ADVANCED - Cooking class

This recipe is fairly technical, and requires time resting the pastry at each stage, so break it over two days if you like. But perservere, it's worth it!

Brown-butter chocolate croissants

PREP+ COOK TIME I HOUR 40 MINUTES (+ REFRIGERATION & STANDING) MAKES 12

1 Line a 20cm square cake pan with plastic wrap, extending the wrap 5cm above the edges. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted; cook for 8 minutes, swirling pan occasionally, or until browned. Pour butter into pan. Refrigerate for 1½ hours or until firm.

2 Meanwhile, make croissant dough.

3 Turn croissant dough onto a very lightly-floured sheet of baking paper. Roll dough into a 30cm square. Lift cold brown butter from pan; fold plastic wrap over butter to enclose. Use a rolling pin to pound butter until butter is pliable and softened. Unwrap butter. Place butter on dough with the corners of the butter touching the midpoint of each side of the dough. Fold corners of dough over to enclose butter.

4 Roll dough into a 25cm x 50cm rectangle. Fold dough into thirds by bringing the bottom third over the middle third, then the top third down to cover folded dough. Turn dough a quarter turn to the right. Roll out to a rectangle again; repeat folds, turning and rolling one more time. Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat rolling, folding and refrigerating two more times. Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes.