Ingredients
For the dough
1 cup warm water (about 100°)
1 packet active dry yeast (about 2½ tsp)
¼ cup granulated white sugar
3 tsp kosher salt (1¾ tsp if using fine salt)
3½ cups unbleached bread flour
6 Tbsp butter, room temperature
For the croissants
1 cup (16 Tbsp) unsalted European-style butter for the block
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water for the egg wash
Directions
Pour warm water into a stand mixer bowl and add yeast, let proof for 10 minutes. Add sugar, flour, salt, and butter to water. Attach dough hook to stand mixer then knead dough until it comes together and dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Remove bowl from mixer.
Form dough into a smooth ball, return to mixing bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
Punch down dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Pat down and shape into a rectangular shape then fold into thirds. Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
Cut sticks of butter in half, lengthwise and place in parchment paper. Fold paper over the butter and press with your hands or rolling pin into a square block. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for about 10 minutes.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll into a rectangle about an inch wider than the butter block and twice as long. Remove butter block from paper and place on one end of the dough. Fold dough over the butter block, forming a square.
Press and roll dough into a rectangular shape. Fold one end of the dough the center and then fold the other end over the top; this is a tri-fold or “letter fold”. Flatten slightly and evenly with a rolling pin. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Remove the dough and repeat the entire previous step. This is the second letter fold.
Remove the dough and repeat the entire previous step except fold in half rather than thirds and do not refrigerate. Roll dough into a rectangle about ½-inch thick. Divide dough in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter. Lightly dust with flour and roll to a rectangle about ⅛-¼-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut 8 evenly sized triangles, with the narrowest point of each triangle measuring about 1 inch wide, from each half portion of dough. Starting at the wider end of each triangle, gently stretch the wider end and roll towards the narrower side, ending with the seam at the bottom of each croissant. Lightly dab a very small amount of water onto the narrow end to help seal it and keep the croissant from springing open during baking.
Transfer to a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Gently brush with egg wash and allow to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until almost doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Gently and thoroughly brush with egg wash a second time. Transfer to the center of a preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool.