Flaky French Croissants (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Dough Base

01 - 1 cup whole milk
02 - 2 teaspoons salt
03 - 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
04 - 1/2 cup room temperature water
05 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
06 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar

→ Butter Layer

07 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
08 - 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), slightly cool and diced

→ Finishing

09 - 1 large egg, whisked, for brushing

# Instructions:

01 - Start by combining salt, sugar, and flour in your mixer bowl. Add yeast to this (proof it beforehand if it's active dry). Pour in water and milk. Mix until your dough is smooth and not sticky, around 8-10 minutes.
02 - Form a ball with the dough, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it sit somewhere warm for half an hour.
03 - Mix together butter cubes and 2 tablespoons of flour until just blended. Using plastic wrap, shape it into a square (6 inches) and put it in the fridge to cool while your dough rests.
04 - Roll the dough into a square, 10 inches across. Lay the cold butter square in the center, turned diagonally. Fold each of the dough's corners over the butter to form an envelope and seal the edges tightly.
05 - Flatten the dough into a rectangle, 16 inches by 8 inches. Fold it up like a letter into thirds. Chill this for an hour. Repeat the rolling and folding step two more times, chilling in between. After the final fold, leave it in the fridge overnight.
06 - Roll your dough out, slice it into triangular pieces, and roll these up to make croissant shapes. Let them rise somewhere warm until puffy and doubled in size, which takes about 60-90 minutes.
07 - Before baking, brush the croissants with the beaten egg. Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes or until they're evenly golden. Move them to a cooling rack right after baking.

# Notes:

01 - They taste best when served fresh but stay good for 2 days at room temperature.
02 - You can freeze them before the final proof for up to 3 months.
03 - Use leftover scraps to make fun mini treats like cinnamon twists or monkey bread.

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