Place flour, yeast, sugar and salt into a large bowl carefully. Mix everything together well before adding warm milk, melted butter and egg. Stir slowly until soft dough forms and all ingredients combine evenly without dry spots.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface before kneading gently. Knead for about ten minutes until smooth and elastic. Proper kneading helps create soft flaky Gipfeli texture after baking inside the hot oven later.

Place the dough inside a lightly greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow it to rise in a warm place for about one hour. The dough should double in size before moving forward.

Place cold butter between two sheets of parchment paper carefully. Use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into a thin square shape. Chill briefly inside the refrigerator so the butter stays firm but flexible.

Place the risen dough onto a floured surface and roll into a large rectangle. Put the flattened butter square into the center carefully. Fold the dough over the butter completely to seal it inside.

Roll the dough gently into another rectangle shape before folding into thirds like a letter. Wrap the dough and chill inside the refrigerator for thirty minutes. This creates beautiful flaky buttery layers during baking.

Remove the chilled dough and repeat rolling and folding two more times carefully. Chilling between folds keeps the butter cold and prevents melting. These folds create the signature light layers found inside traditional Swiss Gipfeli pastries.

Roll the finished dough into a large thin circle before cutting triangles carefully. Starting from the wide end, roll each triangle tightly toward the pointed tip. Curve slightly to create the classic crescent Gipfeli shape beautifully.

Place shaped Gipfeli onto parchment-lined baking trays with enough space between them. Cover loosely using a towel and let rise again for about thirty minutes. This final rise helps create light airy pastries after baking.

Mix egg yolk and milk together inside a small bowl carefully. Brush the mixture over each Gipfeli gently using a pastry brush. The egg wash creates shiny golden pastry tops during baking inside the hot oven.

Bake the Gipfeli inside a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about twenty minutes. The pastries should become golden brown and flaky outside. Your kitchen will smell wonderfully buttery and warm during this baking step.

Transfer the baked Gipfeli onto a cooling rack carefully after removing from the oven. Allow them to cool slightly before serving warm. Enjoy with jam, honey, butter, chocolate spread or fresh fruit for breakfast.