Bakeries Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups lightly.

Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt until evenly combined.

Wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat 1 large egg lightly, then whisk in 1 cup whole milk, 1/4 cup melted and cooled unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until homogenous.

Combine: Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined — the batter should be slightly lumpy. Do not overmix.

Add mix-ins: Fold in 1 cup fresh blueberries (or other mix-ins) gently so they are distributed but batter remains airy.

Portion and top: Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter each). Sprinkle each top with coarse sugar if using.

Bake: Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 18–22 minutes until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Cool: Remove from oven, let muffins rest in the tin 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Activate yeast and make dough

In a small bowl, sprinkle 2 teaspoons active dry yeast over 1/2 cup warm water (105–115°F / 40–46°C) with 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let sit 5–8 minutes until foamy. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl), whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the foamy yeast, 1/2 cup lukewarm whole milk, and 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter. Mix with the dough hook on low until a shaggy dough forms, then knead 4–5 minutes until smooth but still slightly tacky. Form into a ball.

First chill: Flatten dough into a 6-inch square, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 30–45 minutes to relax the gluten and chill the butter that will be laminated later.

Prepare lamination butter

While dough chills, take 1 cup cold unsalted butter and pound/roll it between parchment sheets into a 7x7-inch square about 1/4-inch thick. Keep butter cold but pliable in the refrigerator until ready.

Encasing butter: On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 9x9-inch square. Place the butter square in the center on a diagonal so its corners point to the middles of the dough sides (envelope method). Fold dough corners over the butter to enclose it completely and pinch seams to seal.

Laminate (turns)

Roll the enclosed dough out to a rectangle about 8x24 inches, keeping even thickness. Fold into thirds like a letter (one short end over center, other over it). This is one 'turn.' Wrap and chill 30 minutes. Repeat this roll-and-fold process two more times (total three single turns), chilling 30 minutes between each to keep butter firm. After final chill, roll dough out to a long rectangle about 8x20 inches, roughly 1/4-inch thick.

Shape croissants

Trim edges to even rectangle, then cut the dough across the short side into six equal triangles (about 6–7 inches long). For each triangle, make a small slit at the base, gently stretch the base, then roll from base toward tip, tucking the tip under the croissant to keep shape. Place shaped croissants on a parchment-lined sheet, tip underneath.

Proof: Cover loosely with plastic or a lightly oiled plastic film and proof at room temperature (70–75°F / 21–24°C) for 1.5–2 hours until puffy and nearly doubled. Alternatively, proof in a slightly warm oven (turned off) with the oven light on.

Egg wash and bake

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Whisk 1 large egg with 1 teaspoon water and brush gently over each croissant to create shine. Bake on the middle rack for 15–20 minutes until deeply golden brown and layered. If bottoms brown too fast, rotate sheet after 10 minutes.

Cool: Remove croissants to a wire rack and cool at least 10 minutes before serving to set the layers and avoid steaming inside.