Cornetto al Burro (Italian Butter Croissant)

Dough and lamination

• 180 ml Whole milk, lukewarm
• 50 g Caster sugar
• 7 g Instant yeast
• 350 g Plain flour
• 7 g Fine sea salt
• 40 g Unsalted butter, soft
• 1 Egg
• 180 g Unsalted butter, cold
• 20 g Plain flour

Finish

• 1 Egg
• 15 ml Whole milk
• 20 g Icing sugar

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lukewarm milk, caster sugar and instant yeast. Add the plain flour and fine sea salt, then add the soft unsalted butter and 1 egg. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then knead until smooth and elastic.
2. Shape the dough into a neat rectangle, cover the bowl, and chill for 60 minutes to firm up. This makes the dough easier to laminate and helps keep the butter cold.
3. Make the butter block: place the cold unsalted butter between two sheets of baking paper and tap and roll it into a flat rectangle. Chill for 15 minutes so it is cold but pliable.
4. Lightly dust the work surface with some of the extra plain flour and roll the chilled dough into a rectangle about twice the length of the butter block. Place the butter in the centre and fold the dough over it to fully enclose, pinching the seams closed. Roll gently to lengthen the packet without squeezing butter out.
5. Do the first fold: roll the dough into a long rectangle, then fold into thirds like a letter. Brush off excess flour, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. Keep the dough cold so the butter stays in distinct layers.
6. Repeat the rolling and folding twice more, chilling for 30 minutes between each fold. If the dough resists rolling or the butter feels soft, stop and chill a little longer before continuing.
7. Roll the laminated dough into a large rectangle about 3 to 4 mm thick, using the remaining extra plain flour only as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into 8 long triangles. Starting from the wide end, roll each triangle up tightly towards the tip, then curve into a crescent and place on a baking tray with the tip tucked underneath.
8. Cover and proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, until noticeably puffy and gently wobbly when the tray is nudged. Towards the end of proofing, heat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
9. Whisk the remaining egg with the milk and brush lightly over the cornetti. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the tray halfway, until deeply golden and crisp. Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before dusting with icing sugar.

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