Step 1

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, dry yeast, salt and sugar) well. Then pour in the water and cold milk. Knead everything well in your kitchen machine using the dough hook attachment for 5 minutes at low speed.

Step 2

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes so that the flour absorbs the liquids.

Step 3

Then add the butter cubes to the dough and knead again for 5 minutes on low to medium speed.

Step 4

Take the dough out of your bowl, flour your work surface and form a nice ball of dough.

Step 5

Put your dough back in a bowl, cover with a clean cloth and let it rise for at least 1 to 2 hours in a slightly warm place, like near a radiator.

Step 6

Then, chill for 30 minutes in the fridge so that the dough is cold before adding the butter.

Step 7

Cut your cold butter block into cubes. Place the cubes on a piece of parchment paper so that they form about a square.

Step 8

Fold the parchment paper over the butter so that the sides are 20 cm long.

Step 9

Then tap the cold butter with a rolling pin to soften it slightly and finally spread the butter with the rolling pin so that it spreads well in the parchment paper pocket.

Step 10

Keep the butter in your fridge until needed.

Step 11

Once the détrempe has double in size and cooled again, place it on your lightly floured surface. Roll it out gently to form a rectangle of about 40x 20 cm (16 x 8 inches).

Step 12

Place the flat butter in the center of the dough. Fold the edges of the dough inward to completely cover the butter.

Step 13

Then roll the dough to flatten it gently. Turn a quarter turn and roll out the dough to form a rectangle again, about 40x 20 cm (16 x 8 inches).

Step 14

If your dough is too warm, you can let it cool off 15 minutes in the freezer covered with a plastic wrap. This step is optional ans really depends on your dough at this stage.

Step 15

Fold 1/4 of the dough to the middle and fold the other edge, then fold the whole in half.

Step 16

Turn the dough a quarter of the way and roll out the dough gently in the length. Place the dough in cling film or a plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes in the freezer (30 minutes in the refrigerator).

Step 17

Roll out the dough slightly. Fold in 1/3 of the dough and the other third on top.

Step 18

Turn the dough a quarter and roll out the dough gently. Form a rectangle of about 40x 20 cm (16 x 8 inches) again to pre-shape your dough for the following day.

Step 19

Wrap the dough in cling film, place on a baking tray to keep to flat and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for one night to 24 hours.

Step 20

To let your croissants rise before baking them, you need a warm and humid environment.

Step 21

The best way to do it is to bring about one liter of water to a boil in a skillet. Place the skillet with the hot water in your oven and close the oven until you need it. Your oven should be turned off and let the evaporation of water warm up your oven.

Step 22

Remove the dough from the fridge. Flour your work surface slightly and gently roll out your dough with a rolling pin. Form the dough into a long rectangle as straight as possible.

Step 23

Then, cut 4 big bands in the direction of the width using a pizza cutter or a dough cutter.

Step 24

Cut these bands in half on the diagonal to obtain isosceles triangles (triangles with a right angle). Readjust the triangles to make it straighter with your hands.

Step 25

Then, roll the dough from the wide end to the point to get a nice crescent shape. The point should be under the croissant so that it stays closed after baking.

Step 26

If you want to freeze some of the croissants, this is the time to put them in a bag and place them as is in the freezer. Make sure they don’t touch each other. I like to freeze them two by two.

Step 27

Once you want to bake them, remove them from the freezer the day before and place them in the refrigerator. Then, place your croissants in your warm and humid oven (see above) and resume the recipe at that point.

Step 28

Place the croissants on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and let them rise for 1.5 to 2 hours in your warm and humid oven (see above). The oven temperature should be between 27-30°C (80-86°F).

Step 29

Once the croissants have expanded size, take them out of the oven. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F, convection oven).

Step 30

For the egg wash, mix an egg yolk with a little milk.

Step 31

Brush the croissants very delicately with pastry brush to avoid damaging them as they are really fragile at this point. I also advise you to brush only the top part and not the layers directly.

Step 32

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.