The Easiest Croissants
For the Croissant dough:
- 1 cup (240ml) Whole Milk
- 1 Medium Egg
- 2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 3 cups ( 420g) All Purpose Flour
- 3 tbsp (35g) Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp ( 30g) Soft Unsalted Butter
For the folding:
- 2 sticks (230g) Very Soft, Unsalted Butter
For the Egg Wash:
1 egg
Activate the yeast
In a medium, microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup, microwave the milk until lukewarm, about 30 to 40 seconds (don’t let it get hot). Whisk the egg into the milk and add the yeast . Allow this mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
Make the dough
To a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the milk/egg mixture and mix on a slow speed for 2 minutes, then on a medium speed for another 3 minutes. With the mixer running, add the 2 tablespoons of butter. Continue mixing for 5 minutes more.
Allow the dough to rest
Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Don’t leave it longer than this.)
Divide the dough
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll into balls. Lightly flour the dough balls and your work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough balls into circles about 7 inches (18cm) in diameter.
Layer the dough
Divide the 2 sticks of room-temperature butter into 11 equal portions (about 20 grams per portion). The butter needs to be super soft and spreadable, so whip it if it’s not soft enough. Smear the top surface of all but one of the dough circles with the portions of butter, and layer the buttered circles of dough on top of each other. It’s best to assemble the layers on a baking tray or cutting board to make it easy to transfer the stack to the freezer later.
Use the unbuttered circle as the top layer. Do your best to keep the circles evenly sized, but don’t worry if they’re a bit uneven. Gently press the stack of disks together using a rolling pin. Cover the stack with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 30 minutes-don’t leave it longer than this.
Prepare the baking sheet
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the croissants
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the stack of dough thinly into a large circle 14 to 15 inches (35–40cm) in diameter. Keep moving the dough around so it doesn’t stick to your work surface. If the dough starts to stick, dust with a little more flour. Try to make the circle as evenly shaped as possible.
Roll up the croissants
Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into quarters, and then cut each quarter into 3 equal “triangles,” creating 12 equal triangles of dough in total. Each triangle of dough will form one croissant.
Starting at the wide base of the triangle, roll each croissant up tightly, all the way until you get to the pointed end. Gently bend the croissant into a crescent shape. Place the rolled croissants on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a good amount of space between each one.
Allow the croissants to rise
Cover the croissants with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 3 hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200°C) or Gas mark 6 .
Bake the croissants
Gently brush the top surface of each croissant with beaten egg.
Put the croissants into the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the oven down to 350°F (180°C). Continue baking for 8 to 10 minutes more until the croissants are golden brown in color.
Serve
Remove the croissants from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve while they’re still warm.