Croissants

Ingredients:

• 30 g fresh yeast
• 3.5 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 cup milk (or more)
• 450 g butter
• 2 tbsp flour, for working
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. milk

Preparation:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, flour, sugar, salt, and milk and knead for 2 minutes, until a soft, moist dough forms on the hook. If most of the flour remains dry, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is moist, using no more than 4 tablespoons. Increase the mixer speed to high and knead for another 4 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured board, cover with a damp towel, and let it rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten. Remove the towel and, using a French rolling pin, roll the dough into a 22 x 25 cm rectangle, 1.5 cm thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
3. Ten minutes before the dough is ready to work with, prepare the butter. Beat it with a rolling pin on a floured surface to soften it and knead it into a 15 x 21 cm rectangle. Place it between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a floured work surface into a 0.5 cm thick rectangle measuring 25 x 37 cm. Brush off any excess flour. Place the rectangle with the shorter side facing you. Place the butter lengthwise in the center. Fold the bottom of the dough over the butter and shake off any excess flour, then fold the top over the butter to completely enclose it. Press lightly with a rolling pin to ensure all layers are pressed together.
5. Roll out the puff pastry again to form a new rectangle measuring 25 x 37 cm, filling the gaps where the butter is sticking out with flour. Fold the pastry in three, like a letter, shake off excess flour, and mark the dough by poking your finger once in a corner. This means you've completed one roll.
6. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour and then overnight. Repeat the same process three more times (some people only do 3 rolls, some do 6, and some do 3 + 1, folding the dough on the fourth roll like a book cover), marking the dough with the appropriate number of indentations each time and chilling between each roll.
7. After the fourth circle, you can put the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight, or roll it out into a layer measuring 32x60 cm, less than 0.5 cm thick, cut out triangles and form croissants.
8. I roll out the dough and cut it with a large sharp knife into 15cm strips, then cut these into triangles with a 10cm base (or for a more curved croissant, cut triangles with a 15cm base). Stretch these triangles again until they are 22cm long, lay them on a work surface, then place a piece of dough in the middle of the wide end, allowing the finished croissant to puff up in the center. Roll the triangles towards you, starting from the wide end, and arrange them 5cm apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, slightly curved into a crescent shape, with the tips facing down. At this point, you can freeze the croissants or continue baking. In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk and brush the croissants with the mixture.
9. To let the croissants rise, place them in a warm but turned-off oven, placing a pan of hot water on the bottom rack to create a humid environment. Leave them to rise for 1.5 to 2.5 hours, until they are puffed up and springy to the touch. Then remove from the oven.
10. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and spray the inside with water. Close the door. Place the croissants in the oven, spray the inside with water again, and reduce the temperature to 200°C (400°F). After 10 minutes, rotate the baking sheet if the croissants are baking unevenly and reduce the oven temperature to 190°C (375°F). Bake for another 5-8 minutes until golden brown.