Croissants

For the pastry:

1. Combine the ingredients for the dough in a large mixing bowl and gently knead for a few minutes. Add a little more water/milk if required to make it a sticky dough. Do not overwork the dough, or it will be difficult to work with at the laminating stage. Shape the dough into a flattish dish and refrigerate. Leave in the fridge overnight.

2. Use this dough to make laminated pastry, by following the lamination technique described in the Techniques section.

For the shaping:

1. Transfer the laminated pastry dough from the refrigerator to a lightly dusted work surface. Gently roll the dough into a long narrow strip approximately 8"x 44" in size.

2. Allow the dough to shrink back a bit and trim the irregular edges to get a length of around 40".

3. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter and a scale, mark the top length of the rolled out pastry at 5" intervals from the edge. You will get 7 markings in all. Now repeat the process on the bottom side of the dough, but this time start at 2. 5" from the edge of the dough. You will get 8 marking at 5" intervals on this side.

4. Make a diagonal cut from the top corner of the pastry to the first bottom mark made at 2. 5" position. Now,make another diagonal cut connecting the newly formed bottom edge to the first 5" mark on the top. You will get your first croissant triangle with a base of S"and height of 8".Repeat the process to cut out 14 more triangles. Discard the excess pastry.

5. To shape the croissant, make a small 1/2" cut in the middle of the 5" base of a triangle to form its wings. Roll these wings tightly into a tube and continue rolling them out towards the pointy tip of the triangle.

6. Transfer and arrange all croissants on a baking tray, leaving adequate space between them to expand during proving and baking.

7. Cover and leave in a warm place for 20-25 minutes, or till the croissants have doubled in size.

8. Whisk the egg with water to make an egg wash. Use it to brush the tops of the croissants.

9. Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes at 180°C. The croissants should have turned light golden brown in colour.

10. Transfer the croissants to a wire rack to cool.

You can sprinkle some sesame seeds on the croissants as a variation. Serve with a variety of fruit preserves, jams and marmalades.