The French word for 'crescent', the whole loaf resembles a crescent moon, with clear lines, a slightly curved waist, and a soft glow.

The most common European breakfast pairing is cappuccino and coffee, and no one can resist a cappuccino with its soft, creamy exterior.

There are many stories about the origins of croissants, but the more reliable one is that they originated from the Viennese sweet brioche.

The croissants are plain in appearance, but it is not easy to make well. Good croissants should have a crisp outer crust and a fluffy, soft, aromatic inner tissue. The right proportions of sugar, oil, and flour are needed, the dough should be left to rise for just the right amount of time and, most importantly, the pastry should be opened properly to produce layers of crispness.

Ingredients

Medium gluten flour 500g

Water 140g

Milk 140g

Softened butter 40g

Unsalted butter (keep refrigerated) 280g

Dried yeast 5g

Sugar 55g

Salt 12g

One egg

Step 1: Mix the dough ingredients. Knead until the dough has reached the low to medium gluten extension stage.

Step 2: Shape the dough into a flat circle (instead of a ball, so that it can be pressed into a flat shape the next day). Place the dough in a bowl, seal it with cling film and leave it to rise overnight in the fridge.

Step 3: Cut the butter straight from the fridge into 1.2 cm thick slices and place the slices on greaseproof paper, lining them up to 15 cm x 15 cm. Trim the edges of the butter, place the trimmed pieces on top and roll gently until you end up with a 17 cm x 17 cm butter square.

Wrap the butter on paper and refrigerate again.

Step 4: Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out with a rolling pin to form a 26 cm x 26 cm square. Remove the butter from the fridge and place it in the middle of the dough, wrapping the dough around the butter, with the edges of the dough surrounding the butter.

Step 5: Using a rolling pin, start in the middle of the dough and gently roll out the dough to roughly 20 x 60 cm.

Step 6: Fold the dough in three and roll it out with the rolling pin until the dough is 20 cm x 60 cm. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat this by rolling, folding, and chilling twice, ending up with 27 layers. After each fold, turn the dough 90 degrees and start rolling again. Once you have finished folding three times, wrap the dough in cling film and leave it in the fridge overnight to really get into the koshering on the third day.

Step 7: Dust the table with hand flour and remove the dough, still rotating it 90 degrees. Gently roll the dough into a long strip from the middle, about 20 cm x 110 cm. If the dough starts to shrink and is difficult to roll out, put it back into the fridge for 10-20 minutes and continue.

Step 8: When the dough has reached its desired shape, carefully lift the dough gently a few centimeters from the work table to allow it to retract naturally. Trim the dough so that the edges are straight and you end up with a length of about 100cm.

Step 9: Using a pizza wheel (or paper cutter blade), cut a 1.5cm slit in the middle of the bottom edge of the triangles. Gently stretch each triangle to about 25cm. this is usually done with your hands, if you are using a rolling pin, make sure you press it gently into the dough. Y

ou can try both methods and make your choice as you see fit. After cutting a notch in the short side of the triangle, use your hands to create the desired shape with a thinner and longer shape by moving outwards from the center.

Step 10: Place the rolled dough on a baking tray, leaving enough space in the middle to rise. In a bowl, beat an egg with 5ml of water and mix until well blended. Brush the top of the dough with a thin layer of egg wash.

Step 11: The ideal environment for the croissants to rise is an airtight space between 24ºC and 26.5ºC. Above this temperature, the butter will leak out. If the room temperature is lower than this, the temperature can be adjusted by adding warm water to the oven. Ferment for 2 hours. When the fermentation is complete you can see the orderable layers.

Step 12: Preheat the oven. Turn on the oven to 200ºC and the conventional oven to 220ºC. Brush with egg wash before baking. Bake at the preheated temperature for 18-20 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and leave on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.