• Heat milk to warm, not scalding to just about 100°F (microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute)
• Mix milk, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl and let rest 5-10 minutes (foam should form, if not, start over)
• Add 3 cups of flour and salt to the bowl and mix until combined, adding flour as needed to reach a dough that is not sticky
• Flour a flat work surface and knead dough until smooth, 5-10 minutes
• Shape into a rectangle that is about ½ to 1 inch in height; this may require a rolling pin
• Cover or seal (I place mine in a gallon bag) and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, while allowing butter to come to room temperature
• Cut butter into 1 cm thick slices, along the length of the stick to make rectangular slices
• Remove dough and place on floured surface, with the short edge facing you
• Lay butter in the center third of the dough, overlapping rectangles slightly
• Fold the dough like an envelope, pulling the sides to the center, and then folding the top and bottom so that they overlap at least by half
• Use the rolling pin to seal and flatten your envelope, trying to roll the dough back into a rectangle
• Repeat envelope fold and flatten process 3 to 4 times
• Refrigerate overnight using the same method as earlier to seal the moisture in the dough

8-10 Hours Later, or the Next Day

• Pull out dough
• Warm the cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl (30 seconds) and add in the remaining filling ingredients, combining until smooth
• Roll dough out into a thin rectangle of a desirable thickness (thicker dough will mean a less stepped croissant, while a thinner dough can be rolled more when shaping, but will puff up less)
• Cut in square or triangle shapes (squares are easy, triangles require more planning but allow you to achieve the typical gradated roll up
• Place filling at the base of the croissant shape (where the inside will be, the base of the triangle or the side of the square you want to surround the filling
• Roll dough around the filling, tucking in the edges at the base
• Place on baking sheet
• Let rise for 1 to 2 hours; croissants will grow 1.5 to 2 times in size

Oven

• Preheat oven to 425°F
• Spray oven door with water and add in croissants
• Lower temperature to 400°F and do not disturb the oven for 8 minutes
• Rotate pan
• Lower the temperature to 375°F and until the croissants begin to golden (about 8 min)