Jenna Atkinson

• Measure 4 cups of flour and 2 tsp salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Cut in 100 g cold butter with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs.
• Pour 1 1/4 cups water into a well in the center of the flour.
• Mix and knead for a few minutes until the dough becomes smooth.
• Chill dough for 30 min. Wrap in cling wrap.
• Mix 400 g room temperature butter and 1/2 cup flour together. Shape into a 9" square by beating it with a rolling pin in between 2 cling wrap pieces on a cutting board.
• Roll the dough out to a 12" square. Place butter in a diamond shape on the dough.
• Close the dough around the butter like an envelope and seal the edges so the butter is fully enclosed.
• Use flour as needed to roll the dough into a rectangle shape until its ~ 1/4" thick. Fold the dough like a letter. Fold one side over the center. Then fold other other side over the center creating 3 layers of even size.
• Roll out the dough into a rectangle again and repeat the letter folding process. Chill for 30 min.
• Repeat this process until you have completed 6 folds, chilling for 30 min in between every 2 folds.
• Your puff pastry is ready to be used. There is enough puff pastry dough to make 2 mille feuille recipes. If you only want to make one, cut the dough in half and place it in the fridge or freezer until you want to use it.
• Roll the dough into a long rectangle. It should be as thin as you can possibly make it. It should be ~1/4" in thickness or less.
• Cut the puff pastry on a cutting board into 3 equal portions.
• Using a large baking pan, place parchment paper on the baking pan to line it.
• Place puff pastry on the baking pan (usually only 2 pieces fit on the baking pan).
• Place another layer of parchment paper on top of the puff pastry.
• Put another baking pan on top of the puff pastry. You'll be using this is weigh down the puff pastry in the oven. This is critical, because you want your puff pastry as thin as possible for your dessert.
• Bake the puff pastry for 18- 25 minutes until golden brown in color.
• Place the puff pastry on a wire rack until full cooled.
  
• Your puff pastry is ready to use for mille feuille.

Day 1

• Place 500g all purpose flour, 55 g sugar, 11 g instant yeast, 12 g salt, 140 g water, 140 g milk, 40 g unsalted room temperature butter in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
• On low speed, beat the dough for about 3 minutes. The dough should come away from the sides of the bowl nicely.
• Shape the dough into a flattened sphere, and cover with plastic wrap. Put the covered dough on a plate, and place it in the fridge overnight.

Day 2

• Cut the butter for your lamination into ~ 1 cm thickness. Arrange the butter on a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper that is quite large. Place another piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper on top.
• You can either pound the butter with your rolling pin, or push the butter with your hands to create a square. The square needs to measure a perfect 17 x 17 cm square. Place the butter in the fridge.
• Roll our your croissant dough until it measures 26 x 26 cm.
• Take the cold square butter and place it in a diamond shape on the dough.
  
• Fold the edges of the dough over the butter to completely encase the butter. Seal the edges by pressing them together.
  
• Roll out the dough until it measures 20 x 60 cm.
• Fold the croissant dough into a letter shape.
  
• Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  
• Place the dough on your counter with the "open side" facing you. Roll out the dough for a second time until it measures 20 x 60 cm. Fold the croissant dough into a letter shape. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Place the dough on your counter with the "open side" facing you. Roll out the dough for a third time until it measures 20 x 60 cm. Fold the croissant dough into a letter shape. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2 Vanilla Custard

• Vanilla custard needs to chill for a few hours, therefore it's best done the day before you need it.
• Place milk in a medium saucepan on low-medium heat.
• Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. Remove the vanilla beans and place them in the milk. Place the whole vanilla bean in the milk.
• Let the milk just come to a simmer, not boiling. Turn off the heat source and remove the milk from the heat. Let the vanilla bean infuse flavor for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, separate your eggs. Place the egg yolks in a large heat proof bowl.
• Add sugar and cornstarch and mix together with a whisk.
• Remove the vanilla bean from the saucepan. Slowly temper the eggs by adding a couple of tablespoons of the milk to the eggs at a time and vigorously whisking it until fully emulsified.
• Continue adding the milk very slowly until fully combined. You do not want to cook the eggs.
• Strain the mixture back into the saucepan and heat on medium heat.
• Whisk the mixture frequently. Heat the mixture until the cornstarch has activated. It should be a few minutes. You will feel the mixture becoming thickened with your whisk.
• Cook for 1 more minute after it has started to thicken.
• Remove the custard from the heat and add butter. Whisk butter into the custard until it's fully melted. Add vanilla extract.
• Let the custard cool to room temperature. Then place plastic cling wrap on top of the custard to prevent a film from forming.
• Chill the custard for at least 2 hours before using.

Day 3

• Gently roll out the dough until it reaches 20 x 110 cm. Place it in the fridge if the dough resists too much while rolling. A 20 min rest in the fridge will let the gluten relax.
• Lift the dough and it will become a little bit smaller in length, but you should still have 100 cm of dough length to work with.
• Place the dough on a cutting board, and on the top of the dough, mark 12.5 cm all the way along the dough.
• Along the bottom of the dough, begin by marking 6.25 cm, then continue marking 12.5 cm.
• Cut the dough diagonally to create triangles for your croissants.
  
• For each triangle, on the end opposite the point of the triangle is a flat piece. Cut the middle of the flat piece ~ 1.5 cm into the dough.
• Gently pull the dough to make it a bit longer. It's easiest if you use your hands to gently make the dough longer to roll.
• Place the dough on the counter, and start with the flat piece, roll the dough onto itself and place the tip of the triangle down. Place the rolled croissant on the baking sheet. Repeat until all of the croissants are arranged on their baking sheets.
• Using the egg wash, brush the egg/water mixture onto the croissants. Make sure you cover every surface of the croissant, as this prevents the dough from drying out. Let the dough proof for ~2 hours. It should be in a room that's about 24-26 degrees C.
• When you're ready to bake your croissants, give them another egg wash, right before putting them in the oven.
  
• Bake the croissants at 410 degrees F for 7 min, then turn down the oven to 375 degrees F for 13 minutes.
  
• Let the croissants cool on a wire rack until they are room temperature.

Filling the Croissants

• Place the custard in a piping bag fitted with a medium sized round tip. The tip should be big enough that the custard can flow through the tip easily.
• Press the tip into one side of the croissant until it's about halfway into the croissant. Fill the croissant until the custard starts coming out of the hole you made with your tip. Repeat on the other side of the croissant.
  
• Serve immediately, or place them in the fridge or freezer for another day.

  You can freeze the croissants for up to 1 month in the freezer. Crisp them up in the oven for 7 minutes at 350 degrees F.