Butter and Sage Croissants

How to prepare butter and sage croissants

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water mixed with sugar. Let sit in a warm place until it foams on top.
2. Mix all ingredients and knead until you get an elastic dough (8 minutes with a stand mixer or one cycle in a bread machine). You'll get an easy-to-work, non-sticky dough—no flour will be needed on the work surface.
3. Place the dough on the work surface and cut into 4 equal pieces (about 145 g each; use a scale).
4. Roll each piece into a thin round sheet (about 20 cm diameter). Try to make the sheet as round as possible.
5. Cream the butter with the salt until smooth using a mixer. Add the chopped sage and mix until you see small pieces throughout the butter.
6. Spread half of the flavored butter on 2 sheets. Leave 1 cm free on the edge.
8. Place a plain sheet over each buttered sheet. You'll have two sheets with butter in the middle, like sandwiches.
9. Roll out the "sandwiches" into round sheets slightly larger than before (about 25-27 cm diameter). If a little butter oozes out, that's okay—just wipe that area with a paper towel.
10. Cut the sheets into 8 pieces, like a pizza, using a pastry wheel.
11. Roll each piece from the wide end toward the tip, pulling the tip to lengthen the triangle. Also pull the corners when you start rolling.
12. Place the croissants on a baking tray (lined with parchment paper), making sure the tip is underneath. The croissants will fit in 2 trays.
14. Put the trays in plastic bags and let them rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
15. Beat the egg with the milk. Brush the croissants with egg.
16. Bake the croissants at 200°C for 20 minutes, until pleasantly golden. Remove the tray, sprinkle grated cheese (I used Parmesan) on each croissant, and grind some black pepper on top if desired. Return the tray to the oven for 1 more minute, just until the cheese melts and sticks to the croissants.
17. Serve the croissants warm or at room temperature. They're good plain with a cup of kefir. But I like them best cut in half and filled with slices of prosciutto cotto. Store them in a bag.

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