Pain Au Chocolat

Pain au chocolat or chocolate croissant means chocolate bread—so you want to make sure there’s chocolate in every bite. They are a favourite of French kids (and those of us who never progressed beyond that stage) because they stop at their neighbourhood Boulangerie on the way to school. Note: The dough for these rolls keeps in the refrigerator several times along the way; To plan your attack, read the full recipe before you begin.

To do this, lay the baton with a layer of dough in the middle. Press the seam of the dough under the sticks to prevent the dough from kneading during baking. The end result should resemble binoculars.

Pain Au Chocolat Ingredients

All-Butter Croissant Dough

Flour for dusting

24 (3-inch) 44% Cocoa Chocolate Baking Sticks (such as Cocoa Berry Extruded Baton Boulangers)

1 large egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

2 cups hot water

Pain Au Chocolat Preparation Direction

Phase 1

Open refrigerated croissant dough, and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour on top of the dough; roll into a 19- x 11-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, trim edges to form an 18- x 10-inch rectangle; discard scrap. Cut dough into 12 (5- x 3-inch) rectangles. 1 Place rectangles in a single layer on a prepared griddle; Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Phase 2

Place 1 dough rectangle, closest to you, on a clean work surface. Place 1 chocolate baking stick crosswise, 1/2 inch on the bottom side of the dough rectangle. Place the second chocolate baking stick crosswise, 1 1/2 inches from the topside. Starting at the bottom, roll out the dough on the first chocolate baking stick, and continue to roll on the second chocolate baking stick and the top edge of the dough. Press the seam down firmly to secure (chocolate baking sticks should be side-by-side, like telescoping, with a layer of dough in between). Place rolled dough, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough rectangles and chocolate baking sticks, placing pastries at least 2 inches apart on both baking sheets. Proceed with the recipe, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or up to overnight for deeper flavour.

Phase 3

Whisk together eggs and milk in a small bowl. Lightly brush pastry with egg mixture, using paper towels to wipe off excess. Keep the remaining egg mixture in the fridge. To prove the pastry, pour 2 cups of hot water into a small bowl and place it in a cold oven. Place the baking sheet with the pastry, uncovered, in the oven with hot water. Close the door, and proof until the pastries have doubled in size and shake when you move the baking sheet, 1 to 2 hours. Remove pastry and water from the oven, and let pastry stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the oven rack in the middle position.

Phase 4

Gently brush 1 baking sheet of pastry with a second coat of the egg mixture. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack in the preheated oven, and immediately reduce the temperature to 375°F. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 18 to 24 minutes. Transfer pain or chocolate to a wire rack. Return oven temperature to 425°F. Repeat the process with the egg mixture and remaining pastry. Serve hot, or let cool completely for about 1 hour. (Pain au chocolat is best eaten the day it is baked.)

Shaped pain or chocolate can be frozen at the end of Step 2. Freeze on a baking sheet, uncovered, until hardened, about 2 hours, and transfer to a ziplock plastic bag. Thaw overnight on a baking sheet, covered tightly with plastic wrap, in the fridge. Proceed with phase 3.

Like croissants, pains or chocolates bake most evenly on the middle oven rack. If your oven is large enough to hold 2 pans side-by-side, both batches can be baked at once. 0 0 0.

Pain Au Chocolat

Pain Au Chocolat

Pain Au Chocolat

Pain Au Chocolat Ingredients

Pain Au Chocolat Preparation Direction

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