Croissant! Do you want to feel you are in France?

Ok, this is not easy, but it is rewarding! Preparing croissants from scratch is a time-consuming process that requires attention to detail and …. patience. But, It’s worth the effort. We tried this. It’s worth it.

Here’s a basic recipe for making croissants at home:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup cold whole milk
• Egg wash (1 egg beaten with a splash of milk)
• Additional butter for laminating

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix well.
2. Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until you have a crumbly texture.
3. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the cold milk. Stir until the dough starts to come together.
4. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently until it forms a smooth ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
5. Shape the dough into a rectangle and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
6. Take the cold butter for laminating and pound it with a rolling pin to flatten it into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Refrigerate until ready to use.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a larger rectangle, about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thick.
8. Place the chilled butter rectangle in the center of the dough. Fold the sides of the dough over the butter to encase it completely.
9. Roll out the dough with the butter inside into a long rectangle, about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thick.
10. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. This is the first “turn.”
11. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again into a long rectangle. Fold into thirds. This completes the second turn.
12. Repeat the rolling and folding process two more times for a total of four turns. Rest the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes between each turn.
13. After the final turn, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
14. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thick.
15. Cut the dough into triangles, each about 4-5 inches (10-12 cm) wide at the base.
16. Starting from the base, roll each triangle up towards the pointed end to form a croissant shape.
17. Place the croissants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between them. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise at room temperature for about 1-2 hours, or until puffy and doubled in size.
18. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush the croissants with the egg wash.
19. Bake the croissants for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and flaky.
20. Remove the croissants from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.