• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt.
• Add the chunks of butter and flatten them using your fingertips until well dispersed throughout the dry ingredients and there are still pretty large chunks of butter throughout.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla. Make a well in the bowl and pour the wet ingredients into the butter/flour mixture and use a fork or your hands to toss it gently until there are no discernible areas of dry flour remaining. The dough will be very wet.
• Dump dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap well into a rectangular shape (as best you can). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably 4.
• Once the dough has properly chilled, roll it out on a heavily floured surface into a large rectangle (about 8 by 15 inches, but focus more on the thickness of the dough at ¼ of an inch) and fold it into thirds, like you would fold a letter. You will need to heavily flour the work surface as the dough is quite sticky at first.
• Repeat this rolling and folding two more times (for a total of 3). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for one hour.
• After the dough has chilled again, repeat the rolling and folding 3 more times. Then wrap it and chill it for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. For longer storage, this dough can be frozen, well wrapped in a double thickness of plastic wrap for up to two months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using it.

How to Shape and Bake Crescent Rolls

• Using ¼ of the dough at a time, roll into an 8½ by 11-inch rectangle (it's easier to work with ¼-½ the dough at a time). Trim the edges and cut widthwise into 3 sections measuring about 3⅔ inches each (you don't need to be super precise--just get them as close to each other in size as possible). Cut each new rectangle into 2 triangles, starting at the top left corner and cutting down to the bottom right corner. You should have a total of 6 triangles. (See notes below for alternatives on sizes).
• Cut a small slit into the middle of the short end of each triangle and roll each up loosely so that the point is resting on top of the roll and not tucked underneath.
• Place a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and proof until puffy and a little bit larger in size.
• Preheat oven to 375° F. Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. It's not uncommon to have some butter leakage when baking. Serve warm or at room temperature.