The irresistible scent of freshly baked croissants is enough to tempt anyone as it drifts from the bakery aisle. While these flaky pastries are a favourite for many, they're not commonly made at home due to their complexity and the multiple layers of dough needed to achieve that perfect airy texture. Not to mention, traditional recipes can be quite lengthy. Even culinary expert Gordon Ramsay suggests preparing the dough a full day in advance. But for those short on time, there's good news: a food blogger has revealed a nifty shortcut. Liza, from Liza's Delicious Recipes on YouTube, boasts she's discovered "the easiest way to make croissants.".

Her approach takes roughly two hours, including an hour for the dough to chill, promising "light, airy, golden, flaky and buttery croissants" at the end, reports the Express. Start with a large mixing bowl, measure out your water, and pour it in. Add the sugar and yeast, giving it a mix. Let it sit for five to ten minutes to activate the yeast, then return to stir the now-thickened mixture. Pour in the milk and combine well before adding the salt.

Give it another stir, then measure out the flour and add it to the mix. Get your hands dirty and work the flour into the mixture to form a dough, giving it a good knead. It'll be super sticky at this point, but keep at it, and you'll end up with a smooth dough eventually. Start by adding 50g of softened butter. Smear it on top of the dough with your hand, then give it a good knead for six minutes, using your hand.

Once the dough is smooth and not sticking to your fingers anymore, press it down into the bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Give the top of the towel a good spritz with some water and let the dough have a rest at room temperature for an hour. Make sure the dough has doubled in size before you take it out of the bowl to carry on making the croissants. Sprinkle a bit of flour onto a clean work surface and pop the dough on top.

Roll the dough into a big sausage shape, then chop it into seven equal-sized bits. Grab one piece and make a ball, then pat and knead it inwards before squashing it out again into a pancake shape. Roll the dough into a large, flat circle, spinning it around as you roll to make sure it's even. Move the circle to a plate that's been well-floured. Soften the remaining 150g of butter in a dish and use a pastry brush to slather the top of the dough circle. Repeat the kneading of the remaining bits, roll them out into circles, and keep layering them on top of the other sheets on the plate, brushing butter on top of each one.

Once all seven dough portions are layered, roll the stack on a well-floured surface into a large rectangle. Trim the edges to form a perfect square, then use a pizza cutter to create six triangles, starting from the rectangle's corner inwards along a diagonal line. The natural pattern will become apparent. Separate the rectangles and cut a small slit at the base of each, then start rolling the dough from the wide end up to the point.