Butter Croissants

Ingredients

• •500 g All-purpose flour
• •300 g Unsalted butter
• •60 g Sugar
• •250 ml Whole milk
• •10 g Active dry yeast
• •8 g Salt
• •1 large Egg
• •1 piece Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp milk)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the d�trempre (base dough): Combine 250ml warm milk (110�F/43�C), 10g sugar, and 10g active dry yeast. Let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Add 500g flour and 8g salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.

   💡 The yeast needs warmth to activate but not hot milk (over 115�F kills yeast). The foam indicates live, active yeast.

2. 2

   Knead dough in a stand mixer with dough hook for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. It should pass the windowpane test - stretch thin without tearing.

   💡 Proper gluten development is essential for laminated dough. Under-kneaded dough will tear during folding.

3. 3

   Shape dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cold dough is easier to work with for laminating.

   💡 The laminating process creates hundreds of flaky layers. Each fold must be even and the butter must stay cold - warm butter merges with dough.

4. 4

   Pound 300g cold unsalted butter between plastic wrap into a flat 15cm x 15cm square. The butter should be cold but pliable (like a firm pencil).

   💡 Cold butter (not frozen) laminates best. Too soft = butter merges with dough. Too hard = tears the layers.

5. 5

   Encase butter in dough using the letter fold: place butter in center, fold top and bottom thirds over to enclose. Seal edges. Roll out to 50cm x 20cm rectangle.

   💡 Cold butter is essential - it creates steam pockets during baking that create flaky layers. If butter warms up, refrigerate before continuing.

6. 6

   Perform first fold: fold right third over center, then left third over that (3-layer fold). Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. This is fold #1 of 3.

   💡 Each fold creates 27 layers. Three folds = 729 layers - the flaky texture depends on this.

7. 7

   Roll dough again to 50cm x 20cm. Perform second 3-layer fold. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

   💡 Keep dough cold between folds. If butter feels warm, refrigerate longer before continuing.

8. 8

   Roll and perform third and final 3-layer fold. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. This rest relaxes gluten and hardens butter for clean cutting.

   💡 The final proof is critical. Under-proofed croissants are dense and gummy. Over-proofed ones collapse. They should double in size.

9. 9

   Roll dough to 45cm x 25cm, 5mm thick. Cut into triangles (12cm base, 25cm sides). Stretch each triangle slightly wider before rolling from base to tip.

   💡 Sharp knife or pizza cutter for clean edges - dull blades compress and seal the layers.

10. 10

    Curve the rolled croissant into a crescent shape. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet, seam-side down. Brush with egg wash. Proof at room temperature for 2 hours until doubled.

    💡 Egg wash creates the signature golden color. Apply twice for even coverage, but avoid drips that cause uneven browning.

11. 11

    Preheat oven to 400�F (200�C). Brush croissants with egg wash again. Bake for 15-18 minutes until deep golden brown. Internal temp should reach 200�F (93�C).

    💡 High heat creates the shatteringly crisp layers. Lower temp = pale and doughy.

12. 12

    Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Croissants are best warm from oven but also freeze well for 2 weeks. Reheat at 350�F for 8 minutes.

    💡 They continue cooking internally during cooling. Never slice hot croissants - steam escapes and they go limp.