Recipes

Pain au Chocolat (Chocolate Croissant)

  • Serves

    makes 18 Croissant

TODD COLEMAN

Everybody in France seems to eat croissants daily, especially pain au chocolat. Some prefer a thin slice of chocolate folded into the dough—me, I like a big bar. No matter how much you put inside, it should be very good quality. —François Payard, pastry chef and owner of FP Patisserie

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. yeast
  • 12 cup milk
  • 13 cup sugar
  • 1 12 cups plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, barely softened; plus 3 tbsp. melted and cooled
  • 1 tbsp. powdered milk
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 4 cups flour
  • 18 1/2"-wide x 3"-long bittersweet chocolate bars
  • 1 egg, mixed with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash

Instructions

Step 1

Stir together yeast and ½ cup water heated to 115° together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in milk, sugar, 3 tbsp. melted butter, powdered milk, and salt; add flour. Mix on medium speed until a stiff dough forms, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a work surface and form into a thick square; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Step 2

Place remaining butter on a sheet of plastic wrap; cover with another sheet. Using a rolling pin, pound and shape butter into a 6″, ½″-thick square; set aside. Using rolling pin, roll dough into an 16″ square on a lightly floured work surface. Unwrap butter square, and place on dough so its corners line up with the middle point of each side of dough square; fold dough corners over butter so they meet in the center. Roll dough into a 12″ x 9″ rectangle, and then tri-fold dough like a letter. Roll the dough into a 12″ x 9″ rectangle and repeat folding. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill for 30 minutes. Repeat rolling and folding dough twice more; chill for 1 hour.

Step 3

Roll dough into a 20″ x 14″ x ¼″ thick sheet; halve lengthwise. Cut each half into about 9 triangles, about 3 ½″-wide at their base; cut a ½″-deep slit in the middle of each wide base. Place 1 chocolate bar parallel to the base near the cut; holding the tip of the opposite corner down, roll the base over the chocolate toward the tip until it forms a tight roll. Place croissant on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, tip side down, and brush with egg wash. Repeat with remaining triangles, bars, and egg wash. Let croissants sit until doubled in size, about 2 ½–3 hours.

Step 4

Heat oven to 375°. Working with one baking sheet at a time, brush croissants with more egg wash; bake until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.

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