizza cutter. (Think of your cuts looking like a zig zag down the rectangle). Taking each triangle and roll up the dough starting at the wide end. You can stretch the dough out a bit as you roll to help with the shape. Continue this step with all pieces. Your croissants are now shaped. Place each one about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let sit out for one hour. They will rise and puff up a bit.

Step 7

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Take your egg and beat well with a tiny splash of cold water. Brush the egg over the tops of each croissant before they go in the oven to bake. Place your baking sheet in the center of your oven and bake for 8 minutes. Without removing the croissants from the oven, drop your heat to 375 degrees F and bake another 8-10 minutes. Take them out when they are golden brown. Let cool 3 minutes and then move to wire racks to cool another 5 minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar if desired. Enjoy!