Wipe out the bowl of the mixer (doesn't have to be totally clean), and attach the paddle attachment to the mixer. Add the cubed butter and 2 tablespoons of flour and beat until smooth and creamy. Do not overmix – we are not mixing or creaming as we would for cookie dough.
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Shape and Chill the Butter Square – Scrape the butteronto the middle of a long piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, shape the butter into a flat square – approx. 6-inch x 6-inch wide by 1-inch thick. We are using the plastic wrap to shape rather than our hands so we don't melt the butter. Wrap the butter completely in the wrap and chill in the refrigerator while the dough is proofing.
Shape the Dough – Once the dough has proofed, pour it onto a generously floured work surface, and sprinkle thetop lightly with flour. Roll the dough into a square, approximately 10-inch x 10-inch. Use a pastry brush to brush excess flour off the dough.
Place the Butter Square – Remove the chilled butter from the refrigerator, and place diagonally in the center of the dough (so the butter looks like a diamond in the center of the dough square). Fold the four corners of the dough over the butter, tightly pinching each of the seams to close tightly.
Refrigerate the Dough – You can use one of the prepared baking sheets you need to bake the croissants to refrigerate the dough. Or, to save room in the fridge, use a smaller baking sheet or large plate. Place the dough packet on your baking sheet (or plate), cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 60 minutes.
Roll and Fold the Dough – Place the chilled dough packet, seams side up, onto a well-floured surface. 1. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and roll into a 16-inch x 8-inch rectangle, with the long side facing you. 2. Brush off the excess flour. 3. Working from the left and right sides, fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. 4. Place the dough back onto the baking sheet (or plate), cover, and refrigerate again for at least 60 minutes.
Repeat Roll and Fold the Dough – You are going to repeat the rolling, folding, and refrigerating process (steps 1-4 above) 2 more times (also called 'turns') – for a total of 3 turns. Each time, you start with the dough long side facing you. When you have completed all turns, brush excess flour off of the dough and wrap the folded in dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least overnight.
Remove the chilled dough from the plastic wrap and place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut the rectangle in half (to make rolling and shaping the dough more manageable), and place one half of the dough back in the fridge.
Line your two baking sheets with parchment paper (you may already have one prepared if you used it to refrigerate your dough).
Roll the dough into a rectangle – approx. 13-inch wide x 10-inch tall, and about 1/4 inch thick – with the long side facing you. Trim the edges to make them straight. We are going to make triangles that are 4-inch x 9-inch. The shape of the rectangle and trimming straight edges will accommodate these shape sizes.
Cut Croissant Triangles (see the Notes below for a sketch on how to cut) – I recommend using a pizza cutter, or a very sharp knife to cut the croissant triangles. Once you have your straight rectangle, make two notches in the bottom of the long side, every 4-inches. On the top of the rectangle, make a notch at 2-inches from each corner. Then, from either of those notches, make one more at 4-inches. You will have a total of 3 notches on the top, and 2 on the bottom of the rectangle. You are going to have scraps of dough – and there are recommendations on how to use in the recipe Notes. New Tip – An awesome reader provided an alternative way to cut the croissants without scraps, that yields a total of 12 croissants. See the Notes below.
Start with the wide end of the triangle and roll up to the point. The roll does not need to be tight, and it does not need to be loose. Just a natural roll of the dough.
Repeat the above steps for the other half of the dough you put in the refrigerator
Freezing Note – It is at this time, before the final proof, that you can freeze the croissants. If you are working with frozen croissants, remove them from the freezer the night before you want to bake them. Place the croissants on a baking sheet and thaw in the refrigerator. Then, the next morning you are going to bake them, allow them to come to room temperature for at least an hour (consider this the final proof time for frozen croissants), then follow the baking instructions below.
Final Proof Shaped Croissants – Place the shaped croissants on the prepared baking sheets, with the point of the croissant down – 5 per sheet (or 6 with alt. cutting method). Cover the baking sheets with a proofing bag or large piece of plastic wrap. Tip – I use a large turkey roasting bag as my proofing bag. Set the croissants in a warm place to proof, until the croissants have doubled in size and are soft and pillowy – about 60 to 90 minutes.
Preheat the Oven – Towards the end of the proof time, preheat the oven to 375F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. 350F degrees if you are using a convection fan oven.
Brush the beaten egg on each croissant and bake for 20 minutes – rotating the pans halfway through – until the croissants are nice and golden. Immediately transfer the croissants to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
1 large egg, beaten
