Bread Machine Croissants!

Wow! I love eating croissants, but I always thought they were way to hard to make. Well, a bread machine takes the guesswork out of the dough and cuts the effort in half (or less). I would not make these in the summer months--my kitchen is too hot and the butter melts before I'm done folding. My only tip: Don't fold the butter into the dough more times than the recipe says or you'll end up with butter bread.

Ingredients

2/3 cup (160mL) water
2 (100g) large eggs, beaten
2 1/4 cups (288g) bread flour
1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. (35g) sugar
3 Tbsp. (12g) dry milk
1 tsp. (5.6g) salt
3 Tbsp. (42g) butter
1 1/2 tsp. (4.2g) active dry yeast (or 2 tsp. (6g) rapid rise yeast)

For kneading into the dough:
1 cup (227g) butter, softened

For the egg glaze:
1 (50g) large egg, beaten
4 tsp. (18mL) water

Procedure

Following the instruction manual, prepare the dough using the ingredients listed for the dough (wet ingredients first, then dry).

When finished, remove the dough from the baking pan. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator and allow to rest 30 minutes for the 2-lb. breadmaker or 20 minutes for the 1-lb. breadmaker.

Roll dough into a rectangle. Roll dough into 20x4" rectangle (1/4" thick) on a lightly floured surface, use 1/3 cup of the softened butter and butter 2/3 of the dough while leaving 1/3 unbuttered.

Fold the dough into thirds and repeat step 3. Add flour to the rolling surface as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Cover completely with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.

Cut dough into three long rectangles and then each into two or three long triangles. Roll each triangle loosely starting from the base, lay with seam side down. Curve the ends to form the crescent. Place on a greased baking sheet. Allow to rise for 40 to 50 minutes or until size doubles.

Brush lightly with egg glaze.

Bake in a moderately hot oven at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and flaky.

Enjoy!