Croissant Dough

Directions

1. 1
   ["Stir together warm milk, brown sugar, and yeast in bowl of standing mixer and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.", "(If it doesnt foam, discard and start over.)", "Add 3 3/4 cups flour and salt and mix with dough hook at low speed until dough is smooth and very soft, about 7 minutes.", "Transfer dough to a work surface and knead by hand 2 minutes, adding more flour as necessary, a little at a time, to make a soft, slightly sticky dough.", "Form dough into a roughly 1 1/2-inch-thick rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until cold, about 1 hour.", "After dough has chilled, arrange sticks of butter horizontally, their sides touching, on a work surface.", "Pound butter with a rolling pin to soften slightly (butter should be malleable but still cold).", "Scrape butter into a block and put on a kitchen towel, then cover with other towel.", "Pound and roll out on both sides until butter forms a uniform 8- by 5-inch rectangle.", "Chill, wrapped in towels, while rolling out dough.", "Unwrap dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as necessary and lifting and stretching dough (especially in corners), into a 16- by 10-inch rectangle.", "Arrange dough with a short side nearest you.", "Put butter in center of dough so that long sides of butter are parallel to short sides of dough.", "Fold as you would a letter: bottom third of dough over butter, then top third down over dough.", "Brush off excess flour with pastry brush.", "Turn dough so a short side is nearest you, then flatten dough slightly by pressing down horizontally with rolling pin across dough at regular intervals, making uniform impressions.", "Roll out dough into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle, rolling just to but not over ends.", "Brush off any excess flour.", "Fold in thirds like a letter, as above, stretching corners to square off dough, forming a 10- by 5-inch rectangle.", "(You have completed the first \"fold.\"")""