1-Ready to dive into making cruffins? Start by warming the milk to about 110°F (43°C) and combine it with yeast and sugar, then let the mixture foam for 5 minutes to activate the yeast. Next, add butter, 2 cups of flour, and salt to the mixture, mixing and beating to form a dough before gradually adding the remaining flour until you get a soft, workable consistency.

2-Once the dough is ready, knead it for about 5 minutes until it’s elastic and passes the windowpane test, meaning you can stretch it thin without it tearing. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl for roughly 2 hours until it nearly doubles in size, giving it time to develop flavor and texture. After rising, punch down the dough and roll it into a 10×14-inch rectangle, then cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to make it easier to handle.

3-Preparing for Lamination Prepare the lamination butter by beating 1 cup salted butter with 1 tablespoon flour until it’s stable and spreadable. Perform three rounds of laminations: roll out the dough, fold it over the butter, and roll again, with a 20-minute rest in the refrigerator between each to build those desirable layers. After the final lamination, chill the dough again, then cut it into three equal parts for shaping for more on similar techniques, check our baking basics guide.

4-Roll each portion into an 8×12-inch rectangle and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top. Cut the dough into 1-inch strips, layer the strips, and roll them spirally in groups of three to form the cruffin shape. Place the rolled cruffins into greased muffin pan cups and repeat for all portions to get 12 cruffins total.

5-Let them rise covered for 1 hour until puffy, then preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 200°F (93°C). For a glossy finish, apply an egg wash before baking, and once cooled slightly, roll the cruffins in the remaining cinnamon-sugar. If you want fillings, use a piping bag after baking for options like Nutella or apple pie filling. The whole process takes about 5 hours and 45 minutes, but the results are worth it.