Step 1

Mix the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, water, salt, sugar, milk, sourdough starter, water, and optional active dry yeast. Mix on low speed with the dough hook attachment for 1 minute. Add the softened butter and chocolate chips and continue mixing, scraping down the sides as needed, until a smooth dough forms (about 3-4 minutes).

Step 2

First Rise: Shape the dough into a ball and place in a bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Once your dough has increased in volume by roughly 1.5x, transfer it to the fridge for 4 - 12 hours.

Step 3

Prepare the butter block: Here’s a great video of Claire Saffitz showing you how to make a butter block. Lay out a large sheet of parchment paper. Place your sticks of butter next to each other in the center of the paper, then fold the sides of the parchment over to fully enclose the butter. Flip over the parchment paper so the folded sides are against the table. Using a rolling pin, lightly beat the butter into a ½’’ thick layer. Remove the butter from the parchment paper, and re-wrap the butter, measuring the parchment paper so that it forms an 8’’ square. Your ½’’ butter layer should be smaller than the 8’’ parchment paper square at this point. Fip the packet over so the folds are against the table and beat the butter into an 8’’ by 8’’ square. Eventually, it will be easy to roll the butter with your rolling put to fill out the edges of the parchment paper and get a clean square shape. Be sure to remove any air bubbles. Place the butter block in the fridge to firm up.

Step 4

Prepare the dough for laminating: Remove the dough from fridge and place on a floured work surface. With your hand, deflate the dough and form the dough into a square. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap on all sides. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough into a flat 8’’ x 8’’ square. Place the wrapped dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Step 5

Roll the dough: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a 16’’ x 8’’ rectangle. We want to maintain the 8’’ width while lengthening the dough to be 16’’ (this way it’s twice as long as the butter block).

Step 6

Lock in the Butter: Place the butter in the center of the dough and peel off the parchment paper. The butter block should be aligned with the sides of the dough, with an equal amount of dough overhanging at the top and the bottom. Fold the overhanging sides of dough over the butter so that the 2 sides meet in the middle. If the sides don’t meet, gently tug at the edges until you seal together both sides of dough. Now pinch in the sides of the dough to fully enclose the butter. Video: Locking in the butter.

Step 7

First turn (book fold): Rotate your dough so that the seam is vertical. Roll the dough lengthwise to create a 24’’ long sheet that is ¼’’ - ½’’ thick. With a knife or dough cutter, trim the shorter ends of your rectangle so that you have a clean 24’’ long rectangle that is straight on all 4 sides. Take hold of the shorter edge of the rectangle that’s farthest from you and fold it towards the center, lining up the edges. Press down lightly to make sure the dough sticks together. Do the same with the opposite side, leaving a small ⅛-inch gap between the edges in the middle. Next, fold the entire dough in half along this gap, bringing the top half down over the bottom half. At this point, you should have a rectangular packet of dough, also known as a “book,” with four layers. This technique is called the “first turn” or “book fold” and it effectively quadruples the butter layers within the dough. Video: First Turn – Book Fold.

Step 8

Rest the dough: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and freezer for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 9

Simple turn (second turn): Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Lightly flour work surface. Beat and roll the dough out, creating a long, narrow slab about ⅜-inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds. This technique, called a "simple turn," triples the layers of dough. Gently press to help the layers stick together. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic again, freeze it for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour. Video: Simple Turn.

Step 10

Pre-shape the dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Place it on a light floured work surace and roll out into a 20’’ by 12’’ slab. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic, and lay it on a baking sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes, then refrigerate overnight, between 8 and 12 hours.

Step 11

Slice the dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Unwrap the dough and place on a very lightly floured surface. If necessary, roll it out out again to 20 by 12 inches. Carefully dust off any extra flour with a pastry brush. Use a wheel cutter or a knife and a ruler to trim any uneven edges so that the dough forms a clean rectangle. With a ruler and a knife or wheel cutter, slice the dough, lengthwise, down the center of the rectangle, so that you have 2 slabs that measure 20’’ x 6’’ each. Now, using the ruler again, slice the dough vertically into 1’’ wide pieces so you end up with roughly thirty-eight 1’’ x 6’’ rectangles. Video: Cruffin Shaping.

Step 12

Rest the dough: Place the portioned strips onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Layer parchment on top of the first layer and continue stacking until pieces are on the tray, with a layer of parchment paper between each stack. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step 13

Shape the cruffins: Take one strip and lay it flat on your work surface. Place a second strip and lay it flat on top of the first strip so that there is ½’’ gap at the top, and ½ overhanging at the bottom. Pinch together the tip of the strips at the top and roll slightly, about ½ inch down. Using your fingers, roll the 2 pieces to form a spiral. Place the formed spiral on the table and pull the loose ends of each strip up and up over and press down on the top of the spiral to cover it. Using the palms of your hands, gently round the dough a few times to tighten the shape. Place the shaped cruffin, seam side down, inside your muffin tin or popover tray, and use your finger to poke a hole in the cneter. Repeat this process for all of the remaining strips. Video: Cruffin shaping process.

Step 14

Proof the cruffins: There are 2 options for this step. Regardless of which method you choose it’s important not to rush this step.Option Room Temperature Proof: Proof at room temperature for 4-6 hours until the croissants are jiggly to the touch and have nearly doubled in size.Option Faster Proof with Steam: Proof for 2-3 hours at 70-75f by using a proofing box, counter top oven with a proof setting, or placing a tray of water in the oven to create steam.

Step 15

Bake the Cruffins: Before baking, gently place a few mini chocolate chips on the top of each muffin. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the sheets, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until deep golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheets.

Step 16

Serve and Enjoy!