Pain au Chocolat

Before you start

Pain au chocolat uses the same laminated, yeasted dough as a croissant, but instead of being cut into triangles it is cut into rectangles and rolled around two thin bars of dark chocolate. The shape is easier to master than a crescent, and the squared roll gives a satisfying ratio of flaky crust to melted chocolate in every bite.

This smaller batch makes 12 pastries and uses three letter folds, then an overnight rest after lamination so you can shape and bake in the morning. Chocolate batons, sold for exactly this purpose, hold their shape in the oven; chopped chocolate bars work if you cut them into neat strips. Roll each rectangle snugly with the seam underneath, or it will unfurl as it proofs.

Ingredients

• Dough400 g (3⅓ cups) bread flour
• 45 g (3½ tbsp) granulated sugar
• 8 g (1⅓ tsp) fine salt
• 6 g (2 tsp) instant yeast
• 225 g (scant 1 cup) cold whole milk
• 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter — soft
• Butter block220 g (1 cup) cold unsalted butter — European-style preferred
• Filling24 (about 120 g) dark chocolate batons — or a 55–70% bar cut into 8 cm strips
• Egg wash1 large egg — beaten with 1 tbsp milk

Method

1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the mixer bowl. Add the milk and soft butter and knead on low for 3 minutes, then medium for 3 minutes, until smooth but not fully elastic. Flatten into a rectangle, wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Shape the 220 g butter into a 15 cm (6 in) square between parchment sheets, pounding and rolling it to an even thickness. Chill until it is cold but still bends without snapping.
3. Roll the dough into a 30 cm (12 in) square. Set the butter on it like a diamond, fold the four corners of dough over the butter to meet in the middle and pinch the seams closed.
4. Roll the package to a 20 x 50 cm (8 x 20 in) strip and letter-fold it in thirds. Wrap and chill 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling and letter fold twice more, chilling 30 minutes between folds, for three folds in total.
5. After the third fold, wrap the dough well and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
6. Cut the dough in half and keep one half chilled. Roll the other into a 30 x 32 cm (12 x 12½ in) rectangle, about 4 to 5 mm thick. Trim to 28 x 30 cm and cut into six 10 x 14 cm (4 x 5½ in) rectangles.
7. Place one baton across a rectangle 1 cm from a short edge. Fold that edge over the chocolate, lay a second baton against the fold, and roll the dough snugly toward the far end. Set it seam side down on a lined sheet. Repeat with all the dough, spacing them 5 cm apart.
8. Brush with egg wash and proof at 24 to 26°C (75 to 79°F) for about 2 hours, until puffed by about half again, wobbly and showing distinct layers at the ends.
9. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Brush lightly with egg wash again. Bake one sheet at a time for 16 to 20 minutes, until deep golden brown and crisp at the ends. Cool 15 minutes before eating; the chocolate is very hot straight from the oven.

Tips for success

• Weigh the chocolate if using a bar. About 5 g per baton is enough; thicker pieces leave a gap in the roll.
• Trim and save the dough scraps. Twist them with cinnamon sugar and bake for a cook's treat.
• If the pastries spread sideways during proofing, the dough was too warm when shaped. Chill the sheet for 15 minutes before baking.

Substitutions

Dark chocolate batons

Milk chocolate is sweeter and softer; use the same weight. Gianduja or chocolate-hazelnut bars work for a nutty version.

Bread flour

All-purpose flour gives a softer, slightly less flaky pastry and an easier-to-roll dough. Reduce the milk by 10 g.

Overnight rest

For a same-day bake, chill the laminated dough for 2 hours instead of overnight. The flavor is milder and the dough a little springier to roll.

Variations

Almond pain au chocolat

Spread a thin layer of frangipane on each rectangle before adding the batons, and scatter sliced almonds on top before baking.

Double chocolate dough

Replace 30 g of the flour with Dutch-process cocoa and add 10 g extra milk. Watch the color closely, since browning is harder to judge.

Troubleshooting

Pastries unrolled during proofing or baking

The seam was not underneath or the roll was loose. Roll snugly and press the seam against the pan.

Chocolate burned or leaked out the ends

The batons were too long for the dough. Keep them about 1 cm short of each side edge.

Layers smeared together and the crumb is bready

The butter warmed during folding. Chill longer between folds and work in a cooler room.

Storage

Best the day they are baked. Store in a paper bag at room temperature for up to 2 days and warm at 175°C (350°F) for 5 minutes to recrisp. Freeze baked pastries for up to 1 month, or freeze shaped, unproofed ones and proof after thawing overnight in the refrigerator.

Safety notes

Contains wheat, milk and egg; check chocolate labels for soy and other allergens.