Croissant is the French word for “crescent.” Rich, somewhat troublesome, but unequaled by any other form of roll, a croissant can be made plain or baked with a filling, such as jam, almond paste, or even savory ingredients like ham and cheese. Filled with chocolate, it is called pain au chocolat (chocolate bread). Please read About Layered or Laminated Doughs.

Place on a work surface:

Measure:

Sprinkle the butter with a little of the flour and begin to beat it with a rolling pin. Scrape the butter from the work surface and the rolling pin as needed and fold it over itself into a heap. Continue to work the butter, adding in the flour gradually, until it is a smooth and malleable mass. Place the butter on a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a 9 × 6-inch rectangle. Wrap and refrigerate the butter while you make the dough.

Whisk together in a small bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes:

Mix together in a large bowl:

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the warm milk mixture. Mix with a fork or your fingers to make a dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for a few seconds, until smooth. Shape into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll into a 15 ½ × 8-inch rectangle, sprinkling additional flour underneath it as needed to prevent sticking. Position the dough so that one of the short sides is facing you. Cover the upper two-thirds of the dough with the rectangle of butter, leaving a 1-inch border of dough on the sides and at the top. Fold the bottom third of the dough over half of the butter. Fold the top third of the dough, with the butter on it, down over the first third, as if you were folding a business letter. Press the edges of the dough together on all 3 open sides to seal in the butter. Rotate the dough so that the folded edge is on the left and the sealed edge is on the right.

Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour and press it gently with the rolling pin to flatten it slightly. Keeping the short side of the dough facing you, roll into an 18 × 8-inch rectangle. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down again. (This rolling and folding is called a single turn.) Rotate the dough so that the folded edge is on the left and the open edge is on the right (like a book about to be opened). Give the dough one more single turn, rolling it into an 18 × 8-inch rectangle and folding it in thirds. Sprinkle the work surface lightly with flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking; if at any time the butter gets soft, refrigerate the dough for 10 to 15 minutes. Mark the dough with 2 finger imprints to remind yourself that you have given the dough 2 turns. Wrap the dough loosely in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place the dough so the folded edge is on the left and the open edge is on the right, and give it another turn. Rotate and give the dough a final turn. If at any time the butter gets soft, refrigerate it for 10 to 15 minutes. (At this point the dough can be frozen, wrapped in plastic, then foil, then a zip-top bag with the air pressed out. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)

Roll the dough into a 24 × 12-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Let stand for 5 minutes to relax the gluten and prevent shrinking when cut.

Cut the dough lengthwise into two 24 × 6-inch strips. Refrigerate 1 strip on a baking sheet. Position the remaining rectangle with one long side facing you. Starting from the left, mark the bottom edge of the dough by nicking it with a knife at 4 ½-inch intervals. Mark the top edge of the dough 2 ¼ inches from the left edge, then continue to mark it at 4 ½-inch intervals. To cut the dough into triangles, cut from the bottom left corner of the dough to the first mark at the top, then from that mark to the first mark at the bottom, then from the first mark at the bottom to the second mark at the top, and so forth, until you have 9 triangles. Make a ¼-inch-long nick in the middle of the base of each triangle.

To form a croissant, stretch the base of a triangle by pulling the corners gently as you begin to roll the stretched edge tightly (but not too tightly) toward the opposite point of the triangle. Finish rolling the croissant so that the point of the triangle is on the bottom of the roll. Shape the other triangles in the same manner. Place the croissants at least 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets, curving the ends to form crescent shapes. Repeat the procedure with the second rectangle of dough. (Unbaked croissants can be refrigerated, covered, overnight; they will rise partially, for the yeast continues to work slowly in the chilled environment. Let them finish rising at room temperature before baking. They can also be frozen; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)

Cover the croissants with a clean cloth or plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until increased in volume by almost half, 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Brush the croissants lightly with:

Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the croissants to a rack and let cool completely. Croissants are best served the day they are baked, but they may be frozen for 1 month in a sealed zip-top bag. Reheat in a preheated 300°F oven for 5 minutes.